Akumal Guide
Field Trip
Reports:
Whale Sharks At
Holbox
Field Trip
Reports:
Whale Sharks At
Holbox
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Living in paradise makes you popular among family members.
During summer and other vacation periods, your siblings and
relatives remember how much they miss you. And that is ok,
because sometime living here, makes you forget why you
moved here in the first place. When you have relatives visiting,
you become a host and a guide.
That was the case when our nephew Bernardo came to spend
a summer with us.
We chose to visit Holbox Island and to swim with the whale
sharks. We not only acted as host but the trip also became a
field adventure for Akumal Guide.
The departure from Akumal is early because of the distance
one must travel. There are two ways of doing this trip. One is to
cross the peninsula through and board a boat at coastal town
of Chikila. The other option is to drive north to Cancun and take
a fast boat.
We crossed the peninsula, and reached Chikila at nine am,
after almost a three hour drive. On board of the “Holboxquena”,
the three of us were accompanied by four French people, one
Italian and the crew of two locals.
After riding for about an hour, we reached an area of more
boats and slowed down. For the next fifteen minutes, we
scouted the area for the whale sharks and once they were
spotted, the skipper maneuvered the boat so that the
swimmers to be, could enter the water in the path of the giant
fish. Submerging in buddy teams of two at a time, we were
always escorted by the guide. These are the ratios for guiding
the swimmers, and among the rules that you have to follow are
not to pet, grab or ride the whale shark.
From there, we swam with the whale shark and observed it
feeding. They follow the ocean currents searching for their
food. In order to do so, their heads move up and down, as they
push more water through their huge gills to filter out fish and
plankton.
After awhile of hard swimming, I soon discovered that by
remaining close enough and just behind its head, I could ride in
the sharks wake. By doing this, I used my fins to keep my
position and the stride was effortless. I was so close that I
could reach out with my hand and touch it. After this joyous
discovery, I felt in tune with my surroundings.
It reminded me of how you create a wake in a pool of water by
moving your hand to sweep away any leaves or debris that is
on the surface. The technique was that simple.
It allowed me to relax and enjoy the view that came with the
ride. Abundant sea life swarm around these giant fish. Schools
of sardine like fish also ride in its wake and my guess is that
they can cover a greater distance and have some cover.
Around these schools, were bigger fish, a couple echelons
above the food chain. Jacks and mackerels were taking turns
making passes through the school of fish.
And there I was, immersed in the middle of this turmoil,
witnessing it all under the shadow of a very gentle giant. The
whale shark merely made an effort to swim, its tail swinging
with very subtle movements.
The bottom was not visible, therefore I could not gauge how
fast we were moving. Watching the fish motion around me
however, I knew that I was moving a lot faster than what I could
have accomplished on my own.
I could have stayed like that for much longer, but the guide kept
reminding me that we had to return.
It was a very fulfilling experience, restoring a sense of balance
and harmony with nature. If only the fish felt the same!
It was hard to believe that a fish, somewhat bigger than a pick
up truck, could move so delicately and gracefully around us.
The whale shark knew at all times where I was. When I stopped
moving with the giant fish, it would stall temporarily too. It
seemed to gauge its momentum to avoid touching me with it’s
tail. I was truly amazed.
All I can say is that this is an adventure worthy of repeating over
and over again. You can make arrangements to swim with the
whale sharks with Nayeli and Akumal Guide.
During summer and other vacation periods, your siblings and
relatives remember how much they miss you. And that is ok,
because sometime living here, makes you forget why you
moved here in the first place. When you have relatives visiting,
you become a host and a guide.
That was the case when our nephew Bernardo came to spend
a summer with us.
We chose to visit Holbox Island and to swim with the whale
sharks. We not only acted as host but the trip also became a
field adventure for Akumal Guide.
The departure from Akumal is early because of the distance
one must travel. There are two ways of doing this trip. One is to
cross the peninsula through and board a boat at coastal town
of Chikila. The other option is to drive north to Cancun and take
a fast boat.
We crossed the peninsula, and reached Chikila at nine am,
after almost a three hour drive. On board of the “Holboxquena”,
the three of us were accompanied by four French people, one
Italian and the crew of two locals.
After riding for about an hour, we reached an area of more
boats and slowed down. For the next fifteen minutes, we
scouted the area for the whale sharks and once they were
spotted, the skipper maneuvered the boat so that the
swimmers to be, could enter the water in the path of the giant
fish. Submerging in buddy teams of two at a time, we were
always escorted by the guide. These are the ratios for guiding
the swimmers, and among the rules that you have to follow are
not to pet, grab or ride the whale shark.
From there, we swam with the whale shark and observed it
feeding. They follow the ocean currents searching for their
food. In order to do so, their heads move up and down, as they
push more water through their huge gills to filter out fish and
plankton.
After awhile of hard swimming, I soon discovered that by
remaining close enough and just behind its head, I could ride in
the sharks wake. By doing this, I used my fins to keep my
position and the stride was effortless. I was so close that I
could reach out with my hand and touch it. After this joyous
discovery, I felt in tune with my surroundings.
It reminded me of how you create a wake in a pool of water by
moving your hand to sweep away any leaves or debris that is
on the surface. The technique was that simple.
It allowed me to relax and enjoy the view that came with the
ride. Abundant sea life swarm around these giant fish. Schools
of sardine like fish also ride in its wake and my guess is that
they can cover a greater distance and have some cover.
Around these schools, were bigger fish, a couple echelons
above the food chain. Jacks and mackerels were taking turns
making passes through the school of fish.
And there I was, immersed in the middle of this turmoil,
witnessing it all under the shadow of a very gentle giant. The
whale shark merely made an effort to swim, its tail swinging
with very subtle movements.
The bottom was not visible, therefore I could not gauge how
fast we were moving. Watching the fish motion around me
however, I knew that I was moving a lot faster than what I could
have accomplished on my own.
I could have stayed like that for much longer, but the guide kept
reminding me that we had to return.
It was a very fulfilling experience, restoring a sense of balance
and harmony with nature. If only the fish felt the same!
It was hard to believe that a fish, somewhat bigger than a pick
up truck, could move so delicately and gracefully around us.
The whale shark knew at all times where I was. When I stopped
moving with the giant fish, it would stall temporarily too. It
seemed to gauge its momentum to avoid touching me with it’s
tail. I was truly amazed.
All I can say is that this is an adventure worthy of repeating over
and over again. You can make arrangements to swim with the
whale sharks with Nayeli and Akumal Guide.
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