Whale Shark Swimming and Isla Mujeres Beach Tour
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Cancun, Mexico
- 4 to 5 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure swimming with whale sharks in Cancun. After a hotel pickup, enjoy a light breakfast and head to a protected area for 2-3 dives, guided by certified experts. Visit Isla Mujeres' Playa Norte for relaxation and ceviche before returning. Snorkeling gear provided, ensuring a safe and unforgettable experience.
- Swim with whale sharks in protected area
- Professional guide and certified equipment
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- 2-3 dives per person in pairs
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of Snorkelling equipment
- Professional guide
- BreakfastLight breakfast
- Sodas & bottled water
- Snacks
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Dock fee and Federal Tax$20.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Contoy Adventures
5 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Isla Mujeres
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Not recommended for child aged 3 and under.
- 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
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Yuri_L
Cancun's must have experience. The whole experience was a blast. Nate is a great guide. We spotted 40+ sharks and everyone had enough chances to swim with them such that we left only because no one wanted to dive again. North beach stop was a little too long but still fun. Highly recommended experience.
Pictures are way too overpriced at $89 usd per person but its an add on.
Reviews
4.8
based on 434 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Megan_L, Jul 2026
Pros: Transportation to/from hotel was wonderful. Check in was easy. Tour guide was nice. Whale sharks were huge and so cool to see!!
Cons: We got to go in once for about a minute, then were sent back onto the boat so someone else could have another turn. Our boat broke down in the middle of the ocean. Had to wait for another and jump from the boat and swim to the other. Over half of our group threw up (my husband almost did and he never gets sea sick). Captain was rude the entire time and just kept yelling at us to jump over the edge of the boat because they were on a time frame.
It was supposed to be 4-5 hours. We left at 6:30am and didn't get back to our hotel until 2:30pm. Basically, we had about a minute actually swimming with the whale sharks and a half hour swimming at isla. The rest of the time we were all sick on the speed boat. And, since we were so behind schedule, our Isla trip lasted about 1/2 hour and you weren't actually allowed to go to the beach you had to stay in the water near the boat.
Final verdict: Whale sharks were amazing. Tour guide was nice. We got to see flying fish which was also really cool. Captain, absolute jerk. Broken boat, spent about 6 hours in the speed boat and were all so sick by the middle of it.
Would do it again, but not with this company.
Katherine_T, Jul 2026
The entire experience was amazing! Willie and Baby Face took such great care of us! We saw many Whale Sharks and Willie stayed with us each swim. Captain Baby Face prepared a delicious Cevice lunch! What a great day!
Rodney_L, Jun 2026
A once in a lifetime experience! Words cannot explain the awe it felt like to swim with these gentle giants of the sea! Swimming with the whale sharks was a bucketlist experience not to be missed!
Tarik_G, Oct 2025
Its kind of a rush to chase whalesharks but it yields back your expectations and the guides put on real effort for you to see these amazing creature as many times as you can. Even if they dont escape your presence, they swim pretty fast and outpace you in a blink. If you are gonna do it with your toddler, mine was 5 years old, do it, make him or her see them. Take medication if you tend to be seasick because the boat really sways during the chase and wait. Good luck!
Dianna_l, Aug 2024
Xavier is an amazing guide! Saw so many whale sharks, unforgettable day for our family. Would definitely recommend this experience for adults and older teens.
Sonia_G, Aug 2024
We were sent messages the day before and 30 mins prior to pick up, to remind of pickup times and needed items.
We were on the boat (Inky) with Herman (driver) and Marcelino (diver). They were great and able provide direction and assistance to ensure no one lost items while on the water and were safe.
The whale sharks, they are giant and amazing and so majestic and being in the water with them was an experience I’ll never forget!
The swims were fast and you can’t hesitate or swim slow. There were only 2 swims bc there weren’t many in the water that day, but maybe having 8 ppl max on a boat would make it easier to do 3 swims, but we were prepared for the amount of time in the water w the whales sharks and we definitely understood why. However, the following is why I didn’t add the 5th star.
