Whale Shark Swimming Season Officially Begins For Los Cabos Tourists

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Last Updated 11 months ago

Ready. Set. Go! After a short delay, swimming with whale sharks has started for Los Cabos tourists in the nearby town of La Paz.

Whale Shark Tours Open

Much to the disappointment of the peak fall holiday season travelers at the start of the season last week, enough whale sharks finally appeared in La Paz to allow the popular tour and swimming season to officially begin.

The National Commission of Protected Natural Areas gave the green light over the weekend once they were able to confirm the right whale sharks appeared in the waters.

This was enough to protect the animals from too much stress related to many tourists and few of the animals for tours and swimming activities.

The agency will continue to monitor the number of whale sharks available for tour operators in the area and will once again suspend tour and swimming activities if the number of animals falls below the requirement threshold.

Restrictions in Place for Tourists

Restrictions for tour operators and tourists will remain in effect to provide safety and security to visitors as well as the whale sharks themselves.

Operators will only have limited capacity for their tours as one operator must control the activity of five tourists at any given time. This will be restricted through the use of colored wristbands that visitors must wear for visiting the area and swimming with the gentle giants of the sea.

Additionally, only a limited number of boats will be permitted to be in the area for any given time period. Each approved boat in the area must display a colored flag to designate they have been approved for the tour and swimming activity.

To protect the animals, tour operators must remain two meters away from the sides of the whale shark’s head and three meters away from the animal’s tail fin.

What Are Whale Sharks?

Swimming with whale sharks is definitely one of the most popular outdoor activities for tourists visiting Los Cabos during the peak fall and winter holiday season.

Despite their ominous name, whale sharks are not dangerous sharks. In fact, they are considered carpet sharks that feed like whales, filter feeding for plankton.

In fact, they are more like whales in that they are extremely long in length. They typically range in length from 18 feet to more than 33 feet in length and can weigh up to 11 tons.

With white spotted skin, whale sharks are easy for divers and swimmers to recognize and identify. They are popular animals to swim with because of their large size, passive nature and tolerance of being with humans in the water.

Swimming with these gentle giants of the sea is definitely a highlight of any vacation getaway to Los Cabos and has been captured in many viral social media posts.

Tips For Travelers

Visitors to Los Cabos looking to enjoy this very unique experience in the Mexican Caribbean should make their reservation as soon as possible as the tour slots are limited and fill fast during the peak fall and winter holiday travel season.

There are a number of half-day tours available from La Paz that include the boat excursion out to the whale shark site, a boxed lunch, beverages, and all needed permits and fees to swim with the whale sharks.

They are available for booking right now, with the start of the season underway, on popular travel websites as well as through resort and hotel front desks and concierges in Los Cabos and La Paz.

However, travelers should not wait until they arrive to make their reservations. The best days and time slots are already filling for the holiday season.