Your Guide to Whale Shark Snorkeling in La Paz, Mexico
Looking for information about whale shark snorkeling in La Paz?
You have come to the right place! Of all the wonderous marine life that call the ocean home, one of the most precious is the gentle giants known as whale sharks.
Despite their bus-like size, these “sharks” are actually filter feeders and pose no threat unless you’re a small shrimp, fish, or plankton.
It’s no wonder that people are lining up to get a chance to swim beside these enormous, peaceful creatures.
We spent a few weeks in La Paz while exploring the entire country of Mexico on our tiny 125cc motorcycles. Baja California Sur is one of the best places in Mexico to adventure travel, especially during the winter months.
In this article, I will cover everything you need to know about whale shark snorkeling in La Paz.
Included is the best time to visit La Paz for an extraordinary tour with whale sharks, the top whale shark tour operators, and what you can expect during your snorkeling experience.
There are also some helpful tips to ensure you make unforgettable memories beneath the waves.
Whale Shark Snorkeling, La Paz
If you are hoping to get the chance to glide beneath the waves with whale sharks in La Paz, the best time to find them is when they migrate to the area.
The ideal whale shark season in La Paz is between October and May.
During this whale shark season, there are higher concentrations of whale sharks in La Paz as they search for nutrient-rich food in the Bay of La Paz.
If you are staying in the area, there are some amazing guided snorkeling tours that you need to add to your bucket list.
Best Whale Shark Snorkel Tours
For your convenience, I put together a complete list of the absolute best whale shark tours. These ethical tours are run by professionals and give you a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Included is all the necessary information about each tour, like whether it has a guide, how long the tour lasts, if there is a minimum age, and any other helpful facts.
These tours are highly rated by travelers just like you and offer some fantastic perks for an unforgettable experience.
Best Overall: La Paz Snorkeling Tour with Local Marine Biologist
Enjoy a personalized adventure as part of a small group, where no more than 8 members will join this guided tour.
Your snorkeling equipment is included in your excursion, including complimentary wetsuits, masks, and fins. Experience the friendly charisma of swimming with the ocean’s largest fish, known to be gentle and graceful.
What’s even better? Pictures and videos of your journey are included! So you can share and look back on this lifetime memory.
You don’t have to worry about additional costs either since traveler’s insurance and federal permits are included in your package.
A professional local marine biologist will guide you and ensure both your and the whale shark’s safety. This tour has over three hundred 5-star reviews by travelers!
Best Private Whale Shark/Sea Lion Combo Tour
This tour is offered as a private tour for you and up to 6 of your friends or family as a Sea of Cortez combination.
You’ll get to swim and snorkel with whale sharks and sea lions, learn all about the local ecosystem from your captain, plus experience the beauty of Balandra Beach.
Enjoy included lunch and snacks as well as drinks while you bask in the sun or explore the beach. Plus, you’ll be provided with snorkels and paddleboards so you can make sure you get to see every part of this beautiful region.
And best of all, because it’s a private tour, it offers a truly personalized experience for everyone involved!
Photos and videos of your experience, plus necessary permits, are all provided by a certified, professional guide.
Best Budget Whale Snorkeling Tour
This tour, offered at a budget-friendly price, provides an unforgettable experience. You will hop aboard a catamaran off the Sea of Cortez, La Paz.
A certified guide will take you out to swim in the waters that whale sharks call home. You’re provided with snorkel equipment, so you can get up close and personal to these majestic creatures.
This ethical company follows all government regulations and keeps groups small so you can get as close as possible while keeping the whale sharks safe.
Tour Operators
Below is a list of some of the most popular tour operators for whale shark snorkeling and adventures in La Paz, Mexico.
Baja Charters
Baja Charters offers premier whale sharks in La Paz experiences. Baja Charters’s tour includes five hours of fun-filled adventure on their sailing catamaran.
Baja Charters includes ground transportation, food and drinks, gear, and reef-friendly sunscreen for its guests. However, it’s important to note that children under seven cannot participate in this tour.
A certified guide will assist guests throughout the tour. A marine biologist will impart their knowledge about the Sea of Cortez and whale sharks.
