Every find yourself in the ocean with an animal the size of school bus? While you might not think you'd want to willingly find yourself in this position, it's pretty darn cool. I’m talking specifically about whale sharks, the largest known filter fish in the world and the ocean’s gentle giant. An entire industry has built up around opportunities to swim with these amazing animals, and as a veteran of three whale sharks swims, I can attest to it being a truly magical experience.

 

There are several places in the world to swim with whale sharks, but one of the easiest places for North Americans to reach is off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Here the massive fish migrate in late July - August and congregate in large groups near Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox. Both islands are spectacular destinations in and of themselves, so planning a whale shark swim is easy to incorporate into a vacation filled with numerous other activities.

 

Whale sharks can grow to 40+ feet long, and although formidable, survive on copious amounts of plankton. As a filter feeder, the sharks skim the water with their enormous mouth, which can be up to 5 feet wide, collecting nutrients. Although largely solitary creatures, when migrating, large quantities of whale sharks can be found around abundant food sources, such as Mexico in the summer.

 

Typically whale shark swim excursions involve groups of 10-12, with two individuals in the water with a guide at any given time. The guides will assist in getting you close to the animal, but once you get the hang of it there’s not a lot to know. Just get the snorkel gear ready and flip those flippers hard, because any animal this size will surely out swim you if it wants to. Once in the water, your time with the whale shark will be fleeting, but oh so memorable. While you will be instructed not to touch them, that’s not to say that the shark’s tail might not accidentally brush up against you. But, do try to give the animal space, as you will likely find other groups looking at ‘your’ whale shark as well and there can be moments of flipper chaos as everyone jockeys for the best position.

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While you now know that whale sharks will not eat you whole, even though they seem like they could if they wanted to, finding yourself drifting into a whale shark’s mouth may still cause some panic. Do not be alarmed. You may, like me, think its possible that the whale shark might accidentally swallow you, or mistake you for a new super-sized American portion of plankton, apparently this doesn’t happen (I can’t confirm, but that’s what ‘they’ say). Needless to say, on none of my three whale shark swimming experiences has anyone in any group been swallowed by a whale shark, including my 11 year old son who most closely resembled plankton in size.

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