Whale Sharks of La Paz, Baja, Mx — INDEPENDENCE CHRONICLES

For many years I have wished to swim with the whale sharks and even tried years ago (unsuccessfully) in Belize. So, when I heard we were keeping the boat in La Paz, I grew cautiously optimistic, knowing that they are often found in the surrounding waters. Soon after arriving in La Paz we started asking around about when and how to see the sharks. Little did we know, that the Whale Shark tours are now highly regulated in order to protect the sharks and the industry. We further learned that you can only get to the waters they are found in with a licensed guide and as of last week, the sharks were nowhere to be seen. Then, two days ago, Larry received an email from one of the licensed companies letting him know the whale sharks were back and tours were starting up the next day. We jumped at the chance and jumped in the boat the following day.

Door to door service. The Carolina - Fun Baja ponga picks us up right at the boat

The tour was to start in the morning but the ‘first come, first serve’ on-line check-in system they use to control the ratio of boats to whale sharks bumped us to the afternoon group. When we finally set off we had only three other couples with us on the ponga, which was good, as you can only dive in groups of four or less. The next step was to check in with the controller that counts the amount of people on board and confirms the legitimacy of the guide and boat captain. This is done by parading the boat in front of the control office (on a cliff above the water) while they check us out with high powered binoculars. Once cleared, we race to the protected area where the boat slowly enters and the search is on.

Carlos explains the rules for swimming with the sharks. No touching, no diving, never get in front and stay about three feet away at all times

Very quickly, our guide, Carlos spots a juvenile but when we get in the water the youngster is too shy and scoots away with just a ghostly apparition in the murky water. The visibility is not what I had hoped for…certainly not the crystal clear water that they advertise in the tour promotions…but then you realize that they are feeding on all the plankton that makes the water so cloudy in the first place. Carlos (and now the whole boat) is searching eagerly for the tell-tale brown shadow that lurks right beneath the surface of the water as the sharks cruise their feeding grounds. We are envious when we see other boats find their shark and excitedly jump in the water. Finally, after almost an hour another tour boat ‘shares’ their shark. We take turns over the next hour jumping in and swimming with this languid creature that appears to not even know we are four feet from it. The gill rakers ripple and flutter as the shark inhales large gulps of water filtering out the bits of food. Hard to believe these large sharks survive on such a tiny food source. The moments swimming with the shark feel dream-like as you paddle along side in the murky water just a few arms lengths away…a truly unforgettable experience!