Whale Shark Snorkeling Experience from Cancun and Riviera Maya

Posted By : PowerLu00
The actual shark snorkel was the point, and that was good, but pretty much everything else was not great. The main problem was that we got talked up about the reality of everything we were told was quite different. We were told “today is about adventure and not comfort.” But, the level of discomfort was quite high.

The boat, which we were told never has more than 10 passengers, was small 25’ boat and we had 11 guests plus 3 crew members packed in. We had to squeeze to sit and were told we had to swear life vests the whole time and could not stand up during the ride. The ride was about 1.5 hours out and another 1.5 hours back. The swim time was about 5 minutes per person. So, a long day on the water to be uncomfortable.

We were told no sunscreen allowed at all, yet the boat provided minimal shade. The paper we were given said biodegradable sunscreen was ok, but we were told no sunscreen period. We were told to wrap our towels around us. Lots of people were burnt. 3 people got sick, 2 threw up.

The “lunch on the beach” is a joke. I didn’t expect fancy but wow, that was a really gross buffet food at a restaurant by the beach. We asked to skip it and be dropped off but they said no.

Then, the worst part. The transportation was one van for all 11 guests, who were all in different hotels in different regions. My hotel was in Play Del Carmen (45mins south of Cancun) but we went 40mins north first to Playa Mujeres, then back southeast to Cancun hotel zone, then another hour further south to our hotel. The shuttle ride back was 3.5 hours, even though there was no traffic. No joke. The driver felt so bad that about 2.5 hours in he took out his personal bottle of tequila to give us a tasting to help for the next hour.

Overall, all of the above is easily preventable. At the very least don’t cheap out on one van, and have shade on the boat if you’re going to enforce a no sunscreen rule. The day started at 6am and ended at 6pm. But at least we actually swam with sharks for 5 minutes.

I think that, unless your hotel is in Isla Mujeres, it’s just not worth it. Or maybe look for another vendor - we saw plenty of much nicer boats and with less people onboard.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-10-11 16:52:20

Posted By : D4973MRmichellec
We enjoyed every minute of this amazing experience. We had the best crew in Daniela, Lionel and Eric. They found the whale sharks, postioned the boat to that our dives got us right up to the whale sharks during our jumps. They even videoed our jumps for us so we could be totally present in the moment. I highly recommend this tour!
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-09-05 21:51:00

Posted By : Ilovemydogs21

Guide Justine
Sailor Marcelino
Capitain Miguel

From start to finish the experience , vibe and support was there. Important information was given and the guide Justine made sure everyone understood, and nothing was to much for her she made everyone feel welcome and went above and beyond.
I was in a group of 8 of us ,the people we were with was also good company!
The captain Miguel made me feel safe and he was brilliant he knew exactly what he was doing and still made time to engage
with the team, he was smiling and laughing and his eyes were everyone he definitely knows how to drive a boat.
The sailor marcelino well well he’s fearless and such a gentleman , he made me feel comfortable and is a strong swimmer.

If you are nervous like me I promise you it’s the best thing your ever witness , I am very blessed to have had this experiences with such a great team , everything was explained to us that we expected and we had the best day ever the guide , sailor and captain respected us and show their time and they all work so so hard

Thank you

Guide Justine
Sailor Marcelino
Capitain Miguel

I can see why you all love your jobs I wish we had your work effort , knowledge and commitment in the UK

Take care thank you for everything! Just bring your swimwear , positivity , respect and patience they will handle the rest!

Such unforgettable memories made today thanks to you guys!

Made my husband dreams come true and thousands of others,

Can’t wait to come back and book again!
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-09-02 17:51:32

Posted By : clareloumac
This was the most memorable part of our trip to Mexico thanks to Arun, and the team. Our teens declared it best day ever-praise indeed. From the local pickup, Arun explained clearly what would happen and shared his passion for and knowledge of these beautiful creatures. Drinks and snacks provided all day. Arun and the team worked hard to ensure we all got two swims with the whale sharks-incredible, and he captured this for us on our GoPro.

