Whale Shark Swimming and Isla Mujeres Beach Tour
Description
Come join us in this once in a lifetime experience and live the most incredible adventure swimming beside this ocean’s gentle giants. Your encounter will be supervised by our very experienced guides not to mention you’ll be wearing our snorkeling gear certified by National Geographic Snorkeler. We start the adventure picking you up from any hotel in Cancun, Riviera Maya or Playa del Carmen to take you to our new private marina in Punta Sam in Cancun. After a light breakfast we board and head to the Whale Shark protected area where, after finding them, we will start the dives, 2 to 3 per person, always in couples and with our certified guide. Before we head back to our marina we will visit beautiful Playa Norte beach in Isla Mujeres where you will have an hour to relax and enjoy the best ceviche prepared in sight by our crew.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our Whale Shark Encounter begins early in the morning where, depending on the hotel or condominium you're staying at, our experienced van drivers will pick you up right at the lobby or entrance to take you to our new marina located in the ferry terminal in Punta Sam in Cancun. All of our vans are comfortable A/C units in perfect conditions and all of our drivers are licensed and certified to operate tourism in the highway. Once you arrive to our marina you will be welcome by our ground staff and, after a quick check in, where you will be assigned to your boat, you will have the chance for a light breakfast before boarding. We leave at 7:50 am and head straight into the whale shark protected area, life vests are mandatory from the minute you board, this always for your safety which is a mayor concern to us. After an hour we arrive and find the whale sharks, our captain will choose one and do the proper manouvers with the boat to start the swims, always in couples and with our certified guide, 2 by 2 you will go in the water to swim beside this beautiful creatures, there are 10 people on each boat, after 2 to 3 dives per person, making sure everybody gets their chance,you will all board and start the return but, before we reach Cancun we have one final stop, Playa Norte beach in Isla Mujeres. Playa Norte is the nicest beach in Isla Mujeres and, it's considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, here you will have an hour to relax or, if you want, do some more snorkeling. Our captain will prepare his famous ceviche while you enjoy your favorite non alcoholic drink, sandwiches will also be available. Then we head back to our marina in Cancun where our vans will be expecting you ready to go back to your hotels after this wonderful adventure. Pickups in hotels start at 5:30 am depending on the hotel and area you're staying at and the boats are usually back at our marina between 1:00 and 2:00 pm.
Following the whale shark adventure, relax at paradisiac Playa Norte, where you also get to enjoy fresh ceviche prepared by the captain.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We can pick you up at most hotels in Cancun hotel zone or downtown, Playa del Carmen, and Riviera Maya. For Tulum or any vacation rental, we provide a pickup from a nearby meeting point.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Not recommended for child aged 3 and under.
- Pregnant women are not allowed for safety reasons and as per federal regulations.
- Even though the probability of seeing whale sharks is very high, we cannot guarantee sightings.
Reviews(433)
Amazing to swim with whale sharks which were plentiful in the area we went to. We got there quite early as it does fill up with boats. The whale sharks are huge and we also saw a few stingrays. Had a stop at Isla Mujeres on the way back to see the beach there.
Awesome experience, must do in Cancun
10/10 experience, The guide Axel and captain found a quieter spot with less boats for our trip to experience the massive sharks first hand. They were able to capture videos and photos of us with the sharks that help to capture this memory!
It was an incredible experience; our captain Pedro and Axel gave us the best service and took care of us in the best way. I had the opportunity to do 3 jumps, and without a doubt, it is an unparalleled experience. Also, the snacks and the ceviche they prepared were delicious.
