There are several islands off the coast of the Yucatan, Isla Holbox, Isla Cozumel and Isla Mujeres being the top three. With only enough time to visit one, it was a tough decision. Cozumel is meant to have great diving, Mujeres is super chilled, and Holbox is also super chilled but with the added benefit of it currently being whale shark season. Once we learnt that little fact however, it was pretty easy. Holbox it was! It is a pretty accessible island, with just a thirty minute boat ride from the mainland. And if you imagine a hippy Caribbean island, then you’d be picturing Holbox. The ‘roads’ are unpaved and sandy, the bars colourful and rustic with toothless dreadlocked locals, and long since relocated expats waving you in. There are no cars so everyone rides around in golf carts and quad bikes. It is a happy place for sure. It is also referred to as the Island of Mosquitos by the locals which was a slight concern but we weren't bothered by them too much. Due to it being the whale shark season, accommodation was expensive so we had planned on staying just two nights. We also got slightly caught out on the money front, most places were cash only and in good island style, the only proper cash machine was empty, and the other one we did find was making the most of it and charging an insane amount in fees. Luckily it was so hot we didn't really feel like eating much anyway! Instead, we feasted on 15MXN (50p!) tacos and beautiful sunsets. In a place like this, there is really little else you need. Oh, and air conditioning. That helped, A LOT. But the main reason we were here was to snorkel with the worlds largest fish, whale sharks. Have no fear, they only eat plankton and are gentle beasts. There are loads of different companies offering tours which last for around 5-7 hours depending on where the sharks are but they all offer pretty much the same itinerary. Collect from hotel, boat, snorkel with sharks, short snorkel to see turtles and rays, ceviche lunch on nearby island and return. We learnt that you get a MUCH better deal buying the tour in person rather than online. We went with Holbox Adventures as they had good trip advisor reviews and paid US$100 each which is a lot, but I can confirm it was worth every penny! The other company recommended to us was VIP Holbox. We did hear that some of the cheaper tours only let you swim with them once, but we went into the water three times so felt like it was worth the extra cost. After a seriously bumpy two hour boat ride (with no shade!), we joined a couple of other boats and immediately saw the fins. So exciting! We were told that they gather off the shores of Holbox around this time of year to feed off the plankton, they are mostly solitary and their journey across the planet is still a mystery to those that study them. There are rules to swimming with them, don't touch being the main one, you have to be accompanied with a guide at all times, and only six swimmers are allowed in the water at any one time so you have to take turns. This can be problematic when there are lots of boats and only a few sharks but we were lucky and our captain said there were around 26 in the waters that morning. How they know this, I have no idea. The captain positioned the boat a way off, ahead of the direction in which the shark is swimming and you have to be ready to jump when they say go. Its a bit hectic because you have to swim like hell to keep up with them, luckily the guides are strong and drag you along and get you in the right position so you can see properly. They are gentle, majestic beasts, have tiny eyes, massive mouths and deep gills. This beauty was around twelve meters long but the biggest can grow to around twenty-four meters.
Totally out of this world. Comments are closed.
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AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |