We love giving experiences to the kids for birthday gifts. Addy wanted to do this for her birthday so we sought out an experience that would change the way she saw the ocean. Our gift to our daughter was the whale shark snorkel tour combo that also included the sea lion snorkel tour with a visit to Espiritu Santo Island. 

What Are Whale Sharks?

Whale sharks look very much like a shark and are a fish just like a shark. What makes them different are a few things and I will discuss them below.

Sharks have gills and a V shaped tail and teeth. About all the species of sharks have teeth but a few. Regular sharks have rows and lots of teeth because they are a big predator in the ocean. 

Whale sharks hold the title for being the largest fish known to humankind. It holds many records in the animal kingdom. The most notoriety comes from being the most massive living non-mammalian animal in the world. Whale sharks are also famous for having white spots and the white lines. These markings are how scientists differentiate whale sharks in the wild.  

The largest recorded whale shark measured a staggering 61.7 feet in length. That whale shark was a very large adult. Large adult whale sharks are on average 40 feet long. Your chances of seeing a large or very large whale shark are small. 

Seeing a baby whale shark, you are looking for a whale shark that is 2 feet long. They have a whale shark called Fabio in La Paz and he is a large adult. The sharks can be 2 feet in length all the way up to 60 feet in length.  

Their primary food source is plankton, supplemented occasionally by small fish inadvertently consumed. They are often termed filter-feeding carpet sharks due to their feeding behavior. 

No need to worry about being eaten as whale sharks lack large teeth. They have small teeth and a filter pad because they are filter feeders. Crustaceans are not in their diet and neither are you. 

They swim slowly in their natural habitat so they can trap all the plankton in their mouth to feed on. These giants are quite comfortable with close encounters and show no concern or worry about human presence. They truly are a gentle giant of the waters of the sea of Cortez. 

One attribute our on-board biologist told us, their throat is about the size of a soda can. Learning about their harmless nature eased our concerns about being swallowed by a 50-foot-long fish, although such an encounter would undoubtedly make for an incredibly thrilling lifetime experience.  

Whale sharks love the water temperature above 21 °C (70 °F). They are a warm water fish and their natural environment is tropical and subtropical areas of the ocean. 

Where can you find whale sharks in Baja California? 

There are two primary locations renowned for whale shark sightings in Baja California Sur, Mexico and I will discuss them below.

Bahia de La Paz (Bay of La Paz) 

The whale sharks tend to visit the Bay of La Paz all winter long. The La Paz whale shark season is best to visit during late November until February. Certain websites mention October as a prime month for whale shark sightings. This is untrue because the water is too clear for them to feed. 

During our three-year stay in La Paz, we found that during the winter months, particularly in October, the water remained warm and remarkably clear throughout the bay. This clarity made it ideal for spearfishing, as there was no plankton available for the whale sharks to feed on.

When the whale sharks do arrive they tend to congregate in the bay closest to the sand dunes on the magote side of the bay. This is the south west corner of the bay before you enter the harbor. 

If you are visiting Balandra, Pichilingue and other beaches in the area you may see them. They are animals and migrate daily to feed. These majestic creatures might be spotted in the shallow waters between these beaches’ coves. 

Bahia de Los Angeles (Bay of LA)

We have a sailing guide book that informed us that one of the best places to see whale sharks in summer is Bahia de Los Angeles. La Mona beach is where our friends saw a whale shark while we were visiting the area. 

We anchored in front of Playa Blanca Restaurant, while our friends were situated approximately 5 nautical miles southwest from us, closer to the mangroves. They got to experience juvenile whale sharks swimming and feasting on the plankton-rich waters directly from their sailboat. 

They told us about the experience over whats app. We decided against the opportunity, not only because we’ve witnessed them before but also because by the time we’d arrive, they would likely have moved on. Unfortunately we did not get to swim with them this time. we did get a visit from a very large pod of dolphins instead. 

Agua Verde 

We made friends with a few kid boats that sailed the entire west coast of America with us a few years ago. They moved north and we stayed behind in La Paz for repairs. 

They migrated north in the spring as most sailors do and landed in Agua Verde for a few days. One afternoon a number of boats in the bay watched whale sharks swim in the bay. The video that was shared with us highlighted juvenile whale sharks and small males in the plankton rich water.

During our visit to Agua Verde, luck wasn’t on our side regarding whale shark sightings. It’s likely that the whale sharks our friends encountered were part of their migration towards Bahia de Los Angeles and other regions. 

Whale Shark Tours and Packages

We actually snagged a tour while walking the Malecon from a kind dude named Neftali. We discussed the best time and date for us to go and also opted in for the sea lions tour package within the same day. When he asked for a deposit to secure our seats on the boat it sketched us out.

We hesitated to give him our funds, but he made us less skeptical by giving us a receipt after we went to the ATM. He also presented his certified guide credentials so that helped put us at ease a little more.

Encountering someone on the street isn’t a usual occurrence in the United States, which initially made us skeptical but Neftali truly helped alleviate any concerns we had.

If you’re interested in also taking the exact same tour we did Neftali is associated with Baja King Expeditions, located on the La Paz Malecon near the new MAJA Sportswear La Paz store. They are steps away from the famous Lighthouse and park on the Malecon. 

Check out more options on the best whale shark tours to take

La Paz Whale Shark tour With Baja King Expeditions

We did the all day package with the whale sharks and the sea lions. As stated above we paid our deposit and paid the rest before we left the beach. 

