Mexico: Swim with whale sharks in the Yucatan

Whale sharks, the largest of the ocean’s fish, are spending time in the warm waters off the Yucatan Peninsula during these summer days. Can you blame them? Probably not. Wanna join them?

These flat-headed, gargantuan creatures (up to 40 feet long, according to National Geographic) snack on plankton and small fish — and not humans — so swimming with them, though they move around open-mouthed, may not be as preposterous as you might think.

With Rosewood Mayakobá, on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, you can embark on a half-day guided tour by private yacht to seek out whale sharks. Once they’ve been found, you get to swim and snorkel with the fish.

This Rosewood resort is of the luxury kind, so the tour comes at a price: The package rate starts at $960 per night, which includes your room, daily buffet breakfast, tax, service and the tour, and a three-night stay is required.

But whale shark excursions are not limited to those with deep pockets. Other hotels offer cheaper trips. Hotel Faro Viejo — mentioned in this GoNomad.com story about a traveler’s swim — arranges tours starting at $90 per person (minimum six people). Overnight rates at the hotel this summer begin at $130 for a single.

– Susan Derby, Special to The Times

[Photo: A whale shark. Credit: Steve Chaput]

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This entry was posted on Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 10:33 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Cancun, Deals, Family & Kids, Hotels, Islands & Beaches, Mexico, Outdoors & Adventure, Summer, Tours & Cruises, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.