Lucky Us!
Isla Mujeres and her visitors are blessed once a year with arguably the world’s most amazing opportunity to experience Whale Sharks in their natural habitat! During the summer months (June – September) hundreds of Whale Sharks gather just north of Isla Mujeres to take advantage of the plankton-rich waters and abundant fish spawning grounds created by the joining of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. A breathtakingly beautiful, 1-1.5 hour boat ride from the docks on Isla Mujeres will put you right within the territory where your trained guide will search out the Whale Sharks and offer you an experience you will NEVER forget.
Why Isla Mujeres?
Other Whale Shark destinations in the world offer Whale Shark tours that employ planes to spot the animals and offer guarantees that you’ll see ONE Whale Shark during a multiple day search. Off Isla Mujeres, these normally solitary creatures socialize in groups ranging from a few into the hundreds. This phenomenon gives us a 99% success rate of seeing multiple sharks within our one-day tours.
Respect!
The cyclical migration and habits of the whale sharks are still being studied around Isla Mujeres as it wasn’t all that long ago the phenomenon was discovered. The opportunity to experience the magnificence of the whale shark aggregation has only been around for 15 years. Parties dedicated to the creation of a tourist industry around these animals have worked to benefit and protect both man and animal through exposure, understanding, and respect.
Responsible Tours
The licensing and planning in place are based around the aim of the co-existence of the tourism industry, the Whale Sharks themselves and their environment. The end goal of all this planning is to develop a sustainable eco-tourism market providing opportunities for tourists and jobs for local businesses and people while protecting the habitat and well being of the Whale Sharks. Strict licensing and permissions have only been granted to certain organizations on Isla Holbox and Isla Mujeres who understand and respect the overall goals for this experience.
Tour Rules
Please take a moment to read our rules page and understand what is required for tour operators and do not participate with anyone who is not properly licensed or who offers you something outside the rules. Each season there are problems with unlicensed boats and those who do not respect the rules. This causes undue stress on the animals and could lead to the disruption of this developing but important eco-tourism economy.
ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE!
I did this back in 2018 and returned again July 2022 with my boyfriend. This is an incredible experience you will never forget! I felt comfortable and safe with Ramon the entire time, he is extremely knowledgeable and friendly! I loved how much respect this place has for the whale sharks and the other sea life. These people care about you and do everything they can to make this experience incredible!
Awesome excursion! Worth every peso!
Bucket-list experience! Our guides Lalo & Lalo were so kind, patient, and showed care for the sharks. They’re amazing! We saw more sharks than we could count. Book with this company!
We reserved a private tour with Ramon. He is extremely knowledgeable about whale sharks and all things conservation. I think the private tour is well worth paying the extra money, even if it means forgoing another tour or two while on your trip. There was so much extra value for the private tour. We were able to leave the docks earlier than other tour boats. Chris was easy to communicate with via email during the reservation process and preparation for our departure. The boat captain and his son (guide) were the ultimate professionals too. This was a double 5-star experience and checked off one of the bucket list items for my wife. Private tour with Ramon’s group is the only way to go.
About our guides
Our trained guides are not only experts in locating the animals, they are also skilled at knowing the animal’s habits and thereby increasing the likelihood of achieving multiple in-water experiences for each participant who wishes to get this close. Each guide has up to date training in CPR/First Aid, Maritime Procedures, Snorkeling Tours and Biology of Whale Sharks.