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Cancun Whale Shark Encounter: Swim with Ocean's Gentle Giants in A Guided Adventure
4.7
166 Ratings
Punta Sam
Embark on a thrilling adventure in Cancun and swim with the ocean’s gentle giants, the whale sharks. Our experienced guides and National Geographic-certified snorkeling gear ensure a safe and unforgettable encounter. Join us now!
Embark on a thrilling adventure in Cancun and swim with the ocean’s gentle giants, the whale sharks. Our experienced guides and National Geographic-certified snorkeling gear ensure a safe and unforgettable encounter. Join us now!
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Playa Norte - After the dives, we will head to this beautiful beach in Isla Mujeres where you can do some more snorkeling, and taste the famous Captain Ceviche!
- Playa Norte - After the dives, we will head to this beautiful beach in Isla Mujeres where you can do some more snorkeling, and taste the famous Captain Ceviche!
What's Included
- Convenient meeting point or vacation rental pickup
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included for Cancun hotels
- Complimentary light breakfast
- Sterilized snorkeling gear provided
- Refreshments: bottled water and soft drinks
- Professional certified bilingual guide
- Explore Playa Norte beach on Isla Mujeres
- Enjoy fish ceviche and tasty snacks
- Convenient meeting point or vacation rental pickup
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included for Cancun hotels
- Complimentary light breakfast
- Sterilized snorkeling gear provided
- Refreshments: bottled water and soft drinks
- Professional certified bilingual guide
- Explore Playa Norte beach on Isla Mujeres
- Enjoy fish ceviche and tasty snacks
What's Not Included
- Dock fee and Marine Park Federal Tax
- Dock fee and Marine Park Federal Tax
Additional Information
Join us on a unique and unforgettable journey where you can swim alongside the gentle behemoths of the sea. The experience is closely managed by our skilled guides, and you will be outfitted in our National Geographic Snorkeler-approved gear.
Our adventure commences by picking you up from any hotels in Cancun, Riviera Maya, or Playa del Carmen to…
Join us on a unique and unforgettable journey where you can swim alongside the gentle behemoths of the sea. The experience is closely managed by our skilled guides, and you will be outfitted in our National Geographic Snorkeler-approved gear.
Our adventure commences by picking you up from any hotels in Cancun, Riviera Maya, or Playa del Carmen to transport you to our fresh private marina in Punta Sam in Cancun. We will have a light meal before setting sail towards the Whale Shark preservation area. Once we locate these gentle giants, we will initiate diving expeditions, with each person getting 2 to 3 dives. The dives will be conducted in pairs under the supervision of our accredited guide. But that’s not all! Before returning to our marina, we will make a stop at the exquisite Playa Norte beach in Isla Mujeres for an hour of relaxation and a delicious ceviche meal prepared by our team!
Finally, we’ll return to our Cancun marina where our air-conditioned vans will deliver you back to your place of stay.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code casual, don’t forget your swimsuit!
- Operated by a bilingual guide
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Pregnant women are not allowed for safety reasons and as per federal regulations.
- Even though the probability of seeing whale sharks is very high, we cannot guarantee sightings.
Location
Punta Sam ferry terminal
Our own private marina is conveniently located in Punta Sam right next to the Isla Mujeres ferry terminal and the Villa del Palmar hotel. Please arrive 30 minutes before the schedule departure time.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(166 Ratings)
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626krystlef
Jun 11, 2025
Whale sharks is a MUST DO - We had an AMAZING experience!! Our guide Ney and our captain Julian on the Alma boat were so nice and helped make the experience great! We saw so many whale sharks! Some were HUGE!!!It was a once in a lifetime experience!!! The water and views were so BEAUTIFUL… bring your meds/hydration if you get sea sick.. but it’s totally WORTH IT
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Reinacherlaura
Jun 9, 2025
Whale shark— amazing experience!! - An Unforgettable Whale Shark Adventure!
We had the best experience swimming with whale sharks, and it was all thanks to Ney, our amazing guide, and Julian, our fantastic captain! Ney was knowledgeable, fun, and made us feel totally comfortable in the water. We got to swim right alongside the whale sharks—truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
To top it off, we had a surprise encounter with a sea turtle, which made the day even better. After our swim, we cruised through the crystal-clear teal waters off Isla Mujeres, and enjoyed a delicious sandwich and freshly made ceviche!
