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

Swimming with the whale sharks was amazing and our guides were the best. Couldn’t ask for a more perfect and magical experience.

This was an awesome experience. Captain Noah, Gino and Jose on the vessel Azalia took us out and the whale shark experience was pretty amazing! They made sure each of us got a chance with the whale shark. They were attentive to all our needs. The boat ride is long but it was a sunny beautiful day. Definitely recommend.

Wasted money! This was more like an expensive boat trip than anything else. The title “swimming with whale sharks” has nothing to do with the experience. We jumped in the water for literally 15 seconds, there was just one poor specimen that was surrounded by 30 boats with everyone jumping on top of him. We thought the experience wouldn’t be so devastating for the animal when we booked the trip as it also said we would need to pay an additional fee for the protected area. This is unfortunately all about exploiting the poor animals. I sincerely thought this would be the experience of a lifetime but I couldn’t have been more wrong. You’re better off spending your money elsewhere.

My kids and I had a great time swimming with the whale sharks! Definitely a once in a lifetime experience. We even had a pod of dolphins swim along with the boat for awhile!

Please read the reviews before you book this. If you’re looking for a peaceful and safe time seeing some whale sharks this tour isn’t for you. The tour started off with a late pick-up, then got split into a random select of people. The crew was nice and tried to accommodate everyone however the boat was just so tiny! If you’re someone who gets seasick even just a little bit please steer clear. Our captain was going so fast we were getting SMACKED with large choppy waves I felt as if I were going to fall off the boat. People were throwing up left and right & Everyone on the boat hung to the rails for dear life. the little boy next to me had red eyes from all the salt water smacking him in the face. Not to mention if we weren’t holding on for our lives we could’ve slipped and fell in the ocean it was truly a tour from hell. On top of that we DIDNT get to see whale sharks which I, of course do not blame the crew since that’s out of their control but it was still terrible. There’s no bathrooms on the small boat so they force you to go into the choppy ocean on a ladder and urinate on yourself. So terrible. The food they provided were 5 chips each person, guacamole and small ceviche. I was hoping this was going to be a good tour since my husband and I choose this to be our most expensive trip we were so excited just to be disappointed. Save your money and do something else.

Writing a review to warn you what are getting into. We did not see whale sharks which this review and star rating is not taking consideration due the inability to predict nature. So, this is not a quick boat ride to swim. It’s a 2 hour ride into the deep sea. The worst part is they don’t tell you this (but do suggest on stopping at a pharmacy for Dramamine.) Which we did. Out of 8 people on our boat, all but one got sick. So sick, we’re not sure how we would have even gotten on the snorkel gear and fins if whale sharks had been spotted. We rode around for 2 hours like this. Also bring a towel and dry clothes. No towels provided and no suggestions to bring a towel were given. Made for a long van ride back. Miserable.

I would not recommend. We didn’t see any whale sharks or even snorkel. The entire day was spent sailing mindlessly. 1. 5am pickup- We were picked up at 5am, and went to about 3-4 other hotels to get other travelers. Once we picked up the final travelers, it was 7:30am. We then headed to the Marina which was another hour away, and had a cash fee of $15 US dollars per person, that we weren’t notified of 2. 8:50am -Begin sailing to the “whale sharks” when it started lightning and thunder storming. The waves were extremely rough. We took medication beforehand but Almost everyone was sick. Either they were nauseous or had a headache because of the turbulence. We rid for about an hour in the storm before the rain stopped, then another hour looking for the sharks. Everyone was falling asleep and waking up and we were still sailing, mindlessly. The tour guide was giving no information. Around 11am I asked what the plan was, and he talked around the question. We sailed for another hour. 3. 12pm- The captain and tour guide asks if anyone has to use the bathroom. 8/10 people did, so they told us to climb down the ladder into the ocean. We are in the middle of dark ocean waters, who knows where. We got down to use the bathroom and the waves immediately start pushing us away from the boat. The guide is making jokes like “see you later” when we’re already frustrated. It was extremely hard to get back to the boat and even climb ourselves up 4. 1pm - We start sailing back, after sailing for 4 hours doing absolutely nothing. We also were told to put on sunscreen beforehand so it wouldn’t harm the sea animals, so by this time, everyone’s sunscreen was worn off and we were all burning. 5. 2pm - We arrive at some random beach. At this point I think they wanted to feel they needed to “get their moneys worth.” But at this point we’re irritated. Just take us back to the resort. We hadn’t eaten all day, so I asked the guide when was lunch being served. He told me I needed to get off the boat and into the water. I told him no, I needed to eat. I’m vegetarian and stated that on 3 different forms, he then told me that I didn’t tell anyone, so they only had ham sandwiches and ceviche. They then proceeded to give me some white bread, a slice of lettuce and a tomato. I ask when we’re leaving. He says 15 minutes. Another 45 passes and I ask again. 2:45-3 - 3pm is the time we were supposed to be back at the resorts. We’re just now leaving this random beach when the boat won’t turn on. So we sit while they figure out how to get the engine going again. We finally get back to the van and he lets everyone take a bathroom break. 6. 3-5pm is spent dropping everyone back off at their resorts. Our dropoff was last since we were the first pickup. So we spent 12 hours doing absolutely nothing, sunburnt and starving. So, safe to say I wouldn’t recommend this. Whale sharks, snorkeling, and food where all apart of this package and 2/3 we didn’t get, and the food was terrible.

Very sea sick - tiny speed boat and choppy sea are not a good mix. When we finally found 1 whale shark they only let two people in with it and it was gone so no one else got a chance. A lot of money and not worth it.

1. Pick up not organized: we got mail that pick will be made at 6:50AM in front of hotel. And i was waiting from 6:45. No one showed and no one answered phone until 7:25 AM 2. Additional cost for taxi: We book the taxi to go directly and just answered that they are coming. We canceled the taxi with cancellation charge. And we had phone call that they will not pick us but we must come directly. We took the taxi with our own expense but tour agency didn't apologize anything. no compensation. no refund for the cost. 3. Poor scheduel: We depart at 9AM (2 hours delay) from the harbor We didn't see the whale-shark as more than 50 boats are chasing for the 1 fish. No time to go into water. (only snorkeling after finishing the program) We comeback at 4PM (3 hours delay) We had another schedule but missed it due to this program delay. 4. However, the boat crew was kind and try to listen. Only very very poor coordination.

This was by far the biggest waste of a day. Our tour guide was very disorganized and had no idea what she was doing. She said we were stopping at a drug store to get Dramamine but the store was closed so we never got any. They took us out into very bad conditions at least 8 foot waves slamming the boat up and down for 4 hours straight. We saw zero marine life! When we had to use the restroom they had us hold onto a ladder and try to urinate while these huge waves were slamming into our backs in the water. When we had lunch we had a tablespoon of guacamole, if we asked for more they said they didn’t have enough. They kept us for 7 plus hours and gave us a tiny scoop of guacamole with maybe 10 chips. When we went to the island we could only swim around the boat not visit the island. In the picture I posted that is the island and it’s very close (swimmable distance) but they wouldn’t let us go. This experience was nothing short of a nightmare and possibly a scam, be aware.