My goggles and my sister and niece’s malfunctioned. The breathing tube in rough water needs to be the kind that prevent water from going in since the water is so choppy. My goggles had a rip in the front preventing a great seal. My sisters and nieces didn’t tighten enough which prevented a seal for there’s.
We would have done better with eye pieces goggles as the three of us swim well enough underwater, but that wasn’t an option and we weren’t aware that we could have taken our own.
There are also no snorkel instructions which was fine for us since me and my sister have before and were able to give my niece a crash course.
There weren’t enough foot find on the boat for everyone so we all had to keep switching. Had we needed to do the jumps faster it wouldn’t have been possible or we’d be jumped in with no flippers.
Also better fitting life vests would have made the swim a little easier. Mine and my sisters were too big and my niece’s was a good fit which I’m the most thankful for as this was the excursion she was most excited for.
I’m vegetarian and I was impressed with the option, the cheese sandwich was better than I’d had at the resort and a whole cantaloupe as my side was amazing! Marcelino made sure it was in the cooler so after are isla mujeres playa norte swim it was AH-Mahzing!
Overall we had a great experience and wouldn’t have chosen to bypass this experience/excursion.
8/4/2024
Yuri_L, Jul 2024
Cancun's must have experience. The whole experience was a blast. Nate is a great guide. We spotted 40+ sharks and everyone had enough chances to swim with them such that we left only because no one wanted to dive again. North beach stop was a little too long but still fun. Highly recommended experience.
Pictures are way too overpriced at $89 usd per person but its an add on.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Dear Visitor,
We are so happy you could live this fantastic experience with us; we will let our staff know about your nice words and hope to see you soon on another adventure with us.
Best regards
Roberto del Castillo
Contoy Adventures
Jen_S, Jun 2024
The guide was really good interacting with my daughter and helping her keep up with the whale sharks.
Kristy_G, Aug 2023
This trip was 3 out of 5 stars. We paid a little over $400 with dock fees for 2 of us. The capt & guide were friendly. After a 90 min boat trip, we spent a maximum of 10 minutes in the water with the whale sharks. They were beautiful, but we were so rushed that it was difficult to enjoy the experience. We have 7 minutes total of video & we recorded the entire underwater experience. We were the first boat to leave the whaleshark area. If I knew that was all the time we would get, I would have paid for a private trip & better experience. At $40/min, I would have hoped for a much better trip.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Dear Kristy,
Thank you for your review, we are happy you enjoyed our tour, regarding the time per person swimming with the whale sharks, let me tell you that this depends on a lot of factors, like the ability to swim beside them on days when we find few sharks like in this day. That is one of the main differences with our VIP Private tour, where you choose the time you want to spend swimming with them.
Perhaps next time you visit us, you can contact us to check out the Private Whale Shark tour at a special price.
Best regards
Roberto del Castillo
Contoy Adventures
Debra_P, Aug 2023
Capitan German and Manuel Sailor were outstanding. I highly recommend this excursion!! We saw several Whale
Rose_J, Aug 2023
This was a bucket list item for my 23 year old daughter. Swimming with the whale sharks is amazing. The captain and guide were very experienced and knowledgeable and made you feel safe the entire time.
Rhian_N, Aug 2023
We had Herbert and Angel and they really made the experience something special! You could tell they were professional, they knew the sea, they knew what they were doing and all of us on the boat got to swim with the sharks twice each. They even made sure to get really good videos so we have the memories for ever. They did not disappoint! Would definitely recommend the experience.
Santiago_Y, Aug 2023
This is a hustle..your literally in the water for 1 minute and get 2 trys... You really don't get to see the whale sharks thru their cheap snorkeling gear ..Also dont get hustled to renting the wet suit..not worth it..
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Dear Santiago,
We are really sorry that your experience was not like 99% of our customers, but sometimes it is hard to swim alongside them because they can be fast, we also have new snorkeling gear each season, if yours was not good you should have talked to your guide about it, we have several replaces on each of our boats.