The whole trip was seamless and well-organized from start to finish. The boat even had a shaded area, which was nice. We came back with lots of amazing photos for purchase from our guide too!
We had a great time and highly recommend this tour and especially Ney and Julian. You won’t regret it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Magaustintextraveler
Jun 2, 2025
A once-in-a-lifetime experience! - We had a wonderful experience swimming with the whale sharks. Our guide, Xavier (Xavi), and our captain, Joseph, went out of their way (figuratively and literally) to make sure we had a memorable experience! Xavi was very knowledgeable, gave very clear instructions and made sure everyone on the tour had a fun time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carleej889
Jun 1, 2025
Amazing - This was so much fun, our guide Javier and driver of the boat Joseph were amazing, super friendly, funny, you can tell they love what they do and are passionate about it and they actually enjoy showing people the whale sharks, so happy we got them as the ones to help us and show us these beautiful animals
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephmorgan
Jun 1, 2025
Only operation to choose!!!! The best!!! - This was the BEST experience!!!! Life changing and bucket list!!!! Our 16 yo and 9 yo were with us. Only 6 people on boat. It was incredible. It took awhile to find our whale shark, but they never gave up and man was it worth it!!! Sindy jumped in with our 9 yo and made it unforgettable she’s a rockstar!!!!! Isaac was so great!! What an incredible captain!! After we snorkeled in beautiful waters and they made us fresh ceviche and sandwiches. This operation is the BEST!! You’re crazy not to choose them!!!! .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Saragh9661kn
Sep 16, 2024
Whale sharks encounter - I went hoping to be able to swim with the whale sharks and they did! not! disappoint!
Javier (the guide) explained thoroughly how the experience was going to work and prepared us on what to do and not to do once in the water. Of course they can't guarantee that you'll see the whale sharks but thankfully with a bit of luck and the expertise of captain Joseph we were able to dive two times and it was truly amazing.
The excursion concluded with lunch and then we sailed back, accompanied by the captain's playlist (great music taste). Would definitely do it again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Afoncho
Sep 7, 2024
A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE!! - We had one of the best days of our lives! We had the opportunity to see: a school of dolphins, there were about 20!!, Manta rays!, sea turtles! and of course THE WHALE SHARK!!, not to mention that we snorkeled in the reef of Isla Contoy which was full of colorful fish and coral reef!!
Thanks to the captain of the boat Isaac and his sailor Cindy!! who really made the day SPECTACULAR, their effort to find the whale shark, their interest in caring for the environment and the people who went on the tour is truly admirable.
Contoy adventures!! the best company, the boat, the snorkeling equipment, it is worth mentioning that we were only 8 clients and 2 crew members!! no crowds!
thanks for making that day unforgettable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Explore50127280422
Aug 30, 2024
Whale shark snorkeling - I joined 4days. Every day whale shark show us different face. It was so fantastic! I recommend guide Mr.Geovanny.Hes really good diver and he can take your video movie n pic very very well compare with other guide!!! Even u cant swim,no problem,he will help u a lot! I think he has good luck. Only the day i join with him, wether n sea condition was best!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mckaylas667
Aug 16, 2024
Go swim with the whale sharks! - Had the most incredible time! We saw so many whale sharks. The guide told us exactly where to go so we could swim alongside them! Geovanny and Miguel were so great. I can’t thank them enough. PS. Rent the wetsuits so much better than the life jacket.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D9402laloiss
Aug 28, 2024
The Whale sharks are amazing but the Contoy Adventures was not. - The whale sharks were amazing. I would give them a 5 out of 5.
The Contoy tours company was a 1 out of 5.
1- They did not tell us we would not be able to snorkel the whole time with the whale sharks. It was very crowded and at least 15 other snorkeling boats there at the same time.
2- They promised a second snorkel location and we were left at a beach with NO snorkeling to wait for their other boats.
3- They said we did not need a life vest while snorkeling but when we got there they made us pay $30 for 2 very old wetsuits otherwise we had to were a safety vest.
4-When we got back we had to wait 2 hours to leave so all the different boats could see the photos they took. They were not available online and the viewing room was loud, overcrowded and disorganized. Some group's photos and videos were of good quality but ours were not. We had better photos with our phones.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
