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Cancun Whale Shark Adventure: Personalized Service and Professional Grade Snorkeling
4.1
23 Ratings
Cancún
Experience the thrill of swimming with whale sharks in Cancun! Enjoy personalized service, professional-grade snorkeling gear, and small group sizes for an unforgettable adventure.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Total Snorkel Cancun - Start your tour with prompt, air-conditioned transportation from your hotel.\n\nHead to our marina, where after checking in, you’ll receive your complete snorkeling gear and all safety instructions.\n\nBefore boarding, you’ll take an in-shore briefing where you’ll get to test your equipment and learn other useful tips that will help you enjoy the tour at its best.\n\nOnce everybody feels confident and safe, we’ll depart to our first part of the tour.\n\nBoard a bigger and more powerful boat, which we’ll take us to the whale shark area.\n\nThe boat trip may take 1 hour approximately.\n\nOnce there, we’ll swim 2 people at a time wit the whale shark, always with a guide.\n\nOn the way back, we’ll stop at Playa Norte in Isla Mujeres to take a rest and a refreshing splash. Lunch and drinks are offered here to enjoy yourself.\n\nFinally, hotel drop off is offered.
![](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/attractions-splice-spp-720x480/07/9d/6b/a9.jpg)
What's Included
- Air conditioned hotel pick up and drop off
- Bottled water
- Full snorkeling equipment, prescription mask available with no extra cost (available from-1 to -6) and neoprene jackets are included.
- Swim with whale sharks with no time limit.
What's Not Included
- Dock fee Marine Park tax are not included ($20 USD per person payable at check in- only cash)
- Photo and video service (optional and extra cost)
- Gratuities
- $5usd deposit for locker’s key (refunded when returning the key).
Additional Information
Swim with the whale shark in Cancun! Our promise is to give you a pleasant and safe experience by providing you a personal and warm service, prompt air conditioned transportation, professional grade snorkel gear, roomy, clean and safe boat and a no-time-limit swimming with the whale shark. No fillers or fake promises! Groups are kept small (10 people max) to guarantee personal attention. This is a one-of-a-kind experience you can’t just miss!
- Not recommended for: Pregnant women. People with back and/or neck problems. Kids under five years old.
- We can NOT guarantee whale sharks sightings and swimming since they’re in their natural habitat. In the unfortunate situation that we don’t find whale sharks, this will not be cause of refund.
- We recommend to bring: Swimsuit. Sunglasses, hat or cap. Biodegradable sunscreen. Long sleeved t-shirt. Take Motion sickness/dizziness relief at least 1 hour before. Dry clothes. Cash for personal expenses and souvenirs.
Location
Total Snorkel Cancun
Carretera a Punta Sam
Please show on time to board your free transportation (only 5 minutes tolerance), in case you miss the shuttle, you can reach our location at Total Snorkel Cancun, just 300 yards away from Hotel "All Ritmo" and right next to the seaside church "María Estrella de Mar"
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.1
(23 Ratings)
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Jennifer
Aug 19, 2019
An amazing experience - I'm so glad we did this excursion! I just happened to stumble upon their website, and glad we booked. We first went out with Rob who took us out to find and swim with some sea turtles.They were so beautiful! We got to see a ton of different fish including puffers and barracuda! Next we met up with the whale shark snorkeling team. I can't remember their names, but it was a group of 3 that took us waaaaaaaaaaaay out into the deep ocean to find the migrating whale sharks. It was a fast ride and super cool! When we found the sharks we took turns in groups of two to spend a few minutes snorkeling next to these massive sharks. Holy fricking cow it was amazing! These guys are HUGE!! An experience I'll never forget! I think the main tour guide was Fernando, and he was so calm and caring. I was a little nervous at first, but he grabbed my hand and got me in there to witness the sharks. It took my breath away. After the snorkeling they took us to a stop in Isla mujeras to enjoy the clear beach, and munch on some homemade sandwiches and ceviche! YUM!! Take this tour if you can. You'll be happy you did!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Holli
Aug 8, 2019
It was beautiful!! - My friend and I went to the turtle snorkel and whale shark swimming !! It was a great experience. Robert the turtle guide was awesome and friendly. Alex took great photos and our captain really were all amazing and accommodating !! The whale shark swimming was amazing as well , they were so big and lots of them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelle
Aug 7, 2019
We loved this place so much we came back for another tour! - WOW what a great experience and boy oh boy do these guys do everything they can in their power to make you happy!
Our first experience with them was doing the whale shark encounter..HOLLY COW that was amazing!
First they took us to some statues in the ocean and then too see some turtles, then we left for the whales.
This was an adventure we will never forget!!
FYI bring cash to tip :)
After we had some hot pyramid excursions, we came back to these guys to do some more snorkeling at the ship wreck the statues and turtles again. This 2nd time I was able to swim with a turtle for about 20 minutes. It was very cool, before i new it i was separated from my boat. Nothing to fear they came right to me and everyone else on the boat was able to swim with the turtle too.
Way to spoil us on our anniversary and make us feel like a king and queen.
Our Snorkel guide was Rob, our captain was Jorge for both snorkel events. These guys were great! Ricky was our guide and Alan was our captain for the Whale share tour. All these guys were great! they took very good care of each and every one of us! I felt safe and in good hand each and every time they took us out. They even gave us a private taxi to and from our hotel for our second tour! Talk about customer service, this place knows how to do it right!!
P.S. Bring cash for the whale tour if you plan on tipping and getting pictures!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Crippajackson
Jul 1, 2019
Excellent experience - Early morning start, transport on time with Air Con. After a short briefing (4 in our group/all experienced with snorkelling) we had a short boat ride to snorkel with the Turtles. Our guide/instructor, Robin/Robert? (Aladdin) found some straight away, amazing creatures to see swimming in the wild. A brilliant experience.
Then we headed out to sea on another boat to go and see the whale sharks. After about an hour we were on location and went swimming in pairs. WOW!!! what a great experience to swim along side the whale sharks in their natural habitat. If your in two minds whether or not to do this excursion just do it, you will remember it forever.
Once we finished with the whale sharks we headed to Isla Mujeres for a lunch buffet and refreshments (sandwiches, cerviche, watermelon and juice). We had a chance to have a swim in the crystal clear waters. Overall a truly amazing experience from start to finish. Would I recommend this? most definitely! Well worth the money and it’s far cheaper to book through Trip Advisor than your Holiday Rep.
Thanks for an amazing day. Total Snorkel, you are great.
Regards Chris & Vanessa (UK)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wre2nxt
Sep 16, 2018
Gentle giants - Met at the hotel by our guides who were on time and taken to the dock. Boarded a small speed boat and attempted to look for turtles.... then back to the doc for a new speed boat and cruised for over an hour to find the whale sharks. When we found them it was amazing huge whale sharks and we were going to swim with them! We got dropped in two at a time and swam alongside a shark for approximately 3 minutes which is a bit short but the whale shark are so fast you can't keep up with them so that is long enough for some great GoPro footage!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roxanne
Jun 4, 2019
Great experience - The whale shark excursion was great. The guide stayed with you the whole time and the boat captain maneuvered the boat so getting out of the water was easy.
Review provided by Viator
Fwtraveler04
Aug 22, 2018
Whale Sharks!, no turtles - I have always wanted to swim with the whale sharks and i finally got to! We had a great day on the boat - I only gave 4 stars because of 2 things. The first is pre-trip communication. I booked way ahead and never received any confirmation/pick up information so I emailed 2 or 3 times before we were to go to Cancun and never received a reply. I called from the airport and they answered and were able to tell us what time we'd be picked up from the hotel.
Once we arrived we got our gear together and were to head out to snorkel with the turtles. Unfortunately we had a couple that hadn't snorkeled before so Rob spent a long time working with them in the shallow area. By the time we made it out to search for turtles we were in the water less than 10 minutes and head to back to get on the whale shark boat.
We switched boats and headed out. We were lucky and found the whale sharks fairly quickly. Our captain and guide were excellent. They positioned us away from most of the gaggle of other boats out there. They were adept and quick at finding the sharks and getting us in the water with them. You jump in facing the sharks and then turn and swim with them. The first jump is crazy and chaotic while you are trying to figure it all out - where's the guide? where's the whale shark? now what? Luckily we each got to jump 3 times and could have jumped a 4th but everyone was starting to get sea sick.
Each jump was better than the first as we became used to the procedure.
What an amazing experience to swim along side these docile giants. I highly recommend everyone do it.
I bought the pictures before we headed out (which I also recommend) so you don't have to worry about taking pictures. When we arrived back to Total SNorkel it was mass chaos with people coming and going. They didn't have our USB drive ready but our ride was there to take us back to the hotel. They said they would deliver the USB between certain hours. We notified the Concierge and sure enough he caught up to us later and the USB had been delivered and was taken to our room. We had had our doubts about whether we'd see the USB (but they had given us a number and email to contact them). THey also said we would receive a link or pictures via email and I never did.
