best operators to see whale sharks from isla mujeres

[papanano]

Anyone know of a small highly reputable operator to go see whale sharks at the end of this month? I read about one captain a few years ago who leaves real early in the morning and only takes up to 6 people and he stops for mantas after the whale shark encounter.

 

[papanano]

wow, nobody?

 

[dberry]

We spent two nights on Isla Mujeres after a week in Cozumel in mid July. Having only done this once, it's hard to give a real comparison, but "MexicoWhaleShark" gave us a good experience. We were out pretty early, arriving to the swarm when only one other boat was there. An hour later there were nearly 50 boats, but fortunately there were more sharks than boats.

Whale Shark Tour From Isla Mujeres

 

[papanano]

thank you. how many people on your boat?

 

[chris kippax]

I am pretty sure the folks from Wetpixel are there now. Check 2018's trip report for clues for a good 6 pack operator. One of the captions on their recent instagram post was "The early bird gets the whale sharks"

Reports from the field: Wetpixel Whale Sharks 2018 ::

 

[dberry]

thank you. how many people on your boat?

8 passengers.
The regulations limit you to only 2 snorkelers (plus guide) at a time, for about 5 min each. There was a rule change this spring, and everyone must wear a flotation vest, regardless of whether you have a wetsuit or not. This wasn't a problem, as the whalesharks were cruising just below the surface, so there was plenty to see as long as your mask was in the water.

 

[papanano]

I wonder if they'd let you use a weight belt along with it

 

[dberry]

I doubt it. The entire point of the vests is to make sure you can't dive below the surface. Or at least not very far.

 

[papanano]

Kind of meant as a joke but I could find a way of adding weight to my camera rig