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

[Kharon]

As far as the people who set the whale shark rules are concerned, Skin Diver, Free Diver, and Apnea certified is not the same as a scuba certificate. In Cancun / Isla etc a scuba certification still means you will wear a life jacket. To earn the right to wear a wetsuit instead of the life jacket, you must have one of the above before you arrive.
All My guests are scuba certified divers and some since it was invented, but they all had to get a snorkel/freediver/skindiver certification (NAUI has one)

Image how insulted they were when I told them!

The rest of the world might have a different definition, but this is how is it down there.

Just to be perfectly clear - is there no certification that would allow you to stay on the surface (no diving) but wear an inflatable snorkel vest. I have the SDI Solo card and would consider getting another cert if I could wear a minimal vest. Wearing a PFD is a deal breaker for me - the drag involved just isn't worth it.

 

[DandyDon]

Just to be perfectly clear - is there no certification that would allow you to stay on the surface (no diving) but wear an inflatable snorkel vest. I have the SDI Solo card and would consider getting another cert if I could wear a minimal vest. Wearing a PFD is a deal breaker for me - the drag involved just isn't worth it.

That's my thought on the PFD. Back when I swam with the Dominoes, we were allowed to use our inflatable snorkel vests, and I still was quite challenged to try to keep up with the sharks feeding on the go. I was amazed at the little First Mate who swam with every pair that went in, every time.

I am understand the opposition to inflatable vests tho. It'd hurt their business if one of the tourists drowned.

To earn the right to wear a wetsuit instead of the life jacket, you must have one of the above before you arrive.

Tour prices have doubled in the last decade, then this.

 

[cvchief]

I liked seeing them. We charted two real boats for the fam, not pangas loaded to capacity. Got them from a Isla operator that picked us up at Punta Sam. There were plenty of WS so you didn't have to chase them.

However toward the end I notice SO many of them had shredded dorsals from the boat props. Watched one swim by fresh cuts. Looked like it was run through pasta machine.

That kinda soured me on the whole deal.

 

[tarponchik]

In 2017, we were already required to wear vests. It was still fun, especially for those who did not puke after 50 min ride from Isla Mujeres, and the sharks stayed at the surface anyway. There were plenty of them but we were told we were lucky we booked this date because of full Moon.

 

[DFDubb]

I liked seeing them. We charted two real boats for the fam, not pangas loaded to capacity. Got them from a Isla operator that picked us up at Punta Sam. There were plenty of WS so you didn't have to chase them.

However toward the end I notice SO many of them had shredded dorsals from the boat props. Watched one swim by fresh cuts. Looked like it was run through pasta machine.

That kinda soured me on the whole deal.

The entire thing really soured me and I'll never participate again. I'd say 90+% of all of the animals we saw had split / chewed up dorsals. Why they wouldn't require prop guards for this activity is beyond me.

 

[nippurmagnum]

Not to worry, PADI is running a special on self-guided snorkel certification.

$300, this week only!

Yes, and the main thing the PADI Snorkeling Specialty will hammer is that you should always snorkel with a buddy.

 

[Kharon]

Yes, and the main thing the PADI Snorkeling Specialty will hammer is that you should always snorkel with a buddy.

I wonder if they will have a self reliant snorkeler course. Of course they will - silly me.

 

[Shawn C]

Just to be perfectly clear - is there no certification that would allow you to stay on the surface (no diving) but wear an inflatable snorkel vest. I have the SDI Solo card and would consider getting another cert if I could wear a minimal vest. Wearing a PFD is a deal breaker for me - the drag involved just isn't worth it.

This is correct. The skin diver cert card exception is for the guides only. I was initially disappointed that, just when we decided to do the Whale Shark excursion after about two decades of visiting the region, they implemented the new rule regarding wearing life vests. However, I found that I was easily able to keep up with the whale sharks while wearing a life vest as well as being able to dive down to capture some video of them from depth. I did have a good laugh at myself after the first attempt. When I dove down, I attempted to breath underwater as that just seems so natural to do. It didn't work out so great with just a snorkel in my mouth.

When we did in late June, there were only 5 whale sharks and a lot of boats. It felt a bit chaotic and I was definitely keeping my eyes not only on the sharks but also on the boats to avoid any possible encounters with a prop. It was fine but I will always take my safety as my responsibility first, boat captains second. We also witnessed much chumming of the water from seasick passengers in (mostly) pangas.

 

[pauldw]

I liked seeing them. We charted two real boats for the fam, not pangas loaded to capacity. Got them from a Isla operator that picked us up at Punta Sam. There were plenty of WS so you didn't have to chase them.

However toward the end I notice SO many of them had shredded dorsals from the boat props. Watched one swim by fresh cuts. Looked like it was run through pasta machine.

That kinda soured me on the whole deal.

That’s one reason why PFDs are a good idea. With so many boats clustered in a very small area, and constantly jockeying for position, it’s good if swimmers are quite visible.

We only saw one whale shark with a bad prop injury, but that was enough to make us question the endeavor also.

 

[Kharon]

Good to hear some reports that the PFD isn'r ruining the experience. I will probably try to go next year as It's a bit late to try scheduling this year and I want to try Key Largo/Conch Republic Divers in October and Bonaire (one last time) or Curacao (first time) in December.