I crossed an ocean to them. Whale sharks - tiburones ballena Spanish - gather in July and August off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
Énooorme!
Yes, I am in Mexico. This is a unique destination on the Bulls Classified Elsewhere! Usually I hang rather Southeast Asia during the summer holidays ... But I really wanted to see this:
Whale shark. Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico. July 2014.
Every year, from mid-June to mid-September, whale sharks congregate by the hundreds off the Yucatan peninsula, near the nature reserve of Yum Balam, Mexico. They come to feed tiny translucent eggs tuna abundant in the area this season. You can swim with them flippers mask snorkel (snorkeling).
The intensity of the experiment is proportional to the size of the animal. It's just énooorme !!!
Whale shark. Quintana Roo, Mexico. July 2014.
These are the biggest fish in the world. They do not have teeth, but they are many sharks.
Such as whales (which themselves are mammals, not fish), they are huge and eat tiny marine organisms, they swallow and filter by opening the mouth wide. The largest can reach 18-20 meters and weigh more than 30 tons ...
Whale shark. Quintana Roo, Mexico. July 2014.
To learn more about these fish-out standards, I refer you to the Wikipedia listing "whale shark".
With a whale shark in Thailand, 2006.Ma previous encounter with a whale shark back in 2006! It was in Thailand during a liveaboard to Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock (against the photo, where you see me with my little compact camera of the time was taken by another diver Daniel Cocker, whom I thank for the picture!).
I tried to cross again on their way off Koh Lanta in 2007 and Sogod Bay in the Philippines in 2008 to no avail. More recently, during a liveaboard in the Maldives in February 2014 (I still have not told), I have once again managed to miss a whale shark ... Frustrating.
So this summer, I decided to fly away to the west, towards Mexico, where the encounter with these giants of the sea is certain in July!
Whale shark. Mexico. July 2014.
Video: Swimming with whale sharks
What a sight! The cattle are there on the surface, swallowing large gulps of plankton, indifferent to the little swimmers tossed by the waves around them.
Once in the water, no need to continue. These gentle monsters are much faster than humans shod with fins. With the swell and current, the approach is already very sporty!
I had confirmation of what I already knew: I'm much better diver swimmer. Palmer surface being buffeted by the waves, it's not my thing. Who am never sick boat, I almost seasick in the water, maneuvering my big box for my photos and videos!
Whale shark. Quintana Roo, Mexico. July 2014.
Whale shark. Mexico. July 2014.
Some practical information
As I get more and more e-mails asking me for information about my travels, I compile below some tidbits about my stay in Isla Mujeres and excursions whale sharks ... 8)
WHEN TO GO?
As I explained above, the whale shark season stretches roughly speaking from mid-June to mid-September. The meeting with the giants of the sea is virtually guaranteed from mid-July to mid-August. The rainy season and hurricanes usually happens in September-October.
July-August is also the season when it is terribly hot in this region of Mexico (tourists are not interested in the whale sharks come, they, en masse, in February-March, enjoy the Riviera Maya when the temperature is more bearable then).
I am able to make do with a fan in Asia, I bless air conditioning here ... But it's really in the water that is best!
That calor aquí! Isla Mujeres, Playa Norte. Mexico, in July 2014.
ISLA MUJERES
I chose to stay in Isla Mujeres, to be closer and reduce the travel time to the area of whale sharks (and thus get there before the hordes of snorkelers came from Cancun and Playa del Carmen).
I settled in the south of the island, far from the tourist "village" of the north. Nothing planned in advance. I've found at the last minute on the internet the day before I arrived, a small hotel seemed nice and comfortable, just to finish off my Mexican experience. Good pick. A cute peaceful location overlooking sea. Iguanas come to enjoy by the pool and wifi running fire of God. I recommend the place, it's really fun: Hotel La Joya.
Good to know for accommodation in Mexico, if you pay in cash, you are often given a discount for the amount of taxes (16% + 3% in all the hotels I have stayed).
An iguana by the pool at La Joya. Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico, in July 2014.
