Well, it's the one I've been waiting for, anyway.
WE SWIM WITH WHALE SHARKS!!
Getting up at 5:30am is never pleasant, but somehow it's made easier when there's the biggest fish in the ocean as an incentive.
And just like Calakmul, we almost didn't get to do this trip at all.
We'd originally booked to do a whale shark tour while we were in Cancun. I'd been hopping-out-of-my-pants excited about the fact that we were arriving in Mexico just as the whale shark season had commenced. From mid-May through to mid-September, these gentle giants congregate around Isla Holbox to feed on the plankton. I'd done some internet research and had booked in with Roddrigo, the "Whale Shark Daddy"(!), who was an effusive ambassador for his company, which had received rave reviews on Trip Advisor.
It was my most-anticipated activity on our Mexico trip (along with Calakmul).
And then the wind came up, and all tours were cancelled for the remaining days we had in Cancun.
I was devastated.
We looked into every option, from driving up to Cancun from Playa del Carmen, to flying out to Holbox, but nothing made logistical or financial sense. But then Roddrigo called and saved the day. Although it didn't say so on their website, it turned out the company did do regular pick-ups from Playa del Carmen - it just cost an extra $30 and meant an earlier start.
YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was hopping-out-of-my-pants excited again!!
And it turns out that everything happens for a reason. Tuesday morning dawned bright and fair, with conditions completely ideal and far superior to any we would have encountered had we taken the trip earlier.
Perfect!
It was a bit of a sleepy 6:15am ride up to Cancun, followed by a reasonable wait on the wharf prior to boarding the boat, assisted by coffee and cookies for those so inclined (read: not me). There were two other couples besides ourselves: one from Spain and the other from the U.S. We were chatting away, but got a bit worried when another shuttle turned up and delivered a dozen or so American tourists onto the wharf. We'd read that "Whale Shark Daddy's" boats were supposed to take out 16 people at the maximum. This was one of the things that had appealed most to all of us about the company. We started getting anxious.......and it didn't help that the new people weren't especially friendly.
But then we were called to our boats, and it turned out that it was just the original six of us going out together. BONUS!!
Captain Sorro and our Guide, Mike, soon had us underway - and in stitches with their dry senses of humour.
And seriously, whale sharks or no, there is nothing not to like about being out on the gorgeous Caribbean Sea. Blue, blue, blue. Gorgeous!
Sean looking relaxed, as always.
I had "Under The Sea" from Disneyland stuck in my head, along with "Life on an Ocean Wave" and luckily the engine noise meant I could happily give voice without disturbing the other passengers.
It was about a 90 minute trip to the whale shark feeding grounds, time that flew by on a sea of turquoise while we watched the Cancun coastline disappear behind us. Before we knew it, we were surrounded by plankton. The sea was thick with the little critters.
I thought we'd struggle to locate a whale shark. I mean, it's not like these fish grow on trees.
But no.
Finding a whale shark in a school of plankton is easy-peasy (even though Sean and I disgraced ourselves by instinctively looking for blowhole spray. That would be marine mammals, guys. Sharks = gills = no need to breathe).
Okay then.
The not-so-helpful contribution of two idiot Aussies notwithstanding, we were soon alongside the following:
Oh-My-Freaking-God-Lordy-Stars-A-Mercy.
Yes, that is a whale shark.
Yes, we were seriously THAT close to these incredible creatures - all 15 tonnes and 15m of them.
When we got close enough to see those white spots, I just about had conniptions.
The locals call whale sharks "Dominos" because of their characteristically speckled skin.
And check out those blunt snouts with their gaping, rectangular mouths!
The sharks were just cruising along, casually imbibing the plankton.
And then one swam right past our boat!!
Hooly Dooly.
Holey Moley Guacamole.
I mean, there is no way that you'd be allowed to get this close to any large marine animal in Australia. Mind you, we weren't upsetting the shark; it seemed perfectly happy to cruise past us. And the crew were very envioronmentally conscious. Mike went over the rules with us before we jumped in the water - like maintaining a metre distance from the shark, and no touching.
Hold on -
we're actually getting in the water with the sharks?!?!?
In the thrill of seeing them so close from the boat, I'd almost forgotten that part!!
Macaroni!
With that, it was a rush to get ready with our snorkelling gear. The rules state that only two people, plus a guide, are allowed around any one shark at any one time. It's a good rule, and it's strictly enforced, much to our relief - the trip would have been severely soured if these magnificant animals were not treated with respect. But this was the main reason we were so delighted to have wound up with only 6 tourists on our boat - imagine waiting for 7 other couples before you could take your turn!
Mike and Sorro were very keen to get us in the water as soon as possible, before other boats arrived and things started getting crowded.
The deal was that each couple had 5-10 minutes in the water with a whale shark at a time, and that each couple would get 2-3 chances to swim with a shark.