We beleive our Whale shark experience is exactly that, an experience, so it is for the majority of our customers, and has been for the past 20 years.
Our experience is not a hustle, we are sorry that you think that the experience of looking for these magnificent creatures at their natural habitat, and try to swim besides them is a hustle, perhaps next time you can come in one of our other tours visiting Isla Mujeres or Contoy island tours, which are less physical tours with a very clear and exact schedule, instead of these type of adventure tours like our Whale Shark experience.
Best regards
Roberto del Castillo
Contoy Adventures
Chloe_J, Aug 2023
I wish I could give 10 stars rather than 5! Herbert & Angel were world-class. Two of us get pretty seasick, which made us nervous, but we were totally fine! From heading out, to docking up at the marina, every minute was better than we could have imagined. We were hesitant to leave the resort, but we couldn't be more glad that we did! It was certainly an experience we will never forget. We felt so safe and well-informed. We each swam multiple times with multiple sharks -- truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. The stop at Isla de Mujeres to swim at the beach was also breathtaking, but the fresh ceviche lunch was the icing on the cake. We asked for a second helping it was so delicious. The experience was elevated because of the help and guidance of Herbert and Angel, they love what they do and genuinely wanted us to have the best time. Don't miss this opportunity, you won't regret it.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Dear Visitor,
We thank you very much for your kind review, we will let Herbert and Angel know about your kind words, and hope to see you soon in another adventure with Contoy Adventures!
Best regards
Roberto del Castillo
Contoy Adventures
Kavita_S, Jul 2023
Absolutely amazing! Boat ride there is def long, may be rough. Highly recommend Dramamine or anything for motion sickness however many hours you’re supposed to take it BEFORE you get on board. I never get seasick, but when the boat wasn’t moving it definitely got to me. Regardless, it was SO WORTH IT AND AMAZING. We saw about 30-40 whale sharks and swam with maybe 5? It was incredible. Manuel did a great job keeping us a safe distance away (but not a lame distance) and took amazing videos.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Dear Visitor,
We thank you very much for your kind review, we will let Manuel know about your kind words, and hope to see you soon in another adventure with us!
Best regards
Roberto del Castillo
Contoy Adventures
Lauren_W, Jul 2023
The staff was amazing. Our boat captain and tour guide worked very hard to find the whale sharks and we all ended up getting to swim with them. We also saw dolphins, flying fish, a starfish, sea turtles, and a sting ray on our journey. The ceviche was delicious and it was nice to spend time at isla mujeres. Cons were that it was lots of driving in the boat and that your whale shark time is 5 minutes max so they don’t leave before your whole group gets a turn. But still enjoyed our day!
Michelle_S, Jun 2023
This was an all day event. Was picked up at 6:20 am from our resort and we didn’t get back until 3:30 pm. The ocean was super choppy, and it literally took us three hours until we could find the whale shark which was pretty magical when you got in the water to see them. But after all said and done, you have to travel 2 hours back. I would say 3/4 of the boat got seasick and was throwing up because the ocean was so choppy. Stopping at the island was nice and short. Was only there for 40 minutes. Definitely would like to stay longer and explore next time. The captain made delicious ceviche, which was super tasty. I would’ve given that experience at five star but the ocean was just too choppy so I gave it a four star. Would recommend if you were considering and hopefully the ocean isn’t choppy when you go.
