RDRINK25
Contributor
We are gong in Aug to Cancun and wanted to do a Whale Shark tour? Which one will be better and who to use for the trip we will need transportation from our hotel.
Holbox or Isla Mujeres for Whale Sharks?
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ccannon707
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I've done both and while Holbox is a sweet out of the way town, I'd def vote for IM for a whale shark tour because of the clarity of the water. The Gulf is green and somewhat murky, the water around IM is clear like Cozumel. More to see. Get the map for IM ... cancunmap.com-Maps and travel guides.Your information source to Cancun,Cozumel,Isla Mujeres & Riviera Maya. They prefer Capitan Tony. Go and see for yourself. Pretty much all tours are at the same price. That time of year make sure you have AC in your hotel... Very hot!
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I did 3 nights in Holbox, 2 days of Whale Shark snorkeling, a few years ago. It was interesting driving there with the maps available then but we found it. It's certainly a charming town and swimming with the Dominoes was worth all the trouble. The water was indeed murky as CC and the boat rides to the shoal were like 2 or 3 hours. Just getting to the ferry dock is 4 times as far as IM.
How long is the ride to the sharks, or does that vary...??
Mike
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Search is your friend --
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RDRINK25
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That was your point of view... There are many and many of people that go there yearly and was looking to get some other opinions. We are looking for ops to go with. I heard the seas can be rough out there is that anything to be concerned about? We will be staying in Cancun so I have found a few places but no reviews from people who dive. I have been leaning towards a dive op but dont know if that is the right choice? Should I just go out with the tours who specialize in just Whale Sharks?
ccannon707
Contributor
No diving with the whale sharks if that is what you are referring to... Only snorkel. Wear your shortie wetsuit and you won't have to wear the cumbersome life vest.
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RDRINK25
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im sorry we know only snorkel and we are bringing a 1mm suit.
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Mike
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Search is still your friend.
The Mexico forum gets a lot less traffic than a lot of other forums so don't ignore the base of knowledge already here by ignoring search while frustratingly waiting for fresh opinions which may never come.
I'd go with the tours that specialize in just whale sharks, that's just me. I would book a dive op to dive and a whale shark tour operator for a whale shark tour. They are each typically set up better for their individual endevours. The good whale sharkers have BIG/FAST boats which is a big deal in regard to safety and comfort. You may end up in open ocean with changing weather. The ride back may be totally different than the ride out due to a change in the weather.
The roughness of open ocean can certainly be a factor and should not be underestimated. If you're not used to open ocean boating, take advice and get on the boat early and stake out a place in the middle of the boat in a secure place with the ability to hold on, look around for anything that might fall, or roll or break lose and hit you once the boat starts pounding against the weather on the way out if it's rough. I've done a bit of this and have witnessed over and over again, happy faces turn into terror in a matter of seconds when a fast moving boat starts hitting a wave series that is getting bigger in aplitude, I witnessed one fun loving mother and daughter who thought they had the premium position on the boat in the BOW, as the boat progressively began lifting it's bow over one of these wave series they went from happy smiles to laughter as their butts came off their seats and bounced back down, having the time of their lives... to terror and pain as they ended up thrown in the air and a crashing mess the floor by the 5th wave in that series.
Take sea sickness pills prior to going. The roughness can work in your favor as on a boat of 10, it won't be unusual in rough weather to find 2-4 people who didn't prepare or drank and partied to the wee hours of the morning and won't be in any shape to actually snorkel with the whale sharks once you get out to them so more time in the water for those who prepare. (Mexican law limits to 2 in the water at any time with the other 8 sit on the boat watching) The more 'touristy' the passengers the better chance they have no clue what they are in for on the open ocean, a dive boat probably has more experienced people as passengers.
As Don mentioned there are specifics on what you wear and how the captains will or won't make demands.
However, in the 'heat' of all of this when you're one of 50 boats in the open ocean with hundreds of whale sharks and dozens and dozens of people floating everywhere, the captain and mate have 110% of their attention devoted just to not being hit by another boat and avoiding running over anyone in the water around them, all while they try to maneuver their boat around for the best shots at the whale sharks which are just ignoring everyone and doing their thing. It turns into controlled chaos during a huge whale shark gathering and the rules are going to bend all to hell and be one of the first things to go out the window, 2 in the water quickly turns into 4 etc...
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