We were advised to arrive at the meeting location by 6 AM in the morning. Yes, it’s a super early start to the day.

Things to bring with you: 

• Personal snorkel gear that may include a mask, tube and fins if you have them, if not they can provide for you. 
• Wetsuits because the water will be chilly, you can rent one if you don’t have one 
• Kid size life jackets, they have plenty of adult life jackets 
• Towels and a change of clothes 
• Sea Sickness Medicine
• Cash

We met Neftali, the captain, and the Marine Biologist at the meeting location in the morning. We waited for about 30 minutes for others to show up. No one else arrived, so this tour would be only us, we ended up getting a private tour because of this. 

The day charters tend to meet at the mogote before letting the boats look for the whale sharks in the bay. The boat captain will likely encourage you to arrive early at the meeting location to secure a favorable position in line for entering the bay.

While you sit at the tip of the magote the governing body SEMARNAT takes a roll call of tour operators and the boat name. The SEMARNAT agency protects and manages the whale shark area in La Paz. They have a list and are putting you in order of arrival and they release you in that order.

It was a sight to see and experience all the organized chaos in the morning. Once released the search begins for the whale sharks in the bay and your tour is underway. 

A biologist is mandatory aboard your boat, assisting in locating whale sharks and advising on the best place to disembark. Our biologist tried to explain what we were looking for while scanning the water. 

No one in our family has searched for such an item before. I don’t know if we were going to be of any help. The boat crew described the encounter as looking for a shadow in the water.  

The whale shark is a large dark object that hangs out at the surface. You can not determine if it is a fish or a whale. It looks like a big dark object in the water that is just below the surface.

Swimming With The Whale Sharks

Once you locate your own whale shark, everyone intending to enter the water receives instructions to do so. The biologist enters the water and helps guide you in determining when to swim. The whale sharks are a protected species so the biologist is there ensuring safety if another whale shark approaches your direction.

Our biologist was a student at the El Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste. She was studying marine biology and doing research for the research center. The kids asked her all kinds of questions about the whale sharks and other animals. She was a great host to have on board.

I have listed some of the items not to do before or while in the water, while you swim with the endangered species of fish:

• Do not touch the whale sharks and keep a safe distance
  • The oils from your skin can hurt them.
• Try and not be in the path of the whale sharks
  • Whale sharks can not see very well in the direction they are swimming because their eyes are on the side of the head 
• Try not to wear any lotions or perfumes that are not 100% reef safe. 

We got to swim with many different whale sharks that morning. It can be quite intimidating for the little kids because the fish are insanely massive. They are gentle giants of the sea. If you are lucky enough you might see humpback whales and other marine life on your tour.

Audrey was 5 years old when we had this experience for Addys 13th birthday. Both the captain and the marine biologist encouraged Audrey to witness it firsthand, but she felt too apprehensive to jump into the water, which was over 60 feet deep, and swim alongside such a massive fish. We will try again later one day. 

We jumped in the water with 6-10 different whale sharks that morning. They like to hang out in schools. We jumped in at three different schools or groupings. Our family had an amazing time out on the water that morning. 

Our last encounter for the day was an eye-popping adventure. We were swimming with an adult whale shark and another whale shark passed within six feet of us, scaring us because we thought we were going to get bumped by the passing shark. 

The shark came from the peripheral vision area that is blocked while wearing a snorkel mask. We have it on video for you to experience the encounter. 

As the wind picked up, we went back in the boat via the latter for our boat ride to the public pier located on the malecon. The wind started to blow in the range of 15-20 knots as it tends to do in the afternoon during winter. Our sea lion tour was canceled and scheduled for another day.

It would have been an ugly and unsafe ride to Espiritu Santo Island by panga in 3-4 foot wind chop waves. This is something to take into consideration if you are wanting to book the whole day tour. The second half of the tour could get canceled because of weather. 

We made it the next day to swim with the Sea Lions at Espiritu Santo

They took us out the following day to the Island of Espiritu Santo where we got to see Dolphins in the La Paz Bay. We stopped at the Sea Lion Colony, ate lunch on the beach and then returned later in the evening.

Day Trip Tour With Transportation from Cabo San Lucas, Todos Santos or Los Cabos

The tour companies in the Cabo area will work with a tour operator in La Paz. The operator in Cabo will more than likely only be providing transportation to and from La Paz. Your experience with the whale sharks will be with a tour operator like BACo. Adventures or The Cortez Club, Dive Center for example. 

We have not done a personal tour from Cabo. With Our extensive knowledge of Baja I would suggest doing the paid transportation. Being picked up and arriving where you need to be in the morning just makes the trip less stressful. The stress compounds when you only speak a minimal amount of Spanish and do not know where to go to meet the boat early in the morning.

Other issues that are a reality are driving in the dark. There are many animals on the road and many surprises from driving in the dark or in low light. 

Other issues include being profiled and taken advantage of by police. Unfortunately police know you are a tourist and sometimes will extort you for money during a traffic stop. Taking a tour operator transportation will squash all of these worries and guarantee you have a great experience.  

Final Thoughts

The tour we booked was one of the best tours we have ever had in all of our travels. We booked this unique experience for Addys birthday and we are glad we did because it turned out to be an unforgettable experience that we have done to date. The whale sharks were not in large numbers during November of 2022 so ask around before booking a tour. Leave a comment about your experience with a whale shark tour below.