Best experience on the island! - Best experience on the island. The boat was fine and the captain was very safe and nice. The swim with the whale was amazing and the other part of the tour as well

Horrible - pure horror! - -- Feedback in English below -- -- Deutsch / German -- Horrible - pure horror! I normally never write reviews, but here I just have to warn and give feedback. So everything that follows is my personal opinion/experience! Note: Since I was on Holbox about 12 years ago, I am also making comparisons to earlier times! What happened: Five of us booked a private boat (20,000 pesos) for the whale shark tour. We had to pick up early so that we could get to the whale sharks before all the other boats. That was the general conditions. Procedure: Before the start/when the tour was sold, we were told a lot about the tour, content, etc. - on the boat, completely new rules were suddenly added that seemed completely arbitrary. For example, that the animals had to be protected and that you were only allowed in the water if there were at least 5 whale sharks. Completely absurd when you read older reviews and realize that dozens of boats roar out there every day and let people loose on one whale shark - with combustion engines, by the way (because sunscreen is completely banned for the sake of the environment - another "rule"). What irony. So that's a total fail there. The worst thing, however, is this: I am a licensed captain myself and the most important thing at sea is that the health, safety and well-being of the crew and passengers comes first. In this case, we had the most reckless person I have ever met as "captain". Steering into a thunderstorm at full speed, crashing/flying the boat at full speed in waves that were far too strong and high, and even when we passengers regularly "fell off" our seats, we had no qualms about adjusting the speed to the conditions - despite clear instructions from us. If these operators had any decency, they would have had to cancel the tour long ago. With the waves, they would NEVER have allowed anyone to go into the water, that would be extremely dangerous and negligent, but they didn't - it's all about money. The end result was that 3 of us got seasick, in one case so severe that the body went into shock and started a real fight for survival! We even had to convince the guides that we wanted to cancel the tour, which was met with total incomprehension at first. You can see that I can't say anything positive about the operator or the tour. I can only advise you: Please keep your hands off it - as much as the attraction of swimming with the whale sharks may be - it's pure rip-off and it's just not worth it anymore. And no one should risk their life so carelessly by putting their responsibility in such hands. The trip to possible whale shark spots takes at least 2 hours!! Holbox only lives on its reputation/name - apart from the beautiful beach (you can get that elsewhere and much cheaper) nothing of the glory of the old days remains. Everything is designed purely for commercial purposes (and rip-offs) - a horrendous development. A good documentary offers much better added value here! -- English -- Horrible - pure horror! I usually never write reviews, but here I just have to warn and give feedback. Everything written below is based on my own opinion and experience. Note: As I have already been to Holbox around 12 years ago, I am also comparing the impressions from now with the impressions 12 years ago! What happened: 5 of us booked a private boat (20,000 pesos) for the whale shark tour. Pickup was supposed to be early to be at the whale sharks spot before all the other boats. Procedure: Before the start / When the tour was sold, we were told a lot about the tour, schedule, etc. - on the boat, suddenly, completely new rules were added, which seemed purely random. For example, in order to protect the animals there have to be at least 5 whale sharks to be allowed to swim with them. Completely absurd when you read older reviews and realise that there are dozens of boats going out every day and let people swim with only 1 whale shark - with internal combustion engines, by the way (as a matter of environmental protection, suncream is completely forbidden - also such a new "rule"). How ironic. At that point, it was turning out to be a fail already. The worst thing, however, is this: I am a licensed captain myself and the most important thing at sea is that the health, safety and welfare of the crew and passengers come first. In this case, we had as "captain" probably the most reckless person I have ever experienced. Navigating at full throttle into a thunderstorm and then still staying with full throttle even there are far too strong and high waves for the boat. As a result the boat banged/flied into the waves and even once "falling down" passengers from the seats our captain had no intention to adjust the speed to the conditions - despite clear announcements from our side. If these organizers had just a spark of decency, they would have had to cancel the tour hours ago. The waves and the wind were way too strong to even allow anyone to swim in the water, that would be highly dangerous and negligent – so you see, it's all about money. They simply do not care about their customers’ health, safety or welfare. Sad - terrible - I am at a loss for words. At the end 3 of us got the sea-sickness, in one case even so violently that even shock rigidity and the true fight for survival was initiated by the body! We even had to convince the guides that we wanted to stop/cancel the tour, which was met with total incomprehension at the first moment. As a summary, you can see, there is nothing positive about the tour nor the guides. I can only recommend to you: Stay away from this provider/tour - as much as the attraction to swim with the whale sharks may be - this is pure commercial interest and it is simply not worth it. Moreover, no one should risk his/her life so easily by placing his/her life into such careless hands of that provider. From my point of view: Today, Holbox lives only from its reputation/name - apart from the beautiful beach (you can have it elsewhere too and much cheaper) nothing is left of the glory of the old days. Everything is purely designed for commercial purposes (and rip-off) - a horrendous development (I travelled to Holbox 15 years ago and have experienced the comparison by myself).