Cancun Whale Shark Encounter

Recommended by 93% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Cancun, Mexico

4 to 5 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Swim alongside whale sharks during this full-day shared excursion to Punta Sam from Cancun. Travel comfortably aboard an air-conditioned van, with front-door hotel pickup and drop-off, and set sail from a private marina. After your snorkeling adventure, you’ll enjoy freshly prepared ceviche and a visit to stunning Playa Norte beach in Isla Mujeres.

A half-day shared Punta Sam snorkeling excursion with whale shark swim
See the protected sea creatures from under the water at a responsible distance
Relax with front-door pick-up and drop-off from your hotel accommodation
Tours include ceviche, bottled water and soft drinks, and a light breakfast

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off from most Cancun hotels
Light breakfast and sterilized snorkeling gear
Professional and certified bilingual guide
Bottled water and soft drinks
Visit to Playa Norte beach in Isla Mujeres
Fish ceviche & snacks
Meeting point pickup for vacation rentals

Dock fee and Marine Park Federal Tax

$20.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We will confirm the exact pickup time and location on the day before the activity.

Meeting point

Punta Sam ferry terminal
77420 Punta Sam, Quintana Roo, Mexico
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.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Playa Norte

50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Stroller accessible
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
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.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Jessica_I

great experience from pick up to drop off. Captain Angel and Sailor Manuel made the experience unforgetable. Ceviche and sandwich was delicious. Overall, it was amazing! thank you again Manuel for being an awesome guide!

Reviews

4.7

based on 172 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

This experience was...

Kyle_P, Jun 2025

This experience was absolutely amazing! We saw several whale sharks and was able to swim within 1 foot of them. Our captain was amazing and let us have extra jumps to make the experience even better! 10/10 would recommend. Ended the day with a swim and lunch at Isla Mujeres!

Amazing experience

Charlene_C, Aug 2024

The swim itself was amazing. Geovanny our guide helped us get close to the whale sharks and take good photos and videos with his gopro. He was very patient with those not so able swimmers on our boat - you need to be able to swim to keep up with the fast moving animals. Miguel, the captain was very skilful at getting us to the right spot for each dive and the boat ride was enjoyable too. We were served delicious fish ceviche and sandwiches and taken to a beautiful beach in Isla Mujeres before heading back.

Tuburon Ballena.

Rhonda_F, Jul 2023

Excellent guides. Unforgettable experience. Up close! Dorian swam us right up to a whale shark. So close we could touch…but didn’t! This tour group had us up and out early so we were one of the first boats able to swim. As we were leaving, no less than 25+ boats were arriving and so was the patrol boat. We had time to swim with the whale shark but I imagine many of the later boats did not due to volume and the fact there was only one shark. Thanks to Contoy for giving us the experience many others did not get. Excellent ceviche afterwards! Dorian did a fantastic job of swimming us to the whale shark and also videoing our experience. His video was WAY better than mine!

Gentle Giants

Tina_T, Jul 2023

This is nature, and there is no guarantee. I went on the whale shark tour on Monday, but we did not succeed in getting a chance to swim with the sharks. We got close, but nature was not cooperating. At least we got to have lunch at a beautiful beach with warm, turquoise water. Contoy and Viator helped me rebook the tour for another try to see these amazing creatures, and I was not disappointed. I really appreciated that Contoy stuck to the rules set up to protect these whale sharks (limits on sunscreen use, only two swimmers allowed in the water with the guide at a time, only short time in the water, waiting in line with the other boats, and only two swims per person). Some of the other visitors on our tour tried to pressure the guide into allowing extra swims, but he held firm, and I appreciated that. We need to do what we can to protect the ocean life. Swimming alongside these gentle giants was amazing.

great experience

Jessica_I, Jun 2022

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Jessica, thank you very much for your comments, In Contoy Adventures we are happy that our Whale Shark Adventure tour exceeded your expectations! We will pass your kind words to Angel and Manuel and hope to see you soon back with us on another adventure. Best regards Roberto del Castillo Contoy Adventures

Bien

Antoine_L, Aug 2023

ce fut une très belle expérience , sachant que nous ne sommes pas seul que ce sont des créatures de la mer dans leur habitat naturel. Nous ne pouvions pas être sur d’en voir. Nous avons eu la chance d’en voir 2 par contre le temps dans l’eau n’es pas très long. 45 a 50 secondes nous devions toutes suite retourner dans le bateau. Avec une mer agité comme elle l’était hier ( jeudi 24 août ) nous avons trouvé le retour très pénible. Mais la petit arrêt a playa North a isla Mujeres, as bien fini l’excursion.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Cher visiteur, Merci beaucoup pour vos commentaires, Dame Nature est imprévisible et certains jours sont plus difficiles que d'autres, mais nous sommes heureux que vous ayez pu nager avec ces douces créatures marines. Nous espérons vous revoir bientôt dans une autre aventure. Avec nos meilleures salutations Roberto del Castillo Aventures de Contoy