See you later Mexico!! So we’ve finished our travels through this amazing country. It’s been almost a month since we flew into Mexico City and today we will take a bus to Chetumal and cross the border into Belize.
Last week we went swimming with whale sharks 25 miles off the coast of Cancun. This has definitely been one of the highlights of the trip so far. It was mind blowing. We took off around 8:30am and an hour and a half boat ride later we pulled up to where the school was located. There were so many of them, all swimming around this one patch where they were feeding. Megan and I quickly volunteered to be the first group in the water as it was an ants go marching two by two affair.
Soon after jumping in the ocean and following the guide, we were confronted by this huge dark shape looming out of the water ahead. My heartbeat quickened as well as my flippered feet and I pulled alongside this massive open mouthed whale shark. I pulled alongside it, taking in its spotted skin and big powerful body, looking into its little beady eye on the side of its head. Its length was hard to comprehend while swimming close enough to touch it but its huge open mouth displayed its incredible size. It wasn’t long before we converged with another swimming on the same trajectory and then another. They seem to be chasing these invisible concentrations of food that we can’t see and quite often three or more will converge on the one spot so you’re face to face with one with its massive mouth open, halting so it doesn’t run into you as well as swimming beside two others.
The time flew and we were soon out of the water for the next two ants to begin their march. There were four groups of two, including us and we rotated through the water three times apiece. Pretty happy I did swim squad as a kid. Most other people in the water had life jackets on and had no chance of keeping up with the swimming whale sharks. No life jacket for me and no troubles keeping up with them.
We didn’t see any manta rays unfortunately but we did see a few turtles and a pod of dolphins that decided to swim along with the boat.
After Cancun, we got on the local buses down to Tulum where we spent a couple of days riding bikes, swimming in cenotes, snorkeling with turtles off the beach and eating amazing food. Last night was spent at Bacalar, skinny dipping in the fresh water lagoon before we make our way to Caye Caulker, Belize.
