New Whale Shark Rules -- Question for those who have been

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MacLir

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Location
Massachusetts
# of dives
200 - 499
Hi all. As part of our upcoming dive trip to Cozumel, we are booked to do a whale shark trip. This will be our first time doing this trip. We just received an email from our operator indicating that the government has modified the applicable rules for this season -- specifically, the email indicates that "All individuals must wear life vests this year. Wet suits are no longer considered acceptable flotation devices. Guests will no longer be allowed to dive below the surface to see the animals." They also indicate that trips may now be cancelled (by this operator) not just for weather or lack of sharks (as was always the case), but also if there are not enough sharks coming to the surface to be seen. I assume the latter change was adopted by this operator as a reflection of the new life vest only/no submergence requirement.

My question is for those who have done these whale shark trips in the past: In your view, and given all of the other things to do in Coz/Yucatan, would the whale shark trip still be worth doing if you are stuck in a life vest and essentially restricted to surface viewing of the sharks? Most folks on this Board seemed to find that using a wetsuit, as previously permitted, worked well, but I am concerned that viewing and photography will be significantly degraded by the new rules.

Any advice would be much appreciated! Just to avoid any misunderstanding: I am not intending to criticize the rule changes. I know these changes likely reflect past incidents or issues, were fashioned by folks with the relevant expertise, and are intended to prevent harm.

Thanks!

PS: as a point of information for others, our operator also indicated that no sunblock will be permitted this year; not even the biodegradable variety. So, please plan accordingly!
 
My question is for those who have done these whale shark trips in the past: In your view, and given all of the other things to do in Coz/Yucatan, would the whale shark trip still be worth doing if you are stuck in a life vest and essentially restricted to surface viewing of the sharks? Most folks on this Board seemed to find that using a wetsuit, as previously permitted, worked well, but I am concerned that viewing and photography will be significantly degraded by the new rules.

My opinion, no. Based on what I saw almost all the tours are basically operated by the same group resold under many names, and they shuffled passengers on various boats based on capacity.
 
In your view, and given all of the other things to do in Coz/Yucatan, would the whale shark trip still be worth doing if you are stuck in a life vest and essentially restricted to surface viewing of the sharks?

We did Isla Mujeres for whale sharks perhaps 3 years ago. If I had to wear a life jacket and was stuck on the surface, it still would have definitely been worth it, especially since I never saw a whale shark in the wild.
 
I think the whole thing stinks…even before these NEW rules. What a waste of a day. Much better to explore new and pristine sites near Cozumel.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
 
I think the life jacket rule has a few different purposes:
  1. Puts everyone on an equal "playing field" because it's technically ALWAYS been a rule, some operators enforced it while others didn't
  2. There are WAY TOO MANY damned boats out there - so the life jackets serve as high visibility
  3. They do prevent disrespectful and entitled people form touching, riding, or otherwise molesting the sharks, mantas or dolphins when present.
They are not all one operator, but they (whale shark ops) are unionized and special permits are required. Pricing is supposed to be fixed, but I find that there is still some competition going on.

It was once a really wonderful and amazing experience, but due to the heavy commercialization of it - it's depressing. I went last year with some friends who wanted to go - I was so disenchanted and disgusted with the amount of boats and the behavior I was seeing from tourists and crews alike - I doubt I will ever go again. I will be hard pressed to even encourage it at this point.

I am just really grateful that I was able to experience this back in the days when it wasn't so commercialized.
 
The surface only experience is fine, but I would think that a life vest create a lot of drag. I had a hard time trying to keep up with my fish, and that was 10 years ago. We wore inflatable snorkel vests that served us well, but I guess they don't qualify?

That little first mate swam every time a tourist pair went in! I was impressed. We went two days in a row with the same captain. I guess our first day tip is what got us the swim with the manta ray. Huge!
 
We did it a couple year ago from the northern area of the mainland. The operator required life vests but our hooded vest were ok. We were able to swim as fast as the guides with our hooded vests. We would not have gone with a life vest, way too slow.
 
We went last year and were only allowed in the water 2x. We researched and booked with a recommended operator, but were essentially "sold" to someone else. I will never go again, and I am not quite sure that I am happy I did it once. It is a zoo out there with all of the boats, and a lot of people in the water. We did it from Isla Mujeres. It would definitely not be worth it as a day trip from Coz.
 
Christi hit the nail on the head.

We went last year, for the first time. Glad we went, but wouldn't be tempted to go again. I did quite a bit of research on the various ops, and very happy with that aspect. Of the 8 on the boat, 6 of us were divers, and of course very comfortable in the water. The other 2, from Denver, the husband panicked, and the wife barfed, so the rest of us got 4 trips in the water.

Overall, 1/2 the boats and 1/2 the humans would still be plenty.
 
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