Small-Group Eco Friendly: Whale Sharks tour in Cancun & Riviera Maya

We arrived early at the Marina Hacienda Del Mar, everything was in order and we were checked in for our boat ride. The first thing you might think when you see the boat might be akin to Luke Skywalker when he saw the millennium falcon “what a piece of junk!” And indeed, the boat is absolutely Spartan but rips through the water leaving no regard for the welfare of its passengers. You’re in for a bumpy ride. We were lucky and only had to do it for an hour and half to get to the sharks (not the 3-4 hours it takes based on other reviews) if you get sea or motion sick at all STAY HOME. You will be miserable and the experience will not be worth it. Once we got to the sharks things took quite a turn as the stern faced captain started barking confusing orders at us to get our snorkel gear on and prepare to disembark into whale shark infested waters. In the confusion I ended up in the water prematurely and had to be hauled back onto the boat. To see a whale shark, you’ll dodge other boats and swimmers in an attempt to play a version of “whale shark whack-a-mole” while the captain tries drop you into the water hopefully within arms reach of the monster fish. You’ll spend a total of 2 minutes in the water and you might see a glimpse of one as it swims by. Cool but absolutely overhyped and underwhelming. Bucket list item checked off I guess. Save some time and find one in an aquarium that lets you spend time actually looking at it. We were at the shark site for less than 30 minutes as everyone took a couple turns swallowing sea water in the chaos. We then left and headed to isla mujeres for “lunch” which was just chips and guacamole and ceviche made on the boat. The food was actually delicious but not enough for a meal, at best a snack. You could take your chances with a warm ham sandwich but I wouldn’t and didn’t. If this experience was 50 dollars per person, yes. At its price point? No. Not worth the money, absolutely taxing day, overhyped and oversold and I would not take this tour again. Not to mention they don’t allow ANY sunscreen, so expect to get crispy. Super crispy. Save your health.

This could be a nice excursion for extreme backpackers but it’s not for the average tourist. We spent 1 hour by bus to get to the marina, then 3 hours in a boat just looking for the sharks (we needed up 30 miles out at sea) Each person only gets 2 turns in the water maximum, and each turn lasts 5-10 minutes. If you’re lucky you might get to swim with the shark for a total of 20 minutes. We weren’t allowed to use any sunscreen as it’s harmful to the animals (not even eco friendly sunblock was allowed). I understand this rule but it should’ve been mentioned before hand so we could have prepared better. Almost all the travelers in my group ended up with blistering sunburns, ours was so bad we couldn’t leave our hotel for the next day. My husband ended up getting terribly seasick (vomiting stomach acid for hours, choking on his own vomit, and even losing consciousness). This is something we weren’t expecting as he never gets seasick or motion sickness, but being on a small boat in deep ocean waves for 6 hours was hard on everyone, half of the boat was puking. The captain was extremely rude and unhelpful, and refused to take us to a doctor/pharmacy. I honestly thought my husband was going into heat stroke but they just didn’t care. There also were 20 boats surround this one poor whale shark, with 2 divers from each boat allowed to dive at a time, there were 40 people in the water. I wouldn’t call that eco friendly. This tour was not upfront about how extreme and dangerous it really is, please rethink this experience (regardless of who the provider is) unless you are in excellent health and can withstand the extreme conditions (we spent a total of 8 hours at sea, no sun screen, small boat in deep sea waves, for 15 minutes with a shark). Not worth the money or pain!!

Comparing to all the other groups I saw doing the same thing, my rating went up to 4 stars. What made this group special was Juan Carlos that is very good with the customer. Very attentive and polite. The captain knew his way and people to talk to and find the sharks. Seeing the sharks was truly amazing. My only reason for not giving 5 stars, is due to the fact that we couldn’t stay in the water very long. I get it that they can’t just leave you there snorkeling. My point is, I’d get a private boat next time vs having 8 divers, or even just going with 4 people and splitting the cost. Anyway, it was definitely worth. The ceviche the captain made was bomb!

What a special experience. Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, Turtles, Dolphins… simply unforgettable. The guide was tremendous and took care of everyone very well. Don‘t forget the nausea medication. Half of the group puked.

I absolutely loved this trip. It was a once in a lifetime experience and Marcella, Leo and the captain made me feel 100 percent comfortable. They even provide footage and edit it for you an extra cost. Book it, you won’t regret it.

AMAZING!! We were so scared at the thought of swimming with the sharks and the nerves did not leave but we were SO GLAD we did this once in a lifetime experience. The guide Alex and his crew were extremely attentive, they jumped into the water with us and held our hands as we were shocked to see the giant whale shark swimming right in front of us! You are probably in the water for just a few minutes but that is MORE than enough. It sure is a wild sight to see up close, and we jumped twice to see it again! For lunch on our way to Isla Mujeres the crew gave us delicious sandwiches (way better than the Subway I’ve received on other tours) and made fresh ceviche and guacamole, so tasty!!! Do not miss out on this experience! Pickup and dropoff was smooth. Unlike other tours where we needed to get a taxi to the hotel meetup point, we were able to arrange pickup from our Air Bnb downtown!

Awesome experience! Marcella was a fabulous and knowledgeable guide. The only down part is the hour-and-a-half bumpy boat ride to get there. Once there there were whale sharks everywhere and we got to spend a good amount of time snorkeling with him. Absolutely I must do experience if you love the water and the sea

Incredible day! This team really takes the time to make sure you get all you can put of your day. Nature is nature but they went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience. They made sandwiches, ceviche and guacamole that were all to die for. Of note: you can’t wear sunscreen, so plan on bringing a hat and a sun cover.

Amazing up close experience! The guides gave us all the information and instruction to maximize the time actually being close to these huge animals in their environment. Exceeded my expectations.

Amazing experience! Alex and Daniel were so knowledgeable about the area and behaviors of the sharks and rays. Having truly local guides made a huge difference. I have been on dozens of tours in this area, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this was the best experience far and away. We’re already planning our next trip to go out again!