Mark_D, Jun 2023
I’m giving it 5 stars but everything wasn’t perfect. The trip started rough we waited at the hotel to be picked up and every other person in the lobby departed for other excursions or with an alternate company. After 20 minutes I have Viator a call and they said to wait. I received a call that the van had mechanical issues so they sent a cab. The cab arrived 10-15 minutes later and raced to thee dock. We boarded shortly after and we were off. We only had 5 customers on board. The speed boat was very nice and after about 45 minutes we saw some dolphins. Another 30 minutes and we slowed down to start looking for Whale Sharks because it was windy I was told they preferred deeper waters. Most of the boats patrol areas and when they spot a Whale Shark or group of them they radio it in. It didn’t look promising but around 40 minutes into the hunt. A sister ship with Viator spotted a few. We arrived to the scene and were the only two boats for around 15 minutes. We were able to enjoy 3 snorkel’s in the water. The Whale Sharks were amazing. The sister ship has some problems so we took on 4 of their customers. We went to an island but our time was very limited. The ceviche and sandwich’s were very good. The crew was outstanding and helped my 8 year old son and I to enjoy the snorkel to its fullest. They were kind, respectful, and Beverly professional. When we finished the tour they gave my Son a stuffed animal of a Whale Shark as an apology for the delay’s. I can’t say enough about the crew and the Whale Sharks. They may have had some Van issues but they made everything right and gave us a memory we will never forget. Thanks Viator
Joe_B, Sep 2022
It was wonderful experience , crew Dorian and Gilberto are cool guys you ever met, help get through this and help you get best pics and video for social media, try book with them and tips those guys too, make your adventures amazing.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
In Contoy Adventures we are glad to read that your experience exceeded your expectations!
We will make sure to pass on your kind words to Dorian and Gil, please join us soon in another great adventure with the best crew!
Best regards
Roberto del Castillo
Contoy Adventures
Nancy_H, Aug 2022
Swimming alongside the whale sharks was amazing. It was such a memorable experience.
It could have been improved if the guide had told us how long we would be in the water (only a couple of minutes) and how many turns we would get. We got two turns each but we weren’t allowed to swim Ali gside the Shark fit very long.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Hello Nancy and thank you very much for your kind review, we depend on weather and area conditions each day to do the snorkeling, this is why sometimes we can't do a lottle more.
We hope to see you soon in another adventure with us!
Best regards
Roberto del Castillo
Contoy Adventures
Bryan_S, Jul 2022
When the goal of the excursion changes from excitement to getting in the water to trying to not join the other 40% of the passengers on the boat to not vomit off the back, you know your excursion is not going well. Upon jumping in the ocean Water immediately filled my snorkel tube and entered my mouth. This happened several times. I saw the whale shark while in the water for about 5 to 7 seconds. Yes you read that right, SECONDS!! I took photos of the sharks while I was on the boat. Literally 4/10 people puked, my spouse included. Some of our group went on two jumps but most did just one due to illness and a desire to get the boat moving. . I did my best to not puke and succeeded in not doing so. Overall a very disappointing experience and one I wouldn’t recommend given my experience.
jane_s, Jul 2022
This was an amazing trip and totally worth the money. If you do one thing while in Mexico this is it.
Pros- whales sharks are awesome and are not going to hurt you.
Snorkel gear is included. Able to purchase photos and videos from the shore but you are also able to take your own. Everyone gets time in the water which is fair but would be better to have longer.
Cons- lunch is provided but they don’t cater well - ham sandwich
You have to wear a life jacket or pay $15 to wear a wet suit as they state you need to have some buoyancy.
Take sea sickness tablets before you go.