It was also wonderful to experience the beach at Isla Mujeres afterwards, and cool down after lunch on the water. The buffet lunch is pretty average, and would benefit from some fans and quieter music. Having just encountered such magnificent creatures we wanted to reflect on this, rather than be blared with loud hits from 2010!

If you are in the area during the whale shark season this trip should be on your To Do list!

Tips:
As a family you need to be strong confident swimmers. They water was quite choppy which can hinder you, and if you are going to invest in this as a family activity to get the full experience it would be good to be confident or have some experience with wearing flippers and snorkelling. You have to jump off the edge of the boat, on immediate
direction; it’s not the time to be nervous! The faster you swim the more time you get to swim with the whale shark.

Invest in rash vests to protect your skin from the sun. Reef safe cream is not permitted and you are in the boat for a long time!

Get seasickness pills-Cancun water was calm but you’re going to be far from shore. You don’t want to spoil this trip by feeling ill!

If you’re taking children prepare them to be patient! It’s about a two hour boat ride to the spot (plus return journey) and phones are shut away in the waterproof cabin so it’s a time to chat without screens.

Prepare children that they will get perhaps just a couple of minutes max watching the whale shark. They swim very fast!!!!

Take a device which is waterproof and will enable you to capture the moment. Ask your guide to film so you focus on swimming.

None of this should put you off-I’m just thinking of what would have been helpful to know in advance for our family. Cancun Adventures is one of the more ethical companies so follow the rules carefully about how many people can swim at any one point. This was our reason for going with them. (We observed other bigger groups with different companies jumping which made us feel uncomfortable.)

Would thoroughly recommend this once in a lifetime experience. We have memories that will last forever!
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-08-16 08:31:39

Posted By : 708malachih
It was beautiful and great to experience. Our guides were wonderful and the friends we made along the way made it really worth it
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-08-13 16:33:25

Posted By : deifiliad2022
The experience was amazing. The crew members took really good care of us as we were with our 7 year old son. We were with Justine, Miguel and Marce.
It will be a memory that we will treasure for the rest of our lives.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-08-11 15:52:41

Posted By : victoriacV875DY
Arum was the best guide! Very informative, helpful, and kind! I highly recommend bringing Dramamine because the waves can be very choppy.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-07-26 16:49:17

Posted By : 140cadeh
We had a great time and our guide Arun was awesome! Experiencing the whale sharks in the wild was once in a lifetime!
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-07-26 16:48:27

Posted By : jessicahP2134ZP
What an experienc! Once in a lifetime. This whole tour was great from pick up to drop off. We were picked up on time and upon arrival to the dock, we were greated by Dani who was an absolute pleasure and ball of energy. She did an amazing job throughout the tour and was very ifnformative. Her team on board the boat was also awesome and helpful. We were lucky to find a slew of whale sharks and Ramon and Dani were the perfect guides once we hit the water with the whale sharks. On the way back, we had a brief stop at Isla Mujeres for lunch and then returned to our dock. The boat ride to the whale sharks is about a 1-1.5 hours long, but it is so incredibly peaceful and beautiful.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-07-06 19:37:56

Posted By : Y5855XAmichellew
What a fantastic experience. This trip was why we travelled to Mexico and it did not disappoint.
From pick up in the morning until drop off in the afternoon we were well looked after.
Justine our guide was so informative and told us lots about the sharks as well as what would happen during our jumps.
Captain Nacho and his boat was 1st class. The boat seemed more stable than a lot of the others in the water and he stopped enroute when he spotted a turtle.
Diego was the best, he jumped in with each couple. There were 5 couples and we got 2 jumps each. Wow just wow. He helped guide us in the water so as to enhance our experience. We got to swim with 3 sharks and it was out of this world so thank you Justine, Nacho and especially Diego got the best experience of our lives❤️
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-06-25 22:39:35