Although it is easiest to have someone lead you around, the trip to Holbox is easily done by yourself. I just returned to Cozumel from Holbox 2 days ago. Here's the description that went to family and friends:
Just came back from a short trip to Isla Holbox, NW of Cancun. This is a sleepy little fishing village that takes forever to get to. There's not much there, which appeals to some people, but not me. Hot, buggy (despite repellent, I am covered with mosquito bites), HOWEVER, during the summer months, the currents bring a bonanza of plankton, sardines and crill, the favorite foods of WHALE SHARKS! Here are some googled pictures:
http://images.google.com/images?q=whale+sharks&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=ii&oi=imagest
Since they feed on the surface, it's an amazing thing to snorkel beside them.
Anyway, I looked at my appointment book on Saturday and noticed that I was clear Monday through Wednesday. Many people I know from Cozumel had just returned, were still there or were planning on going within the next week. For two years now I've been saying, "Next year." Well, next year I plan to be tooooooo busy. So I sent emails, surfed the web, asked questions and Monday morning I hopped on the ferry. Luckily I ran into some friends on the ferry who told me who I should talk to in Holbox to set up the tour. It's a boat ride out to where the whale sharks are feeding and it's important to get a good, fast boat.
Other friends on the same ferry were taking a cab to Cancun from Playa and insisted I join them instead of taking the bus. Then they wouldn't take any money since they were planning on cabbing it anyway. [Note: the bus from Playa to Cancun runs every 15 minutes, 32 pesos per person each way]
I made it in plenty of time to catch the bus to Chiquila. This is a second class bus, which means it makes a lot of stops. The ride to Chiquila is 3.5 hours. Naturally they over sold the bus and one of the two under-the-bus luggage compartments wouldn't open, so too many people with too much luggage got on the bus. After the first hour we put all the huge backpacks in the aisle and sat on them the rest of the way. I was an aisle person, having refused to push my way onto the bus ahead of others. My mistake.
Arrived in Chiquila at 4pm in the rain. The ferry to Holbox had just left. The next one was in an hour. Plenty of fishermen offered their skiffs to Holbox at the same price as the ferry so most of us jumped at the chance. Having learned my lesson, I was on the first boat. On the way over I chatted with a family of 4 women from Cozumel. They were going to look for an inexpensive place to stay so I followed them. We all liked the second place we found. They chose a room with two double beds for 350 pesos for the four of them, no a/c. I splurged and got a room with a/c for 300 pesos for one. It was ugly, but fine. Even though the other Americans on the bus were staying at much pricier places, I still felt like a rich gringa getting a room all to myself. I didn't tell the Mexican family that I had chosen a/c.
Went to find "Johnny", who is a friend of a friend in Cozumel. I found his brother Manolo and he set me up to snorkel the next morning. We talked about whale sharks and currents and the possibility of seeing manta rays as well. Then I went for a long walk (which means I saw most of Holbox) and had a nice shrimp dinner.
The next morning I headed for the dock and eventually was put on my boat. The dock master confided that I was on the best boat, with a hull designed to minize sea sickness and a very fast motor. He was right. The ride was super smooth, no motion sickness at all, which can be a problem for me.
On the way to the feeding area, we stopped to admire a pod of dolphins. Then we ran across our first manta ray feeding on the surface. After about an hour boat ride, the first whale shark was spotted. It was about 8 meters long. The guide prepared two snorkelers and they jumped in the water. You can only swim along side them for so long. They look like they are swimming slowly but they are faster than you. I was paired with a woman whose husband didn't want to go in the water. His loss! This first snorkel lasted about 15 seconds as I tried to snap photo after photo along side this beautiful monster. After everyone had had a turn, we motored around some more, found more manta rays and then our second whale shark, 10 meters long this time. I decided to leave the camera in the boat, as I really wanted to experience the whale, and not work so hard to get a photo. When our turn came, I couldn't see where the whale shark was, so I just jumped in when told, and swam parallel to the guide. Within 5 seconds the whale shark came into view below me. He was swimming about 10 feet below the surface, which they do when they get hot. He also swam slower so for a while I could keep up with him. I was right on top of him for a full minute before he decided to start surfacing. When I saw his tail fin approaching I hung back to let him pass beneath me. Not supposed to touch. It was incredible!
The third encounter wasn't quite as dramatic. A young woman asked if we (she and I) could snorkel one more time. She was very pretty, and we were the most enthusiastic of the bunch. They said sure. When we found the third whale shark (only 5 meters), I swam around to the opposite side of it and we swam on either side of it for about 45 seconds before it dove down. She and I were the only ones who wanted to snorkel three times. It is exhausting trying to keep up.
Saw plenty more mantas, but none of them felt like jumping for us. On the way back we had the pleasure of running into another (or the same?) pod of dolphins. An absolutely great trip!
Took the ferry back to Chiquila, the bus to Cancun, the bus to Playa and the ferry to Cozumel. Leaving Holbox at 5am means you travel faster and with fewer people. It was a much easier trip home.
Hope that gets you thinking about next year....
Sally
Barefoot in Cozumel