Each guest will then get a chance to swim alongside and take pictures of the majestic whale sharks.
After you swim with the La Paz whale sharks, guests travel to San Rafaelito to spend time with a colony of playful sea lions.
Sea Kayak Adventures
Sea Kayak Adventures is another great tour operator for snorkeling with whale sharks in La Paz. Their tour includes five to seven hours of exhilarating adventure with whale sharks.
However, it’s important to note that children under eight cannot participate in this experience.
Sea Kayak Adventures includes food, drinks, and snorkel gear for its guests. A professional bilingual guide will assist you throughout the tour.
After the captain goes over safety instructions and essential guidelines, each guest can swim with a whale shark while taking countless photos.
Tuna Tuna Tours
Tuna Tuna Tours offers another excellent tour in La Paz. The standard tour is about three hours long, while their upgraded tour is about six hours long.
Food, drinks, and snorkel gear are included in the tour price with Tuna Tuna Tours.
A certified guide will assist you throughout the tour. After the captain goes over instructions and safety precautions, each guest will get a turn to swim alongside and enjoy the calm presence of a whale shark.
Tuna Tuna Tours offers an upgraded tour that will allow you to spend time with the friendly sea lions that call the San Rafaelito area home.
After which you’ll end your tour with a visit to Balandra beach and enjoy a light meal and drinks.
Cabo Expeditions
Cabo Expeditions provides another tour for those looking to get up close and personal with whale sharks in La Paz. They provide ground transportation, food and drinks, and gear for guests.
The Cabo Expeditions tour includes 12 hours of unforgettable fun and memories. However, it’s important to note that children under eight can’t join this tour.
A certified guide will be available to assist you throughout the tour. Once safety regulations and necessary guidelines are covered, each guest will get a chance to jump in the water.
And glide alongside a fish nearly the size of a bus!
After your exciting swim with whale sharks, you’ll travel to Todos Santos to spend time in the quaint but charming city filled with one-of-a-kind shops.
Fun Baja
Fun Baja provides another tour for those looking to get up close and personal with whale sharks in La Paz.
Fun Baja’s tour includes two hours of unforgettable fun and memories. It also provides ground transportation, food, drinks, and the gear you need.
A guide will be available throughout the tour to assist guests. Every guest will get a chance to descend into the water and take pictures of these friendly creatures as they swim alongside them.
What To Expect
Before entering the whale shark feeding area, your tour operator must request access. They should do this before your tour begins.
Once access has been granted, they will pick you up, and your boat will enter the area.
Your guide or captain will go over safety instructions and guidelines. Once the tour leader spots a whale shark, you’ll put on your gear and enter the water.
Only five guests plus a certified guide are allowed in the water with a single whale shark. Depending on your tour size, you may need to wait for your turn.
Once you get a turn, you’ll be able to swim alongside and take pictures of the docile giant as they slowly glide through the ocean in search of food. Each boat can only remain in the area for two to three hours.
Tips for Snorkeling With Whale Sharks in La Paz
If you want to go whale shark snorkeling, La Paz is an excellent location.
To ensure you achieve the best whale shark experience possible, follow these tips before and during your whale shark adventure.
Check Reviews
Before booking any tour, whether land, sea, or air, always check reviews first. Checking the reviews of tours and tour operators will ensure that you book your next adventure with a reputable company that knows what they’re doing.
That way, you can rest easy knowing that you’re in good hands.
In addition, learning about what others experienced on a particular tour will help you better prepare for it.
Finally, reviews from those who have already participated in such an experience will provide helpful insight into that tour, essentially letting you “try before you buy.”
Make Sure the Operator Is Ethical
Making sure a tour operator is ethical before booking a tour with them will ensure that you support an environmentally, socially, and culturally responsible business.
By doing this, you will help promote ethical tourism. Especially in areas where indigenous people and animals are often mistreated or neglected for capital gain.
To ensure that a tour operator is ethical, you can look into whether or not they respect the local culture.
Ethical operators support and give back to the local community and partner with ethical brands. They also help preserve the environment and value their employees.