DIVING CENTER
Again, I had nothing planned or booked in advance ... Once in Isla Mujeres, I still have a little poking around in the reviews on the internet and I decided to Casa del Buceo. It is a small central Mexican diving, family, outside the tourist center (and not too far from my hotel). Home super nice, trips reduced staff Care groups. Ideal for me that stuck with me a camera-bulky with its waterproof case.
The day when I pointed it was hot to death. Pablo was very effective in the process of opening a cerveza behind the counter. A caring guy, who immediately understood what was needed dripping tourist came to learn, "Oh, it's too hot, so a beer," I was he said, handing me a Dos Equis (XX). I also did two dives in small bottle near the island with them.
Casa del Buceo. Isla Mujeres, Mexico, in July 2014.
(If you live in Playa del Carmen, I also recommend the small diving center French O2 Mexico, which regularly organizes excursions whale sharks. I dove with them in cenotes and sea ... I'll tell it in a future post. )
PRICES
Whale sharks, which congregate in the summer off the Yucatan peninsula, near the nature reserve of Yum Balam, have become a tourist attraction. We just swim with them since Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujeres, Isla Holbox ...
The tour (which usually includes transportation, lunch and beverages, guide and equipment rental) costs 100 to 150 dollars (American, of course), sometimes more, depending on the starting point of operators of benefits.
Palmer with whale sharks, it's exhausting! Mexico, in July 2014.
AVOID THE CROWD
By late morning, there is an impressive array of vessels to the area where the whale sharks are! To avoid the crowds, better focus dive center or a tour operator which starts very early (same tactic to visit the Mayan pyramids). It's worth getting up at dawn!
Whale Shark seen from the boat. Quintana Roo, Mexico, in July 2014.
REGULATION
The approach of whale sharks is a bit unregulated (fortunately for them): no scuba diving, no more than 2-3 swimmers together with an authorized mandatory wearing loose clothing (wetsuit or life guide rescue), forbidden to touch animals ...
Once located, the huge fish are clearly visible from the surface, boat, and all the success of the tour depends on the skill of the captain and guide to lead you to the right place to admire these giants in their best angle, preferably avoiding snorkelers other groups.
Excursion whale sharks with Casa del Buceo. Mexico, Quintana Roo, Isla Mujeres, in July 2014.
CROSSING
Another thing to know: the crossing to reach the area of whale sharks can be long (one to three hours, depending on the starting point, the engine power, the age of the captain and the weather). It can also be very "jigger" if there are waves (also gaffe to seasickness, both on the boat and in the water). Whale sharks are not always in the same place and not necessarily just off the coast. At one time, there was a rally near the island of Holbox. But that's no longer the case today.
For output that I did, we went pretty far off, far beyond Isla Contoy north of Cancun. I tinkered a Google Map below, with blue fish I placed where I think we went.
Three weeks in Mexico
It's been three weeks since I'm in Mexico! My time ends this Sunday, July 20 ... And aside today, I have not blogged at all during the trip! Too busy days and bullshit internet connections. And I think I need to disconnect a little ...;-)
A tourist artisanal tequila distillery Mayapan, near Valladolid, Yucatan. Mexico, in July 2014.
Still, I managed to post some pictures (especially underwater) along the way, on the Facebook page of Small bubbles elsewhere. You can see them at the end of this link:
→ Album "Mexico - July 2014" on Facebook
Here, in order, the steps of this trip to Mexico - actually a small part of Mexico, along the popular tourist Riviera Maya - which I will detail in future articles:
1 - Playa del Carmen (diving in cenotes and sea playa)
2 - Cozumel (dives on the reef walks, playa)
3 - Tulum (Mayan site, playa)
4 - Valladolid (walks in the colonial city, visiting Mayan Chichen Itza and Coba websites)
5 - Isla Mujeres (dives, snorkeling with whale sharks, hiking, playa)
Finally, I have two more trips and lots of dives to tell: the Maldives (February 2014) and my short getaway in Indonesia (May 2014). I interrupted the stories in progress and I have lots of photos on the hard drive suffering ...
In short, I have quite a delay in updating the Small bubbles elsewhere. Do not be surprised to see tumbling Indonesian and Maldivian posts between two Mexican goods in the coming weeks!
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