Whale Shark Diving

[Stef210]

I was wondering if anybody can tell me of the best spots and times of year to dive with whale sharks. I'm particularly interested in Eastern Mexico. I've heard that Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Isla Contoy, Cozumel, and Holbox are all good spots to hit. Although I've heard you can only snorkel with them there. Can anybody provide any recommendations or good companies or dive shops/groups to do this with? I've also heard these areas can be really crowded and touristy. I'd prefer to avoid that. Thanks!!

 

[diver0008]

I went on a whale shark excursion for one day during the last week of August this year. We were on Cozumel and ferried and shuttled to a little north of Cancun for the boat ride out towards Isla Mujeres. The excursion company was called Eco Tours. I think it was the end of the migration period as there were only a very small number of the animals around; 3 I think. You can only snorkel. Several boats radio between each other trying to spot and chase down the animals, then you jump in the water 2 at a time for a few seconds when your boat and turn comes up. It is very touristy and hectic. Some people loved it. I found it too much of a frenzy for the experience to even sink in. Six hours of travelling for about 2 minutes in the water. Sorry to be a downer.

 

[xmass-Eve]

Isn't Utila having Whale Sharks over this time of year (October-December)? Not that it's 100% sure you'll see one but... Otherwise Galapagos, Maldives and Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia in the right time of year. You'll just need to have a large amount of money for those trips...
Cozumel is just snorkeling, yes...

 

[Cali_diver]

You need to go to Indonesia if you want to dive specifically with whalesharks... Cenderawasih Bay Whalesharks of Cenderawasih Bay 2015 or Triton Bay. Otherwise picking a place like Socorro, Mexico in Nov/Dec, Galapagos or Tubbataha (April ish) in the Philippines gives you a great opportunity to dive with them, but it is more by chance.

 

[Dan]

My experience in search of whalesharks:
Aug 2008 - Utila- Snorkeling - saw none (0)
Jul 2011 - Holbox - Snorkeling - saw a lot (10+)
Jun 2015 - Cendrawasih - Diving - saw some (3)
Dec 2016 - Galápagos - Diving- saw none (0)
Jul 2017 - Is Mujeres - Snokeling - saw a lot (20+)

Took video of the last one (Isla Mujeres)

 

[Cali_diver]

We just had an amazing experience in Cbay last month. We had 6 whalesharks the first day and 3 different whalesharks (including a very young one who showed up at the end of the day and kept swimming right at the divers that were left in the water). It was amazing and pretty hilarious. On the first day there were so many with us that every time you turned around there was one sneaking up behind you.. How can something that big be so sneaky!! When I get the new pics uploaded I will put in the link!
We have seen a bunch while snorkeling in Mexico (so much work, but tons of fun), but nothing compares to the Cbay experience.

 

[Dan]

We just had an amazing experience in Cbay last month. We had 6 whalesharks the first day and 3 different whalesharks (including a very young one who showed up at the end of the day and kept swimming right at the divers that were left in the water). It was amazing and pretty hilarious. On the first day there were so many with us that every time you turned around there was one sneaking up behind you.. How can something that big be so sneaky!! When I get the new pics uploaded I will put in the link!
We have seen a bunch while snorkeling in Mexico (so much work, but tons of fun), but nothing compares to the Cbay experience.

Glad to hear that you had a blast in Cbay. I also did. I went there after seeing this:

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I had my first whale shark experience in the Maldives, on a liveaboard, southern route, in March 2012 ..

I had my BEST whale shark experience on last year's ScubaBoard trip to the Philippines, in May ... in Cebu.

Both were on snorkeling gear.

The Maldives are hit-or-miss ... when a boat spots a whale shark they are quickly joined by several other boats, and people swim in a tight scrum over the animal. When you get tired you swim out of the pile, away from the shark, and your boat comes to get you.

The Cebu experience is very different. They shuttle you out in small boats into a shallow bay where the animals gather every morning. You roll off the boat into the water and the animals come to you ... because the guys who took you out are putting krill in the water to attract them. I got literally bumped by a whale shark because I inadvertently got between it and breakfast, and it nuzzled me in the hip and moved me aside so it could eat. The bay is very spread out, and although there may be hundreds of people in the water at any given time you might not have anyone else around you while you're viewing the animals.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[scuba_frog]

I have a trip planned to Cancun first week of June 2018. Migration is from May-Sept. Have not yet booked the excursion. So this thread is perfect timing. Thanks.

 

[tarponchik]

Isla Mujeres, July-2017. We stayed on the island, so our trip was only about 50 min one way. There were about 25 boats and about as many whale sharks. We were allowed only to snorkel in vests in pairs and had 3 sessions for each pair, about 10 min each. I'd call this experience satisfactory (my wife had never seen a whale shark before this

but now she is happy) but we won't do this again, just like night dive with manta rays in Hawaii and similar you-need-to-try-this-once experiences.

We were told that full Moon was beneficial for the event.

Previously, in Utila, we chased whale sharks on every surface interval for 2 weeks but no luck. In Maldives, we looked for their "resident" whale shark for 2 hrs but again no luck.