No matter what you have planned for your Cancun trip, swimming with the whale shark must be on your bucket list. Cancun is among the greatest locations for whale shark snorkeling because of the high volume of visitors it attracts yearly. Though it’s wonderful to imagine, we can guarantee you from personal experience that actually swimming with these enormous and friendly ocean monsters is an experience unlike any other.
You will feel more connected to nature and also get to understand how important it is to protect these amazing species. Also, Cancun offers without a doubt one of the best opportunities to unwind and make some memorable experiences, not only because you can see a lot during the Cancun whale shark season, but also because you can visit Chichen Itza, one of the seven wonders of the world just a couple hours from Cancun.
Cancun Whale Shark Season is The Best of All Mexico
It turns out that one of the whale sharks’ favorite places to stay is where the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico meet in the waters of Cancun. Whale sharks are enormous creatures in constant search of warm waters to feed on the various plankton and tiny animals drawn to the warm, protein-rich waters, and Cancun’s waters offer that in a very vast amount.
The official whale shark peak season in Cancun is from May 15 to September 17. After that, they migrate south to the warmer waters of Central and South America until the following year, when they return to eat in this area. And since whale sharks are a very slow-moving animal and prefer to spend more time in our waters during the summer you’ll have your best shot at swimming with them in Cancun, Mexico.
It Is Totally Safe to Swim The Whale Shark
The largest fish in the ocean, whale sharks are incredibly calm despite their size and only like eating little marine life. The whale shark is referred to by scientists as a filter feeder, which implies that it enjoys feasting on krill and plankton, two of the tiniest marine organisms. When they eat, they take a massive breath of water and then filter it with their gill rakers, allowing all the minute plankton, krill, jellyfish, and fish to pass down their tiny throats and be digested. They only consume little fish and will throw up anything that is foreign to them, so they will not find you attractive at all.
Also, you’ll be relieved to know that, contrary to popular belief, whale sharks most of the time avoid us because we can sometimes smell a little unpleasant to them (particularly, all our lotions and creams), which causes them to swim away from us. To make this more understandable, think of it as when we finish working out and start to stink, people won’t want to be that close to us, it’s the same, especially because they are highly sensitive and will go to great lengths to avoid you if you are wearing smells. which is why some tour companies will politely urge you to skip taking a shower or use odor-free, eco-friendly products before going swimming with them.
Basically, while whale shark swimming in Cancun you won’t only be totally safe, but you might have the chance to see lots of specimens. Actually, speaking of swimming, we have a great Cancun whale shark snorkeling tour, where you’ll be able to swim with tons of these friendly giants and other sea animals like dolphins and turtles!
