As I was planning for our September trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, I did some research on fun nature and eco-tourism experiences in the area. I saw a lot of options for swimming with sea turtles, which is always a blast. But when I saw that Isla Mujeres near Cancun is one of the best spots in the world to swim with whale sharks, I knew we had to add it to our itinerary!
Swimming with whale sharks has been on Daniel and my bucket list for a while now, so the prospect of finally getting to experience that was too good to pass up! And despite taking our tour on the last day of the whale shark tour season, I’m happy to say we had an incredible time.
In this post, I want to share some information about the company we took our tour with, some general expectations for this kind of tour, and how our experience went. My goal is not just to encourage you to book a tour like this for yourself but also to ensure that you know exactly what to expect because it’s not a great fit for everyone.
If you want to discover whether this experience belongs on your Mexico itinerary, let’s dive in!
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FAQs About Swimming with Whale Sharks in Mexico
- Where is the best place to see whale sharks in Mexico? You can see whale sharks in 3 main areas in Mexico: off the coast of Baja California Peninsula, Quintana Roo, and around Socorro Island. All three are among the best places in the world but have different whale shark seasons. Baja California is good for fall and winter, Quintana Roo for summer, and Socorro Island for spring and winter.
- When is whale shark season in Cancun, Mexico? The primary whale shark season in the Quintana Roo area is June to September, making it a great excursion for anyone visiting this area on their summer/early fall vacation!
- What to wear swimming with whale sharks in Mexico? Whale shark tours include long days out in the hot sun, so it’s essential to cover up when possible, especially since sunscreen is heavily restricted. On our trip, we weren’t allowed to wear any, even the “Mexico-approved” kind. We also had to leave everything but our swimsuits off so we could jump in the water at a moment’s notice. For that reason, I highly recommend a long-sleeve rash guard and a hat with a strap. If you don’t have a rashguard, keep a towel on any exposed skin to protect it from the sun between dives.
- What to bring on a whale shark snorkeling tour? Your tour company will likely provide all the snorkeling gear you need for your trip and some sort of lunch. However, I also recommend a waterproof action camera, motion sickness medication, polarized sunglasses (polarization can help you spot creatures in the water), a towel, and a sun protection jacket and pants (if your tour allows you to wear them. If your tour does not provide food, you should also bring plenty of bottled water and snacks.
- How to book a whale shark tour in Mexico? Whenever I travel internationally, the first places I check for tours are Viator and Get Your Guide. Both sites have tons of local-run whale shark tours with great reviews that you can choose from. For this particular tour, we used Get Your Guide to book with a local company called Eco Colors Tours. You can find it here if you want to book the same one.
Our Whale Sharks Tour with Eco Colors Tours
Get Your Guide had plenty of companies to choose from for whale shark tours, but I ultimately chose Eco Colors Tours for our excursion.
They had great reviews, and the price was one of the best for how much they provided. We paid $175 each for a full-day whale shark tour that included:
- Roundtrip transportation to Cancun from our hotel (we were in Playa del Carmen, so this saved us a ton of money)
- A bilingual guide
- Snorkeling equipment (fins, snorkels, mask, life vest)
- Lunch
- Drinks
I was pretty happy with those perks, but they also over-delivered on several things, like providing breakfast and coffee before we got on the boat and sandwiches and Coca-Cola for a mid-day snack. We also got to snorkel in a reef near Isla Mujeres, and the tour lasted longer than we expected, so we really felt like we got our money’s worth!
The only extra expenses were the environmental taxes and dock fees, which cost an additional $20 per person (paid in cash), and the Dramamine we bought at the dock (2 pills for $3).
Additional Thoughts on Our Experience with Eco Colors Tours
The pickup van, boat, and equipment were in great shape, making the adventure enjoyable and comfortable from start to finish. And I was very happy with the communication from the tour company leading up to the tour day.
Last but not least, our guide and captain were really good about following current eco-tourism standards to protect the sea creatures and making sure we knew exactly how to behave around them.