The time on the boat was excellent. The shrimp ceviche was the best I've had.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Goff_rm
Jun 18, 2021
I did not enloy this tour - The transportation did not arrive at our hotel one our assigned date. One we contacted Total Snorkel, they agreed to get us the next day. We were sent to another company for our outing, Whale Sharks. There was no coffee or snacks as noted and no bathroom on the boat, as noted in the comments.
The gear provided may have been purchased a dollar store, and was garbage. The snorkel was open at the top with no ball or valve to keep sea water out. We were told to jump off the boat and swim after the whale shark. When I jumped off the boat I got a mouth full of seawater. It was choppy so every time I cleared the snorkel, more seawater went into my mouth. Please bring your own gear. The mask's seals were loose allowing water into the mask. One I was in the water, I was told to get back on the boat, so the next two could jump off the boat. I then jumped again and filled my snorkel with seawater again.
I purchased the $45 photo disk before the trip. There was no photographer on the boat. When I inquired after the trip, I was told that was not an option on the Whale Shark outing. I was told I would have to wait several weeks for a refund for the pictures, if I even get a refund.
I swam with bull sharks in Florida and had pictures taken. It was a great experience. I do not recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Calmmcfarland
Aug 2, 2019
Understand what you’re getting.... - We booked the whale shark experience and although seeing the whale sharks was pretty cool, the overall experience was pretty subpar. They charge major money so I feel like they have to add the turtle and isla mujeres part to make people feel that they got their money’s worth.
The turtle swim equates to us sitting on the boat with the captain driving around looking for a turtle, when he spots one, the crew yells for us to jump off the boat and chase it until it gets away. Then back on the boat to do it again. Ridiculous.
Then it’s an hour boat ride to the whale sharks with about 100 other boats also racing to the same area. When you arrive, the area is packed with other tours and the captain again is driving around looking for a whale shark then the crew yells at 2 people to jump off the boat and swim over to the whale shark. As soon as it passes by, your turn is over and it’s back in the boat. I was traveling with 2 nervous kids and asked if the 3 of us could go together. I was told no so one had to stay in the boat while I went with the other.
You spend about 2 minutes in the water then wait on the boat to have another turn. Several people on our boat only got one turn, we got 2 turns because I asked for it but the crew hesitated in allowing it.
After everyone got their turn, we headed back in to isla mujeres which is basically just a crowded beach, not really my scene but it was fine.
Another frustrating part was the number of different crews that ask for tips.
1- the driver to the tour. $
2- the turtle captain and crew $$
3- the whale shark captain and crew (different from the turtle crew) $$
4- the driver back to the hotel $
5- don’t forget to buy their pictures! $$
Overall, I’m glad I saw the whale sharks but I’m not super thrilled with this company and I would not recommend them to anyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Inspire707314
Sep 2, 2019
BIG MISTAKE TO BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY - DON'T EVEN THINK TO BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY. My daughters dream was to swim with the Whale Sharks. We did this with this company and were assured there would NOT be a problem for us to get our pictures. I spend thousands of hard earned dollars to get my daughters to Cancun for this special dream of theirs to "Swim with the Whale Sharks." It has now been a month, I have given this company EVERY chance possible to provide me with the pictures of the Whale Shark swim of my daughters and me and they have failed to do so. I have had to call (spoke to a man), emailed numerous times and I they ALL assured me "Not to Worry," I will get my pictures, but I still have not received the pictures. This is the ONLY memory my daughters will have for the rest of their lives of their dream to swim with the Whale Sharks. This company has chosen NOT to provide the pictures, they promised which we agreed I would pay for them as soon as I got them; still NOTHING. it is clear they don't care about your customers and the memories of pictures people want and have come thousands of miles to have; to give the families that book with them the memories they deserve. They ASSURED me, "Not to Worry" I would get my pictures, we agreed I would pay for them after I got my pictures, still NO PICTURES. Their promises are worthless. I'm sorry I ever booked this trip through Viator, as this company has proven to be a company that does not keep their word and it is clear they care about their customers after they get your money for your excursion with them. I am beyond sad, as now my daughters and I will never have the pictures of their "Swim with the Whale Sharks." I am so sorry I ever booked this ever chose this trip with this company as they are not reputable.
Review provided by Viator