Crazy snorkeling with whale sharks in Cancun
Swimming with whale sharks was always on top of my bucket list. In this post I’ll tell you about my crazy snorkeling with whale sharks in Cancun, Mexico so keep reading. At first, it was one of the scariest things ever. And then? You’ll find out soon.
I really wanted to meet whale sharks face to face for a very long time but for some reason I never planned my trips well enough. Let me make it clear…
Each time I was in Mexico, the whale sharks were somewhere far down around the Southern hemisphere, and when I was in Argentina, they were up North. Completely the opposite part of the planet.
Sadlt, the same thing happened with my trip to the Philippines.
I just never visited the area where you can swim with whale sharks during the whale sharks season, but always off season. My bad!
Cancun beach
Snorkeling with whale sharks Cancun Mexico
So I kept missing on this amazing experience for a couple of years.
Until I finally visited Mexico for the 3rd time back in September 2014 for TBEX Cancun experience.
Yes, it was a long time ago but the memory stays on my mind as if it happened just yesterday. I just got the goose bumps thinking about it.
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It was the last week or so of the whale shark season which meant I just could not miss my chance again.
When I was sharing an apartment with other blogger friends, one day we were invited to swim with whale sharks.
Oh My Gooood!
I was beyond excited.
I mean, it was almost 100% guaranteed we would see some whale sharks!
Whale sharks, the largest known fish species! Can you imagine that?
We were picked up by our guide, a Russian girl Alexandra. After the initial mess with the registering for the tour, Alexandra explained to us what was going to happen.
I was already nervous enough and I refused to wear a wetsuit (I dislike them as it is very uncomfortable and I was sure I was not going to be cold in that tropical sea around Cancun.) If the whale sharks only live in warm-temperature sea and they were still there, I could survive the temperature, too, right?
Anyway, we arrived to the marina in Cancun, could get some fruit and drinks, and change into swimsuit and wetsuits. Then we hopped on a boat headed to the place where the whale sharks come, somewhere around my favorite islands of Isla Mujeres and Contoy.
I just could not get enough of the sun beams on the boat so I closed my eyes to meditate with sunbeams on my face.
All was fine until we got to the whale sharks spot. It was maybe around 8 – 10 of them there and already many boats with tourists snorkeling. Oh no!
Me and my friend Kathryn were picked up to be the first couple to go to snorkel with the whale sharks.
OMG, OMG, OMG!
”Put the masks on, and swim on the side of the whale shark as fast as you can, otherwise it’s gone. Each couple will be in the water for 2 or 3 minutes only, then you swim back to the boat to relax. And we will all do 3 rounds. Remember, swim, swim, swim fast!” shouted Alexandra.
At first, Alexandra was a bit nervous in the morning, and tbh we all thought she was just exaggerating.
Yeah, whatever, it cannot be that difficult.
So we jumped in the water.
Swim with whale sharks
If some of you remember my bad snorkeling experience in Giftun island in Egypt back in 2007, when I got stuck in a coral reef… then you know that sometimes I still get uncomfortable when snorkelingand I get scared in deep water.
And today was exactly that time.
All I could see where hundreds of air bubbles around me, a big mess, nervous people not knowing what to do and the whale shark tail already disappearing further and further away from me…
Oh no, that cannot be it, you can’t be serious!
I was really exhausted already after just 3 minutes in the sea trying to take a video of at least something :D It turned out that Alexandra was right…
Swimming with the whale sharks Cancun Mexico
My first encounter with whale sharks in Cancun
The next round in the water was different though. I relaxed myself as much as I could repeating the positive affirmation ”I can do it. I’m having fun! Yes, it’s fun with whale sharks in Cancun but I can do it.”
The next time I jumped into the water, I could not believe my eyes.
The enormous mouth of the whale shark was just in front of me.
OMG, OMG!!! I started to freak out.
”Stay calm, it feeds on plankton. I am not plankton.” I repeated in my head and started swimming on its right side closer to the boat.
Kathryn was just next to me and the whale shark swam so close to us, it touched us. It was a weird feeling to know in that huge sea I don’t really have where to hide myself as I was in between the boat and the huge whale shark which was a couple of times bigger than me.
Anyway, I could only trust the whale shark and the Universe, and stay calm.
The 3 minutes in the water seemed never-ending but passed so quickly at the same time.
snorkeling with whale sharks in Cancun
There were too many things to concentrate on at the same time:
Swim fast with just 1 arm as I was holding the waterproof camera in the other one.
Take photos and videos and switch between the modes to do a bit of both.
Where is my camera? Am I pointing it to the whale shark or again recording just the plain sea water?
”Breathe, don’t get nervous of snorkeling. This approx. 20-ton fish does not want to hurt you!” I kept repeating to myself.
And then another thought came by… OMG, the whale shark can be up to 5 times longer than me. Oh boy!
All my hundreds of thoughts were even interrupted by Alexandra screaming ”swim faster, swim faster, and look and smile to my camera so I can take a photo of you with the whale shark!”
Each time I tried to smile, there was or someone else in the way, or we were losing the whale shark way too quickly. So I decided to at least keep taking videos with my camera and enjoying the fuss.
The 3rd round in the water was finally more fun for me. Again, I jumped in right a meter in front of the whale shark mouth but I was not scared any more, and then we swam together for some time as if we were a cute underwater couple. Me and the whale shark shared a moment of connection.
As me and Kathryn were the first couple to go in the sea from our boat and saw nothing the first time, we were allowed to go for the 4th time, too. Yay! There were finally no negative feelings and thoughts on my mind and I honestly enjoyed it snorkeling with those giants around me.
I could feel the peace and quiet the whale shark was spreading around which somehow jumped on me, too. I even saw a little whale shark swimming underneath its belly. Such a memorable moment for me!
After the truly crazy snorkeling with whale sharks in Cancun, we were all exhausted. Alexandra was right in the beginning.
I will never forget those few minutes in the sea. Adventure + peace + life = unforgettable!
Yes, I was freaking out at first, especially when I jumped in the sea and all I saw in front of me was a huge open mouth of a whale shark and I had no idea what to do. But trying to stay calm and trusting the process, helped.
I always tried to think about the fact that I am vegan and I do not hurt animals and somehow they might feel it so whale sharks would not want to hurt me on purpose. They usually don’t attack humans anyway but getting hit by a whale shark fin can be pretty painful.
TIP 2: While in Mexico, you should also check out the unique Isla Contoy. It is such a beautiful island full of birds and nice beaches.
TIP 3: Follow my travel stories and yoga journey on Instagram and Facebook as well. My Facebook is almost entirely travel related, while my Instagram is a mix of traveling, yoga and veganism.
Would you ever go snorkeling with whale sharks in Cancun? Have you ever swam with sharks? Tell me more in the comments below :)
