July 20-25, 2014
Yes, you read it correctly, we have been swimming with the whale sharks. But lets start at the beginning.
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| Credit Noelle Ortland |
July 20th we set off for Cancun Mexico/Riviera Maya. We stayed at the AZUL beach hotel, an all inclusive resort with lovely rooms, pretty beach and pools that meandered between the villas. Up in the morning and off to Holbox Island, located on the north coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Our first adventure was the cenote, this is a fresh water, natural wonder fed by subterranean rivers. These cenotes were sacred to the Mayans as entrances to the mythical underworld. They were also the only source of fresh water in the jungle. We arrived at the cenote not knowing what to expect. We walked through some trees and came upon a big opening in the earth, much like a sink hole. Looking down about fifteen feet you could see the water as it went into the cave like space. We clambered down the steps of the entrance and jumped into the chilly but refreshing water. In the immediate area, there are about 7 entrances to the cenote all connected by narrow passages through the underground caves.
The walls are covered with stalagmites formed by the dripping water from above. The water was clear, the cave ceiling held lots of bats, most of them sleeping, but some flew around to say hello. We traveled by water though a low tunnel to the next opening, there some brave souls climbed out and jumped the fifteen feet into the water below. We all were pleasantly surprised by the quiet and serene spot and could floated all afternoon, however the ferry to the island and the whale sharks, not to mention lunch called.
Lunch was picnic in a Mayan community orchid sanctuary. Unfortunately it was not the blooming season but the trees were enormous and drew our attention. A short rain found us under the tree were the rain was caught in the canopy and dripped slowly down on us, it was an unusual sight. Off the ferry, a half hour ride to Holbox. Bicycle taxis carried our luggage down the pier, we walked. It was hot. That seems to be a recurring theme for all of our recent trips….
Taxi’s on Holbox ar golf carts, there are no cars on the island. Off to our beach front hotel, three at a time on a taxi. We met for a lecture before dinner with our 13 fellow travelers. Before telling you a bit about the whale sharks we should tell you about our fellow travelers—17 in all including the two guides from Natural Habitat. We hailed from CT, CA, NH, Ontario, FL, CO, NC and MN and the two guides who live in Puerto Vallarta. There were 4 Susans….and the guys were outnumbered 13 to 4. Everyone was terrific and we had a great time traveling together and sharing the adventures.
Whale Sharks are the largest living fish on the planet and are one of the 3 known filter feeding shark species known. Their skeleton is made of cartilage, like a shark, and they can reach 30 feet in length. They are spotted and the pattern of spots around the gills are unique to each individual shark. The mouth is massive and can be up to 3 feet across. Little is known about the whale shark, though they are 350-400 million years old. They have 300 rows of small teeth, though they would feel more like sand paper if you touched them. They feed on plankton and krill and have five large pairs of gills. They have a pair of dorsal fins and pectoral fins and glide though the water using their tail as propeller. |
| Fernando and Nancy and Whale Shark |
The adventure begins in earnest in the morning. We walk out the shallow beach to two awaiting boats where we travel 20-25 miles off shore. First spotting is some dolphins, complete with baby, swimming about the boat. We leave them to enjoy the good weather for spotting whale sharks. First sighing and everyone is excited. Into the water we slip, two at a time, where we are within arms reach of these gentle giants. It is almost impossible to describe the feeling that we had as we viewed them underwater. You have to remember to swim or they are quickly gone in many cases. They know you are there and can sense you presence but are un deterred in their pursuit of food.
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| Credit Noelle Ortland |
You can swim next to them as long as you are able and watch them glide through the water. Their mouths open and close to feed and filter their food. Then back on the boat to watch from above as others swim. The first day we largely swam with one or two whale sharks and found one slow mover who was willing to have many people swim with him in succession.
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| Breaching Manta Ray |
And then we saw our first manta ray. These plankton feeders are great fun to watch. They too are very big (18-23 feet across) and glide along the surface next to whale sharks. Occasionally they thrill us with a breach as they fly out of the water. Sue went the water twice but swallowed half the ocean and enjoyed from above after that. Nancy wore herself out be going in four times. Loving the feeling of snorkeling next to the whale shark listening to my breath and enjoying the silence of the vast animal next to me. Just like the silent giants of land, the elephants who walked silently behind us in Africa, these underwater giants swam next to us in total silence. What a day.
Back to the hotel, lunch, shower, siesta and dreams of whale sharks. Before dinner we set of for Isla de los Pajaros, a protected mangrove island. It is a nesting sanctuary for flamingos, pelicans, spoonbills, frigates and cormorants. We watched some osprey on a shoal eating a fish with a jealous sea gull keeping a close eye. A walk through the local village produced some fun shopping and a good local seafood dinner. Taxi cart home and off to bed.
Day 2 of the whale sharks. The skies are grey and the seas are rough but off we go. We all had the same thought, it is a good thing we saw the whale sharks yesterday. But then, our captain came upon a whale shark of two which turned into 4 and eventually 11 all at once with just as manta rays. Into the water and it was hard to know where to look. Nancy had to push Sue to get her to start swimming since she was frozen in awe. Off we went with one to each side of us, at one point it felt like the filler to a whale sandwich. You can not touch them, but they can touch you and so they did as they brushed by. Sue was hooting and hollering into her snorkel in pure joy. Nancy was just swimming and trying not to get too close. What fun, it was heaven. Nancy even forgot about being seasick… |
| Susan (one of many) and her catch |
Reluctantly we left the whales and went off to do some fishing for our lunch. One catch was so cute we made them throw it back in, but eventually we had sufficient grouper, snapper, and yellow fish to make ceveche. We parked in an estuary while the crew cleaned and chopped and veggies for lunch. Can’t get any fresher than this. Pelicans surrounded us, cat fish swam looking for handouts and leftovers.
No more sugar plum fairies dancing in our dreams, now it whale sharks….
Next stop: Kenya and Tanzania