Martyn, Jul 2021
We booked the trip on Viator based on the reviews the company had we either got a bad day or the reviews are not quite what they seem
We where staying in Rivera maya which meant the transfer was nearly 2 hours so pick up at 05.20 it’s hard enough getting 4 kids out of bed for that time but the transfer was 20mins late with no apology
When we eventually got to the dock to get on the boat it was well organised and lots of people were put on boats quickly and efficiently
The Boat was clean but small no toilet just 12 people on the not plus the captain and guide
When we got to the area with the whale sharks it was just masses of boats fighting for position and because the boat was so small it was very rocky causing 1/2 of the people on the boat to be sick (in some cases very sick)
4 out of the 6 of our group had never done anything like this before and there was no real instructions of what to do how to get in how to use snorkel and mask how to get out so 3 out of the 6 in our group didn’t get in
In the advertising of the trip it talks about breakfast, Lunch and drinks provided very misleading when you get to port you are offered Water, Banana, yogurt and a bit of stale cake and lunch is some raw fish in a bowl on the boat with a couple of crackers not what I would call lunch
We were not offered a drink all the way out or back or whilst we were out at the whale sharks and you were ask not to leave seat while travelling so you couldn’t get one yourself
One of our group got in the water having never done anything like this before and panicked the guide didn’t help I had to insist the captain got them out
Seeing the whale sharks never the less was amazing especially in the wild
When we had done with the whale sharks we went to a place with shallow water where we could all get in which was lovely this is where we had the pathetic lunch(I would say the one person in our group that likes fish did say it tasted amazing)
When we got back we had to wait over an hour for transport back which when you have a long way to go adds to your day
The photos that they take are a complete rip of wanting 95 USD for a few photos taken on a go pro in the water
The $190 per person to do this trip was about a $100 per person too expensive absolutely poor value for money
The guide on our boat and the captain were pleasant enough but did not really engage with anybody and certainly were not very helpful on instruction of how to use equipment or helpful when people were being sick they didn’t offer water or tissue anything to help
I would definitely not book this trip or any other trip with this company
Jason_F, Jul 2021
The whale sharks did not disappoint and neither did our crew. Nice facility in Punta Juarez and friendly crew. The day was awful though and we had thunderstorms and showers and a few got seasick and it was a miserable 1 hr journey out to the whale sharks. Once there, our guys handled like pros and we all got in for great videos and pics with the big creatures and it was a flurry of sprint swimming to keep up. Glad we did it, but really wish it would have been on another day with better weather.
Dborah_C, Aug 2020
I did this excursion during COVID-19. When you arrive they take your temperature and you have to wear a mask. But once on the boat, the mask and social distancing are quickly forgotten. The excursion on itself was really good, it was amazing to swim with the whale sharks! During the excursion, the monitors took pictures and videos of us (on the boat and underwater), but never gave us a way to get them afterward...
Also, if you are sick on boats you'll might want to reconsider : more than half of the people on the boat (myself included) got motion sickness and threw up a few times.
I am glad I did this excursion but won't do it again because of the motion sickness.
Response from Host, Sep 2020
Dear Tourist,
We are happy to know that our WHALE SHARK ENCOUNTER was a nice experience for you, about the mask on board the boat once we are in the open ocean it's not mandatory to wear them and our 36 ft boats for 16 passengers carry only 8 these days adjusting to our new normality.
We hope that, if you ever come back to Cancun, you let us take you in another adventure in this or any of our other tours!
Best regards
Roberto del Castillo
Web Marketing Manager
From
-15%
$187.00
per personWas $220.00
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Special Offer
Whale Shark Swimming and Isla Mujeres Beach Tour
434
4 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$220.00
$187.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Sporting Events
- Half-day Tours
- Extreme Sports
- 4WD Tours
- Tickets & Passes
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Outdoor Activities
- Private and Luxury
- Cancun
- Sporting Events - Punta Sam
- Half-day Tours - Punta Sam
- Extreme Sports - Punta Sam
- 4WD Tours - Punta Sam
- Half-day Tours - Isla Mujeres
- Extreme Sports - Isla Mujeres
- Sporting Events - Playa del Carmen
- Half-day Tours - Playa del Carmen
- Extreme Sports - Playa del Carmen
- 4WD Tours - Playa del Carmen
Attractions in Cancun, Mexico
- Cenotes Sac Actun Tours & Tickets
- Playa Norte (North Beach) Tours & Tickets
- Isla Blanca Tours & Tickets
- Playa Delfines Tours & Tickets
- Mandala Cancun Nightclub Tours & Tickets
- Mayan Ruins of Coba (Zona Arqueológica de Cobá) Tours & Tickets
- Cancun Airport VIP Lounge Tours & Tickets
- Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich Tours & Tickets
- Isla Mujeres Tours & Tickets
- Xcaret Tours & Tickets
- Cancun Christ the King Church (Iglesia de Cristo Rey) Tours & Tickets
- Palapas Park (Parque de las Palapas) Tours & Tickets
- Xoximilco Cancun Tours & Tickets
- Captain Hook Cancun Tours & Tickets
- Playa Tortugas Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Cancun, Mexico