Here's my whale shark report from last week out of Puerto Juarez:
July 11, 2010:
50 Whale Sharks 8 miles off the coast of Cancun in the blue water (read deep)
July 12, 2010:
Four boats set out for the blue water with 8 snorkelers including my wife and I. No sign of the WS's 8 miles out so the convoy heads North to shallower water (green) in search of the elusive prey. Various sites were checked 10 miles out, then 20 miles, the 30 miles, then 40 miles and finally more than 50 mies North of Cancun, 3 small 18 ft WS's.
After everybody has 2 or 3 brief encounters with the beasts, we head home only to run into several large manta rays. Several people jump in to snorkel with them then the armada heads South to Cancun.
But wait, one of the boats is dead in the water with the engine cover off. The captain fiddles with the engine, it re-fires and he is off for another half-mile where both engines die. Out of friggin gas!!! How in the hell does any self respecting captain run out of gas in the middle of the friggin ocean???
Our captain is senior, has the biggest and most powerful boat, plus cash in his pocket so we are the designated boat to tow the hapless craft 5 miles to a small fishing marina at 4 mph.
Then it takes another 1.5 hours before 30 gallons of fuel can be siphoned into the boat out of smaller containers.
Expected time back at our hotel 2 pm...actual time 8:30 pm.
July 13, 2010:
Same result as the 12th except we're down down South diving Puerto Morelos. We hear the captain put enough fuel on board so he does not run out before he gets back to Cancun.
July 14, 2010:
They send a spotter plane out to find the WS's. Over 100 are spotted in the blue water 8 miles off the coast of Cancun. We're down South diving a cenote (Dos Ojos)
