Whale Shark Conservation Tour: Learn and Snorkel

Embark on an unforgettable adventure and snorkel with the majestic whale shark in Playa del Carmen. Explore their world while learning about their conservation. Book now!

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Hostel Punta Sam - This adventure begins in the lobby of your hotel, where we pick you up and take you to the marina. There, you’ll enjoy a coffee break and receive important guidelines to ensure the activity is conducted in accordance with species protection regulations. We then set out to find the largest fish in the world, giving you the…
What's Included
  • Certified guides, permits and insurance with a responsible operation
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Lunch
  • Tea and coffee
  • Carbonated beverages
  • Bottled water
What's Not Included
  • Dock tax, Playa del Carmen
Additional Information

Our obligation is towards the safeguarding of this splendid species in our area, ensuring that all activities are driven by sustainability practices that are apt for our visitors, ensuring their safety and imparting knowledge on the preservation of the whale shark, it being a species at risk. Taking into account their vulnerable status, CONANP and…

Location
Punta Sam
Show up at the Marina in Punta Sam at 8 am for the coffee break, departure is at 8:30 am
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.0
(1 Rating)
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1 star
Stephanie_c
Aug 1, 2025
Mixed experience - We had a mixed experience with this tour. We had some difficulty with communication with the tour operator, but our hotel front desk was able to help us confirm pick up information last minute. There was a bit of a delay with the pick up, as well. The van was very comfortable and air conditioned which was great. I thought the breakfast at the port was a nice touch too. We were able to do several sessions of swimming with the whale sharks which was an incredible experience, and we did see a few flying fish on the way out. The attitude of one of the tour operators was a little rude and careless at some times, however. Cindy tossed around a few personal items that were in her way on the boat, not really caring for our personal property or asking someone to move it. The main problem probably came up once we got to a beach club area. We were told to get off the boat so they would prepare lunch, but the beach club water smelled so strongly of gasoline from all the boats that it wasn't a very pleasant swimming experience. And when we came back to the boat because I was starting to feel sunburned since we were also told to limit sunscreen use during the whale shark swimming and then were never given another opportunity to apply any afterwards, Cindy was visibly annoyed that we came back before being summoned. I tried asking a question about timing since we had a later engagement and her attitude was very dismissive and abrupt, like she was very surprised I might need to know basic information about the trip. During lunch, the crew were also drinking beer which was not offered to any of the customers. Admittedly there was limited information in the description of this tour, but from what was there, it was not clear that this supposedly half day tour would wind up being almost a full day tour getting us back to the hotel well after 5pm. I think the attitude of the staff could be altered to be a bit more respectful, less dismissive, and to be more specific about the itinerary of the tour and expected pick up and dropoff times. They did a wonderful job with the actual ecological part of the tour but could use some polish for the rest of the experience.
Review provided by Viator