Wow! 😍 Picked up promptly at hotel & arrived at port. Everything explained clearly regarding tax, wet suits & which boat you’re on. Lovely, fast journey to find the whale sharks, saw dolphins & a sea turtle on the way. We were on the Hunab Ku with Willy (Wonka) as our guide & Enrique (Sexy Boy) at the helm. They were both amazing: helpful & knowledgeable. Willy told us it was a good day as the sea was calm & he was right. So many whale sharks!!! It’s a sight to behold! You go in twos with your guide, snorkel & flippers on. Once we were in the water Willy helped us to get close to one of the many sharks. It was mind blowing! We were also lucky to see a huge manta ray both times we went in. Even while we were waiting for our turn just being surrounded by these beautiful creatures leaves you open mouthed. The boat stopped at Isla Mujeres for a short while so we could swim in the beautiful turquoise sea, ceviche on the boat (delicious with hot sauce!) then back to port. Seeing the photos & videos of your experience, amazing! Expensive but a once in a lifetime experience! Willy & Sexy Boy really took care of us from start to finish, everyone at the port was kind & friendly & got a lovely, hand painted magnet ($120 mxn) to remind of this truly wonderful experience!
The shuttle arrives on time to pick us up at the hotel. Arriving in Cancun, we arrive at the place to change and we meet our guide Oscar. He took the time to speak with each group in their language to explain the whale shark excursion and the beach of Isla Mujeres. White sand, turquoise blue water. Magnificent. Oscar was a very good guide.
We were picked up from Impression Isla Mujeres promptly at our scheduled time. Nate and Julian waited a few mins for another couple running a few mins behind. From there we were chauffeured over to the mainland by boat to properly check-in and back on the boat with Nate and Julian. Julian was a phenomenal Captain, expertly guiding us through the offshore chop and finding the sharks. Nate’s direction was clear, and he prepared all of our gear so we were ready to go once we spotted the sharks. Here’s where the trip is worth every single cent. The moment you hit the water and experience these animals face-to-face is incredible. Once-in-a-lifetime. Nate’s athleticism is unmatched. I suffered an injury on this trip prior and my swimming was not as strong. Nate helped to put me in the right spot, and ensure I was safe. My wife is a strong swimmer, so on our second jump, Nate prioritized her to ensure he got incredible GoPro footage of her, and that he did.. Forever grateful for that.. The ride back was relatively smooth, and very relaxing. We were able to talk amongst everyone onboard and have a great time. Playa Norte was such a fun boat raft up experience, and a great way to relax and end the day. I’m not a fish fan, but Nate’s ceviche was handmade and looked incredible. The ham sandwiches perfectly hit the spot as well. Overall, would absolutely recommend over and over again. Must do, and a great day made possible most to Nate and Julian!
Pros: Transportation to/from hotel was wonderful. Check in was easy. Tour guide was nice. Whale sharks were huge and so cool to see!! Cons: We got to go in once for about a minute, then were sent back onto the boat so someone else could have another turn. Our boat broke down in the middle of the ocean. Had to wait for another and jump from the boat and swim to the other. Over half of our group threw up (my husband almost did and he never gets sea sick). Captain was rude the entire time and just kept yelling at us to jump over the edge of the boat because they were on a time frame. It was supposed to be 4-5 hours. We left at 6:30am and didn't get back to our hotel until 2:30pm. Basically, we had about a minute actually swimming with the whale sharks and a half hour swimming at isla. The rest of the time we were all sick on the speed boat. And, since we were so behind schedule, our Isla trip lasted about 1/2 hour and you weren't actually allowed to go to the beach you had to stay in the water near the boat. Final verdict: Whale sharks were amazing. Tour guide was nice. We got to see flying fish which was also really cool. Captain, absolute jerk. Broken boat, spent about 6 hours in the speed boat and were all so sick by the middle of it. Would do it again, but not with this company.
The entire experience was amazing! Willie and Baby Face took such great care of us! We saw many Whale Sharks and Willie stayed with us each swim. Captain Baby Face prepared a delicious Cevice lunch! What a great day!
Swim with whale sharks: a pure delight to be enjoyed without moderation. Attentive crew who found us a spot with more than 50 sharks gathered. Thank you!