Overall, I was incredibly happy and had only two minor “complaints.” 1) The tour was listed as 7 hours long, but we were gone for 12 hours from pickup to drop off. We spent several hours on the road, but the extended time on the water also factored in, and we missed a small event at the resort we were looking forward to. 2) The listing said to wear sun protection clothing because sunscreen is heavily regulated in Mexico. But when we arrived, we had to take it all off so we could jump in the water at any given second. Unfortunately, this led to us getting rather sunburnt, but I’d say it was worth it for the experience.
Our Experience Swimming with Whale Sharks
Pre-Tour Procedures
Because we were staying in Playa del Carmen, our tour started bright and early at 5:15 am. We were the first people to get picked up and the last to get dropped off, so it made for a long day. But the experience was well worth being a bit tired, and the comfy van was well suited to grabbing a little extra sleep on the drive there and back.
The driver stopped to pick up several more groups, and once everyone was in the van, our guide shared some interesting and important information about whale sharks, including safety procedures and important conservation information. It took a couple of hours, but we made it to the docks in Cancun around 7:45 a.m., where we joined up with several other tour groups.
We had about 20 minutes at the docks to use the restrooms, sign waivers, grab snorkels and masks, and enjoy a small complimentary breakfast of coffee and traditional pastries. We’d already eaten at our resort but grabbed some Mexican donuts just because!
During this time, we could rent wet suits for ~$15 per person and get motion sickness medication from the dock’s small store. I never struggle with motion sickness, but our guide warned us that if more than two people got sick on the tour, they would end it early. I did not want to be that person, so we spent the additional $3 on Dramamine just to be safe.
Hitting the Water
After this, the staff divided us into different boats and introduced us to our captain and crew. We kept the same guide from the morning, which was nice.
The captain helped everyone settle into the boat, stowing all of our items down below and fitting us with life jackets and flippers. They had plenty of everything, so no one had to deal with ill-fitting gear.
It only took a few minutes before we left the docks and headed out in the early morning light for a full day of adventure!
Encountering Wildlife
Swimming with Dolphins
The first part of our tour was pretty slow. We spent about an hour driving around, and I fell asleep for a bit of that, thanks to the comfy seats and rocking waves. But eventually, we encountered our first wildlife of the day: a pod of dolphins!
Now, I love dolphins, and I typically jump at the chance to take a dolphin-watching tour. But for some reason, it didn’t cross my mind that we might see them here or that we could swim with them in the wild!
I was initially happy just to see so many dolphins in one place being so active. There were at least five of them (I think more at one point), and they were breaching quite a bit near our boat. But then our guide told us to hurry and put on our flippers so we could jump in with them, and I was so excited!
Our guide instructed us to jump in groups of four, and Daniel and I were the first two to get on our flippers and get ready to dive in. The captain angled us so we would be directly behind the pod when we jumped in, which made for such a magical reveal!
As soon as the bubbles cleared, we could see the dolphins spread out directly in front of us. They turned around to check us out for a second, then swam away. We followed them for a little bit, but they were so fast! The whole experience only lasted about a minute, but it felt like time slowed down for this magical event!
Seeing Flying Fish
After this, we sailed around for a while without seeing much more than flying fish, which were actually really cool. I had no idea that they could “fly” for such long distances! Most of them were pretty small, but we did spot a few big ones soaring over the waves, too.
The captain and our guide also took a few minutes here to hand out a “bonus” snack of Coca-Cola and sandwiches. This was not listed on the tour description, so it was a nice surprise and hit the spot after a few hours on the water!
During this time, our captain was in almost constant contact with the other tour boats, sharing information on wildlife in the area. Because it was the very last day of the whale shark tour season, there weren’t many whale sharks in the area, and it took quite a while before we got news of one. But as soon as we did, our captain headed in that direction so we could meet up with the other tour boat.
Swimming with Whale Sharks
Right before we arrived, we spotted a large squadron of manta rays, so we veered off to see if we could jump in with them. But a moment later, we also realized a whale shark was there!
We immediately put on our flippers, and the captain set us up again to jump in groups of four. Once again, he angled us perfectly so that the shark was right in front of us as soon as we jumped, and it was so cool! Despite being a “small” juvenile, the shark was huge, and it was incredible to be that close to it.
Our guide told us to immediately turn around and swim alongside the whale shark because it goes so fast. We also had to be conscientious not to touch it, stay clear of its mouth, and leave extra space by its tail so we wouldn’t get whacked. Thankfully, it was pretty easy to keep our distance and still take in this massive creature and its beauty.