We were Couple Number Two to get in the water. Couple Number One, the U.S. couple, had a few problems, what with Trudi having an issue with an old back injury and needing help to enter the water, and they missed getting alongside the shark.
So, the situation looks something like this:
There's the shark, and Sorro is manouvering the vessel, trying to get you right alongside it. You're perched on the edge of the boat hanging onto the canopy rail, fins dangling over the water. As soon as Sorro tells you to jump, amigos, you JUMP. Although the sharks are just casually cruising, they are BIG creatures and their idea of a gentle cruise through the plankton manifests itself as a cracking pace through the water.
In other words, you have to be dropped right next to the shark, and you have to be a DAMN good swimmer to keep alongside it.
Sorro drops us right in front of the shark, we jump when told, and swim for the bow as directed by all onboard. We swim, and we swim, and we swim. I'm pretty much making like a boat propeller with my fins. The water is dense with plankton, I'm clutching Mike's hand to ensure that I'm swimming fast enough (I am; at some points I'm dragging him!), but............no shark.
It's changed direction on us. We kick as hard as we can, I'm breathless with exertion and adrenaline, and we finally catch a glimpse of a whale-shark-shaped silhouette up ahead.
And then the guys on the boat are calling to us to turn around and go after another, closer shark, but we end up nowhere near it. And that's it for Attempt Number 1. The whole thing had taken less than the minimum 5 minutes we had been promised.
I'm rather quiet as I get back on board. Maybe I romanticised this experience in my anticipation. Maybe those photos they had on their website were freak lucky shots. Maybe a silhouette was the best I could realistically hope for.
The American couple, Trudi and Bruce, were sorry for us, even though they'd had no better luck. The Spanish couple had their turn, but jumped too early in their enthusiasm and also missed their shark. Judging from the comments from Sorro while they were in the water, it appeared there wasn't too much love lost between the Mexicans and some of the European nationality tourists.
With everyone back on board, and the number of boats beginning to increase, Sorro makes an excellent executive decision: he's going to take us to another area where sharks have been sighted.
This turns out brilliantly. Bruce and Trudi very generously and graciously grant us their turn, so we're up first at the new location. Sorro is watching the shark like a hawk. With a boat full of quietly disillusioned tourists, it's like his reputation is on the line. With pinpoint precision he nudges the boat ever closer.
He suddenly shouts:
"GO, GO, GO!!!"
We need no second bidding. We're in, and we waste no time looking back to the boat, but paddle hard and fast to stern.
And then!
Alongside of us, swimming calmly, in all its 15m of spotted majesty, is the biggest fish in the ocean.
In crystal-clear, jaw-dropping detail.
We are one metre away from this most spectacular creature. I can see every spot on its body. Every contour of its skin. If it was LCD TV, I'd describe it as seeing every pixel, even to where each white speckle merges into the grey-brown skin.
There are ramora fish under its body, and I can see them in total clarity too. I swim fast; I'm finning as hard as I can and I'm just managing to keep alongside of this beautiful animal as it peacefully feeds. I see its gills, its broadly open mouth taking in plankton. I lie on my side, while still furiously finning, and I gaze, spellbound, into the moving eye of this magnificant shark. It is a deeply profound experience. A dream come true. The shark seems to register me, but to disregard me as just another smallish creature in the water. At the risk of sounding like Steve Irwin, it seems to know I mean it no harm (it's probably thinking "Oh geez, more bloody tourists!")
I glance around, and Sean is right nearby, and his look of awe and amazement matches mine. We continue to swim alongside our shark, admiring it, drinking in the experience. On the first jump, I hadn't regretted not having a camera, because it was a battle just to chase down the shark. Now we're alongside one, I'm regretting not being able to capture these moments. On the other hand, a mere picture could not begin to convey the sense of magic and awe. Also, and ironically, we were too close to the shark to get its whole body in one frame.
So here's the next best thing: I've filched a couple of photo from Whale Shark Daddy's website at http://www.holboxwhalesharktours.com/whalesharkvideos.shtml
This (clearly) isn't me, and this guy isn't wearing a lifejacket, but that's seriously how close you get to the shark:
Again, not me, but this pic gives an excellent perspective of how close you swim to the whale shark:
Finally, this photo shows the clarity and fine detail when you're swimming alongside:
I came back onto the boat sporting an ear-to-ear, jaw-splitting smile that would not leave my face. I think Sorro and Mike were highly gratified by my reaction. You could sense they too were disappointed with the first set of encounters, and were eager to ensure we all had a wonderful experience. I couldn't get over what had just transpired, and how fortunate we had been.
We then had to wait while the others had their turns, but that just gave me a chance to take more photos. The shot below shows how long these creatures are - you can see the mouth, the dorsal fin....and finally, the tail:
Up close and personal!
VERY happy campers.
The life jackets? Ah, yes. They make you wear life jackets while you're snorkelling, to ensure that you do not harrass the shark by diving below it. This makes for somewhat cumbersome snorkelling, but if its in the best interests of the sharks, who are we to argue?
