It's shark week!
Late last year, while we were vacationing in Cape Town, South Africa, my cousin went cage diving with sharks. Going along wasn't something that even entered my mind-no thank you. But something that my older son has always wanted to do, swimming with whale sharks, seemed a less panic-inducing bet for me, so we planned a summertime trip.
Whale sharks seem more whale than shark in a lot of ways; the gentle, graceful creatures are filter feeders that eat plankton and can grow to more than 40 feet in length. They can be found in tropical waters all over the planet, but there are only a handful of places where they are so commonly found that tourists can plan to swim with them. These include Thailand, the Maldives, Australia, and off the northern end of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
My son and I decided to head to remote Isla Holbox in Mexico to try our luck at seeing the whale sharks. (May through September is the best season to see them.) We flew into Cancun International Airport and rented a car for the two-hour drive through the jungle to the tiny northern town of Chiquila. From there, two ferries take visitors a few miles across the water to Isla Holbox, which is just over a mile wide but some 26 miles long.
Lodging on Holbox is fairly simple, but our beachfront room at La Palapa was all that we needed. Sunsets and sunrises on the island were stunning, and there is a nice variety of restaurants from which to choose. This island is slow-cell phone data and internet WiFi runs at a crawl, but you shouldn't be on your phone while you're here, anyway. Instead of cars, locals and tourists get around in golf cart-like vehicles and taxis.
We booked our whale shark experience with VIP Holbox, an agency that believes in ecotourism and keeping the pristine feeding grounds save and unchanged, so future generations can enjoy these marvelous creatures. We met at a restaurant nearby to VIP's offices at 7 a.m. sharp, for a light breakfast and instructions. Then we headed to the boats, groups of 10 tourists along with a guide and a captain for each craft. Our craft carried a varied bunch, including a family from Mexico City, a woman from Germany, and a gay couple from Paris.
The ride out to the whale sharks varies between 2 and 2.5 hours, depending on where they are any given day. This was the hardest part of the experience, as there wasn't anything to do other than sit and wait. The engine and wind made it difficult to carry on a conversation with anyone, and the scenery of ocean and distant palm trees grew monotonous after 20 minutes or so.
We eventually arrived on the scene, where 62 (I counted!) other boats were drifting amidst the whale sharks. Swimmers basically snorkeling on the surface (which is where the whale sharks are), and only two of us were allowed to go at a time, along with the guide, Willie. Each pair was able to go out twice, for about 8-10 minutes each. In the end, it wasn't enough time, but it was a captivating and surreal experience, one that I'd do again in an instant.
After everyone had their two swims, we went about halfway back to Holbox, where we stopped for some snorkeling on a reef, and enjoyed ham and cheese sandwiches. Then the crew prepared a fresh ceviche that was probably the best I have ever had-we ate it with chips while talking about our amazing experience. We then pulled ashore a deserted beach, where we were able to play in the impossibly clear water and wander on the sand before heading back to Isla Holbox and our hotel. Exhausted, we treated ourselves to a beachside massage and began talking about what our next adventure would be.
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