After about a minute, our captain dropped off the next group and picked us up. He told us to prepare for another jump, but unfortunately, all the boats in the area came and overwhelmed the whale shark. This caused him to dive deeper and swim away, so we lost track of him. It also violated the environmental laws that keep the whale sharks safe, so we had to stay in the boat and move on.
Regardless, it was still an incredible experience, and I’m so glad we could check it off our bucket list! I can also safely say we will be booking an excursion like this again because it was absolutely surreal.
Snorkeling & Lunch at Isla Mujeres
Once we moved on from the whale shark, we spotted several other creatures, like dolphins and manta rays, but we couldn’t swim with any of them because they moved on pretty quickly. Our guide let us decide whether to head to Isla Mujeres for lunch or stay out a bit longer, and we all voted to keep searching for wildlife. But eventually, we had to move on to the final part of the tour.
(Quick note: This is where I started to notice that I was getting sunburnt. In retrospect, I should have asked the captain if I could get my towel or jacket out from the storage so I could protect myself from the intense afternoon sun. That would have made a big difference, and I highly recommend you do that if you take this tour.)
Isla Mujeres is a gorgeous island near Cancun, featuring clear, turquoise waters and soft white sand. The water around the island is relatively shallow, making it perfect for splashing around in. It seemed like quite the party destination because boats lined up all along the buoy markers, blasting music while people enjoyed the shallows.
But before we joined them, our captain stopped in deeper waters so we could snorkel at the nearby reef! This was such a fun and unexpected stop, and it allowed us to see lots of colorful plants and fish.
Our guide led the way, ensuring we stayed in a safe area and helping point out any fish she saw. I really enjoyed exploring this beautiful reef, especially since it had many plants and coral I’d never seen before in purple and gold colors!
We spent about 15 minutes here before moving on to the shallows.
While our guide and the crew prepared lunch, we swam into the shallows and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the island! The water was so pretty, and some almost transparent fish were swimming around that nearly blended in with the sand. It was incredibly relaxing, and we enjoyed the festive vibes of all the people partying nearby.
About 15 minutes later, our captain waved us back to the boat for a lunch of ceviche, chips, and guacamole! They also had a salad option for vegetarians and people with fish allergies (me). But I just opted for chips and guac because it was delicious, and I wasn’t super hungry after the heavy snack they’d given us just a couple of hours earlier.
Heading Home
After this, our captain turned the boat toward Cancun to wrap up our tour. We had a few minutes at the dock to change into dry clothes and use the restrooms before loading back into our vans for the return trip. This went faster than the morning pickups, but it still took a while to get back to our resort. We were dropped off around 5:30 pm, making it a full 12-hour day.
We were definitely exhausted and pretty sunburnt, but it was an absolutely incredible day, and something I would do again in a heartbeat!
See Epic Footage from Our Adventure in My YouTube Video!
Closing Thoughts on Swimming with Whale Sharks in Mexico
We’ve been blessed to do some pretty cool things on our travels, but swimming with whale sharks is definitely at the top of that list. Despite the short swim times, my sheer awe at being in the water with one of these creatures was incomparable! And I’m sure if we’d gone during the main part of the season when more sharks were around, that would have been amplified even more.
It’s something we will definitely be looking to do again in the future because I don’t think this is something I could get enough of!
I will say this tour isn’t for everyone. Although they give you life jackets, you do need to be able to swim relatively fast to keep up with the wildlife, and spending the entire day on the water is extremely tiring. So, if you have small children and/or you don’t do well with being outside all day, I wouldn’t recommend it. But if you think you’re up for the adventure, don’t hesitate! This is money well spent for these kinds of memories.
Once again, if you want to book this tour with Eco Colors Tours, you can do so at this link. And if you’re wondering, the price is currently the same/cheaper on Get Your Guide versus their website.
Thanks so much for stopping by to check out this post! I hope this answers your questions about swimming with whale sharks in Mexico, but if you have any more, feel free to drop them below! If you enjoyed the post, don’t forget to like, save, and share it, and subscribe to Carried Away Travels so you never miss a new adventure!
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Until the next time, happy travels!
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