The Spanish couple were in the water as a shark passed right under our boat! Whoa!
This photo gives some sense of how hard you have to work to stay alongside these creatures. I can pretty much guarantee that the guy in the foreground, despite his serious paddling, is going to miss out on getting up close to this shark:
Taking photos made the time pass quickly, and before we knew it, it was our turn for a final intimate encounter. Sorro lined us up like a legend, we jumped in - and came face to face with the shark as it swam towards us!!!!!!! Seeing that vast, gaping mouth heading right for us was simply incredible. I have to clarify that there was absolutely no sense of fear at any point, even though these sharks are so huge. They are also so very gentle, and there was nothing but awe and exhilaration, and a deep sense of appreciation and respect.
We had the hang of it now, and were finning alongside the shark with relative ease. I thought it couldn't get any better than this.
I was wrong.
Suddenly, the shark deviated course slightly, and I found myself directly over its back as it moved underneath me!! It was all I could do to refrain from touching it. But no-one told the shark the rules, and it brushed me gently with its tail as it swam beyond me.
I'll say it again.
IT TOUCHED ME WITH ITS TAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was in transports of joy. Indescribably amazing. My feeble words here can't even begin to convey the privilege of this experience.
We caught up again and continued to swim alongside the shark, me mostly on my side to not miss a moment of looking at it.
We'd been going easily for 10 minutes, and we began to get rather conscious of the others awaiting their turn. So we both popped up, and said to Mike, "Shouldn't we head back now and give someone else their turn?"
And Mike said, "No, you guys are doing great. Just keep going".
No second invitation needed! We continued to swim alongside our shark for at least another 5 minutes. That was so cool of Mike. Truth be told, we were the strongest swimmers in our group, and it was nice to be rewarded with a longer encounter (although everyone did get a very fair go).
I was ecstatic.
Simply ecstatic.
Not only had the experience met my high-held expectations, it had exceeded them in spades.
I could have stayed in the water all day (much to Mike and Sorro's amusement when I expressed this sentiment).
In the end, all three couples managed to have mind-blowing experiences with "The Big Boys", as Roddrigo likes to refer to the sharks. The Spanish couples' expression of awe as they described coming face-to-face with that huge mouth was something I'll long remember, as is Trudi and Bruce's generous spirit and unfettered enthusiasm. Trudi also was privileged enough to receive a tail-brush, and was in raptures.
But all good things must come to an end, and it was a happy, highly satisfied boatload who upped and headed back towards land.
Just to put a cherry on an already lavish cake, we dropped anchor for a snorkel on one of the fringing reefs surrounding Isla Muijeres, just offshore from Cancun. We were given "45 'Mexican minutes' " - where a 'Mexican Minute" is a rather relaxed interpretation of 60 seconds. "What are you waiting for?" Sorro asked. With that, we were in like Flynn.
Okay, so it wasn't the Great Barrier Reef, but who's complaining? We still saw plenty of gorgeous Gorgonians, brain coral, parrot fish, damselfish, barracuda, wrasse, butterflyfish and pipefish.......the usual reef suspects. I was particularly impressed with the Gorgonians (fan corals); they're so fragile that to see so many large, intact colonies was heartening.
While we were all snorkelling around, happily entertained by the wonders of the reef, Sorro and Mike were breaking out the ceviche on board. A certain person was the last one onboard, and the others were already tucking in. We'd been given sandwiches out on the whale shark grounds, but those of you who dive or snorkel will appreciate that the corresponding appetite invoked meant we devoured those sandwiches with the zeal and grace of Cookie Monster attacking a pile of choc-chip cookies.
HUNGRY!!
We joked that Sorro and Mike must have been kept busy catching and filleting the fish, all in 45 Mexican Minutes, but the ceviche was still ultra-fresh.
This was my first time eating ceviche. It's a highly gratifying experience. The acid in the lemon juice chemically "cooks" the fish, and then there's a salsa of tomatoes, herbs, onion.....and jalapenos.
AWESOME!
Check out the ceviche action on me!
Yum yum YUM!
Sated with our whale shark encounters, reef snorkelling and seconds on ceviche, our highly satisfied group headed back to Cancun. But I still couldn't get enough of that incredible blue water.
Back on dock with Sorro (left) and Mike (right). I gave them serious kudos when I emailed Roddrigo to tell him about our amazing day. I've snorkelled and dived in lots of parts of the world, and these guys were up with the best in terms of their service, safety and professionalism. Great job, guys.
Suffice to say we floated ecstatically to the minibus, and relived our experiences all the way back to the resort, where I continued to feel as though I was on the boat for the rest of the afternoon. We did mundane stuff, like laundry, Sean beat me spectacularly at Giant Outdoor Chess, and we had a lovely meal of quesadillas at the resort's beachside restaurant, where we sat outside and enjoyed the sea breeze and the sound of the waves.
It had been one of the best days of my life.
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