Detailed Whale Shark Trip Itinerary

Dive Paradise makes it easy to add this bucket-list adventure to your Cozumel vacation

Dateline: Mexican Caribbean, near Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy.

Your snorkeling boat bobs serenely on the calm ocean. Excited, the captain of the lancha gestures toward an E E E-NORMOUS set of dominoes moving slowly through the blue-green water.
It’s Rhincodon typus, the gentle giant called the whale shark. One, two, three, four, five…. forget it––way too many to count!

Here you are, smack in the middle of the world’s most striking phenomenon of marine biology. Aquatic elephants on parade!
It’s like rush hour on the 405 Freeway in California. But it’s Isla Mujeres, not Los Angeles. And you’re surrounded by a traffic jam of peaceful whale sharks, not angry motorists.
What draws the whale sharks to these waters––along with the tuna, sailfish, turtles, cownose rays, dolphins, mantas and devil rays we may encounter?

For Rhincodon typus, it’s the allure of “all you can eat”––an enormous banquet of zooplankton and tiny crustaceans. The whale sharks gorge themselves, like sunburned vacationers bellying up to the massive buffet tables at all-inclusive resorts in Cancun.

You ease down the ladder of the lancha into the blue-green waters of the Mexican Caribbean. Through your dive mask, you notice the whale sharks glide by slo-o-ow-ly, with a calm curiosity that belies their mammoth proportions.
You blow a shout of joy through your snorkel when it dawns on you: you’re elbow-to-baleen with one of the biggest creatures ever to grace Planet Earth!

Typical day with the whale sharks

What’s a typical day for Dive Paradise guests who want to waltz in the water with Rhincodon typus?

Can you call it “average”––any day you share an ocean with one of the largest creatures on earth?

Probably not. But it’s likely your whale shark adventure will unfold something like this….

At 5:45 a.m., you hop the ferry from Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen, on the mainland. Stroll up the pier 20 yards to Señor Frogs. Our guide will be holding a sign with your name on it. Around 6:30, you climb aboard the shuttle for Puerto Juarez, just north of Cancun. (Your ride is a roomy van operated by a licensed and insured livery company.)
Arrive at a pretty marina for quick morning refreshments (coffee, juice and pastries) and a briefing on the day’s activities. Then it’s all aboard a comfortable ten-passenger boat…. a high-class lancha with dual engines for speed and safety.
The excitement mounts as you race into the clear blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Destination: the feeding grounds, off Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy.

During one census, scientists tallied upwards of 400 whale sharks. So the captains are usually quick to find the dominoes. On most days, it’s a case of hide in plain sight.
Soon your boat’s floating amongst an entire school of Rhincodon typus. But it’s not just any school, it’s the largest gathering on the planet.

Is it an exaggeration to say “whale sharks, wall-to-wall?”

Now begins your whale shark adventure. You’ll have at least two opportunities — and maybe three or four — to snorkel with the biggest fish in the ocean. It’s a moment of wonder and privilege, as you’re party to this unique assembly here in the Mexican Caribbean.

After the exhilarating close-up encounters, the captain heads back towards Puerto Juarez. On the way, the boat stops by a reef — to give everybody a chance to snorkel and unwind. The crew prepares the world’s freshest ceviche for all to savor, and they serve it with tasty sandwiches, fruit, soft drinks and Mexican Caribbean hospitality.
After lunch, the boat cruises back to the marina at Puerto Juarez. Freshen up with a quick shower, then jump back on the shuttle. You’ll arrive in Playa Del Carmen between 4:00 and 5:30 p.m. (and maybe before, if weather conditions allow us to finish early).

At this point, it’s your choice: hop the next ferry back to Cozumel. Or take a later ferry so you have time to linger in Playa. Maybe go for a stroll, have a bite, or shop the boutiques on famous Fifth Avenue. (But don’t miss the last ferry.)
Back on Cozumel…. you reflect on what it was like to snorkel with “the dominoes.”

This is a memory you’ll cherish forever. You’ll replay the vivid images in your mind for the rest of your life. Over a lifetime, you’ll share the wonder of it all––time and time again––with family and friends.