We saw the first Whale Sharks of this year’s season yesterday June 5th, 2010. Our flight left Cozumel airport at 7:20 am and landed on Holbox at around 8:00 am.  This is a panoramic flight with great aerial views of the Caribbean Ocean and Yucatan Peninsula. It was fun for all of us and one of the passengers was even given the chance to fly the plane for a couple of minutes.

 Something I found magical happened during the flight;

our plane’s shade was reflected on the ground and was surrounded by a beautiful rainbow! After that moment I knew we were going to have a great Whale Shark encounter.

After landing on Holbox, a golf cart was waiting to take us to the beach for a fast cup of coffee (no starbucks at Holbox) before the boat ride. As Whale Shark Season has just starting we had to navigate nearly 2 hrs from Holbox all the way to where Isla Contoy was visible. This is more than double the time you normally need to get to the whale sharks at the end of June.

There are 3 places where you can depart by boat to see Whale Sharks from the Mexican Caribbean: Holbox, Punta Sam near Cancun and Isla Mujeres. These last 2 places are just a 20 min. boat ride away from each other. Tours from Holbox or Cancun and Isla Mujeres, each have their own charm.  From Holbox you can get to see more wildlife as it is located in the Gulf of Mexico where waters are richer in plankton and small organism than the Caribbean Sea. From Cancun and Isla Mujeres you will see the Whale Sharks in the clears waters of the Caribbean Sea. I personally advise you to visit both of them and be ready to appreciate the best of each. 

During the trip we saw a group of about 5 big Manta Rays and a group of pink Great Flamingos whose feathers are painted by the red shrimp that they eat. 

 
The first Whale Shark that we spotted was surrounded by 12 small boats including ours. Our boat held a group of 7 adults and we all agreed that it was not a pleasant experience to bother a single shark with so many humans. After hearing on the CV radio that there were 2 more Whale Sharks spotted closer to Holbox we left that place. It took us another 20 min. to get there but it was really worth it. There were only 4 boats and after about 15 min. they all left and we were alone with a big Whale Shark of about 8-9 meters. We jumped in the water in pairs together with our guide and snorkeled next to the biggest of all fish until we all swam with the Whale Shark at least 2 or 3 times. Everyone was very excited and we felt overwhelmed by the magical feeling of swimming next to this magnificent animal.

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The boat ride back was shorter than expected and before we knew we were back on Holbox where we said goodbye to the captain and other passengers before heading to the airstrip for our flight back to Cozumel Island.

There is another scheduled trip to the Whale Sharks next Wednesday; I will keep you updated with fresh news.

Here are some other adventures and pictures for you to enjoy:

• Cozumel Island Tour
• Mayan Ruins Expeditions
• Marine Turtle Night Tour 
• Magic Baby Turtle Release Pictures, gallery 2

( you will love those pictures, they are really unique)