It takes about an hour and a half to reach the whale sharks, but the ride is worth it. Unfortunately, it’s not a private experience. Even with a 6:30 am hotel pickup, we weren’t the first boat on the scene. By the time we had arrived, there were already a dozen boats in the area. By the time you reach their feeding area, you can no longer see land in any direction. As you get close, though, the boats all converge on a single spot so if you aren’t first it isn’t hard to locate the whale sharks.
Notice the second whale shark swimming away from the camera at the beginning of the video.
It certainly pales in comparison to swimming with wild dolphins as we did in Rangiroa, but even in an enclosure, dolphins are amazing and it is hard not to enjoy the experience. Dolphin enclosures aren’t cheap and are essentially an opportunity to sell you photos that are even more expensive. You can get great photos, though, so plan on running your credit card.
Extended family trip to Chichen Itza with Flavio again. It has been several years since we were here last, and when questioned, neither of our kids could recall much about the place. Flavio made the trip fun and enjoyable for all, from Grandparents down to the toddlers. I think the kids liked our next stop even better, though. Swimming in the Oxman Cenote was a great way to cool off after a hot day in the ruins.
