Cancun Whale Shark Snorkeling Adventure

Nano and Chalo were the absolute best. This experience far exceeded my expectations! And the videos and pictures will help keep this magical experience alive in my families hearts and minds. Thanks Nano and Chalo. P.s. Captain Chalo's ceviche was really good!

What an incredible experience!! We were a group of 6. nano and chalo were top notch. Highly recommend.

I think its important to go into this knowing that you may not see any whale sharks and this was the case on my trip. The tour guides can't control nature and how the currents flow that could mess with their eating patterns. This was an all time dream experience of mine, so walking away not seeing any knowing this was an expensive excursion was definitely a disappointment, but again not the fault of the tour operators. Also, it was the very first week of whale season that I went, this probably played a factor. They mentioned seeing 10 the previous day, so I was so hopeful that I'd get to see them. Despite not seeing the whales, it was truly a really beautiful day to enjoy a nice boat ride. Our guide was Lewis, and he was extremely friendly. They prepared snacks and once we got to Isla Mujeres, the caption prepared ceviche and guacamole that was so yummy! It felt that this was more of an ethical excursion, as we were only one boat out with 7 of us. They work with other tour operators to try to locate the whales, so not sure what that experience could have turned out to be. Lewis made sure to tell us how to interact with the whales. Think its important to mention that you don't touch any marine life! It breaks my heart when I watch tourist videos of them completely disrespecting ocean wildlife, corals, etc.

We arrived at the meeting place and were asked which operator we were with. Apparently there isn't one and no matter which listed or platform you book from this is a pool operation and you really have no idea which operator you'll be going out to international waters with. The other people we arrived with (transportation included tickets) were assigned different boats. Likewise on the way back a random couple was shuffled into our van and taken to an additional stop. Additionally, the boat were were assigned to had none of the amenities listed in our booking. The waves were a little choppy, but not bad. Not our first time on the water, especially in Mexico as this was our twelfth trip. The helmsman decided it would be funny to go directly into the wave jumping the speedboat and slamming it repeatedly, laughing at everyone's discomfort. Half of the paid passengers vomiting over the side at some point. We arrived where one whale shark was found and as many other reviews have stated, people were only allowed in the water for roughly a minute or less (confirmed by video I've uploaded to YouTube). No other snorkeling time provided, let alone with any other marine life boasted by the other crewman. An older man on our tour in his fifties fell splitting his leg open and no first aid was given to him. When challenged the crew confessed that they not only lacked the promised antimetics listed on the tour booking, but they had no first aid kit on board at all! The man had to sit there and bleed for hours until we made shore. Once we eventually (finally) returned to shore, they had the gall to ask for tips. We have had a lot of charters and marine experiences in Mexico, dozens in fact, but this is the sole one we absolutely cannot recommend. Please save your money for something else.

This was a top bucket list item for me! August is a hot time to be in Mexico but this made it so worth it! We saw approx 10 whale sharks. Our guide, Nano, was kind, knowledgeable, and patient. Our captain, Chalo, was an expert at navigating around the whale sharks to get us right up close. Book with them immediately!