Pack Well
You must pack well to ensure that your swim amongst the whale sharks is without issue. Packing well means bringing at least a reliable sunhat, towel, sunglasses, and a water bottle.
Also, pack a waterproof camera to capture beautiful images of these gentle giants and ensure shareable memories with friends and family.
In addition, Mexican government law requires that swimmers wear biodegradable sunscreen while in these waters to protect the beautiful coral reefs.
Be Patient
The Mexican government has charged four different agencies with protecting the whale shark feeding area. And every boat must wait for access to the area.
This restriction is essential to protect the fragile ecosystem of the ocean and the marine creatures that call it home.
Four turns a day are allowed, and each turn only allows 14 boats to enter the whale shark feeding area.
So, your patience ensures that the peaceful and gentle giants and all the other ocean dwellers remain safe and their well-being is protected.
Keep Your Distance
While whale sharks are gentle giants, it’s essential for your safety and theirs that you keep your distance. Whale sharks have a protective mucous layer on their skin, and touching them can disturb this protective layer.
Additionally, like most shark species, the whale shark has tiny tooth-like scales along their body which can cause a painful graze to those that touch them.
The best practice for keeping your distance is to remain a few feet away from them at all times while the whale sharks swim by you.
Stay Aware
While you have nothing to fear from whale sharks, it’s essential to be aware of the ocean.
Since you’ll be snorkeling, you should be comfortable with snorkeling as the waters can suddenly get choppy. This makes it difficult to swim and use a snorkel simultaneously.
However, having an experienced and well-trained guide to assist you and provide helpful buoyancy equipment is a plus.
Don’t Use Flash
There has been debate about whether it’s acceptable to use flash to photograph animals, including marine wildlife such as the whale shark.
Some argue that the sudden light from flash photography can disturb animals or cause temporary confusion. However, the main reason not to use flash is to prevent spooking or stressing out these lovely beings.
Use Ocean Safe Sunscreen
To ensure the safety and well-being of ocean life, purchase and wear biodegradable sunscreen.
Typical sunscreens contain ingredients and chemicals that can harm coral reefs and even whale sharks.
Since whale sharks feed on the surface, the residue from sunscreen can mix with their food source and enter their digestive system, which may cause issues and complications.
Frequently Asked Questions
After finishing this article, you might have a few unanswered questions. Below are the most common questions and their accompanying answers.
Can children snorkel with whale sharks?
Typically if there over the age of six and are strong swimmers with previous snorkeling experience, it’s acceptable for them to snorkel with whale sharks.
However, if they don’t meet these criteria, they shouldn’t participate in snorkeling with whale sharks for their safety.
Why should you never touch a whale shark?
Whale sharks possess a protective layer of mucus on their skin that keeps bacteria and parasites away. And touching them disrupts this protective layer leaving them vulnerable.
In addition, like other sharks, whale sharks have dermal denticles along their bodies that can cause a painful graze if touched. So keep a safe distance and listen to your guide.
Are whale sharks endangered?
Yes, whale sharks remain endangered because interest in their meat, fins, and oil continues to threaten their species.
In addition to poaching, one of the most significant reasons for their endangerment is that juvenile whale sharks can take up to 30 years to mature and be capable of reproducing.
It is important to find a reputable tour for experiencing swimming and snorkeling with this endangered species so that the whale sharks remain safe.
Luckily, the tours listed in this article are with professionals that ensure a safe environment in their natural habitat.
Final Thoughts
Now you know everything you need to enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience amongst the giant but peaceful whale sharks.
In addition, you’ve learned when it’s the ideal time to swim with whale sharks in La Paz and what are some of the best whale shark tours available in the area.
Plus, I went over some helpful tips to ensure your adventure beneath the waves goes off without issue.
If you are looking for more adventures in Baja California Sur, be sure to check out the best hikes in Cabo. Also go on a full day fishing charter trip for the unique chance to catch some huge fish!
Bookmark this page if you need to come back to it when planning your adventure!
Here’s hoping you make many unforgettable memories while snorkeling with whale sharks in La Paz.