15. Swimming With The Sharks

The tropical waters around the Riviera Maya area of Mexico are home to an abundance of whale sharks, making Cancun the perfect place to safely observe and swim with these majestic creatures.

15. Swimming With the Sharks

Whale sharks can process up to 6,000 liters of water per hour through their gills. To eat, they draw in large gulps of water, trapping plankton and other small creatures in the filter pads inside their wide mouths.

Most whale sharks in Cancun are found in the waters surrounding Isla Mujeres, Isla Contoy, and Isla Holbox, all of which are small islands just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Isla Mujeres is around 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from Cancun, while Isla Contoy is 37.5 kilometers (23.3 miles) away, and Isla Holbox is around 60 kilometers (37 miles) away. It usually takes around an hour to get to your first swimming spot.

With so many different whale shark tours available in Cancun, it can be hard to know which one to choose! Below, we have outlined our personal favorites and those with the best reviews so you can easily pick the best tour.

Of course, we all love a luxury all-inclusive stay and for that, I always book either the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun or the Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun Adults Only. Both are not cheap but are equally as luxurious with fantastic oceanfront locations, delicious food, quality alcohol, and more.

Now you know everything there is to know about swimming with whale sharks in Cancun. Hopefully, this blog has helped repare you for what surely will be one of the most memorable experiences of your life!

"Today I went up with Specialized Helicopters and we witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime event. We saw over 15 great white sharks swimming within a quarter mile radius. It is a treat to see one or two this time of year, but in my 20 plus years at sea, I have never seen anything like this," Thomae said.

Junior Lifeguard teams of children and teens had traveled to Aptos from all over Northern and Central California for the annual summer competition. Physical competitions include swimming out to buoys and running on sand.

"Fifteen magnificent and feared animals can swim within feet of hundreds of Junior Lifeguards without anybody even knowing it. These sharks were most likely feeding far offshore and swam into shallow, warm waters to warm up," Thomae said.

Her family, teammates and friends are ready to cheer her on from outside the pool. Bridget is nervous to compete in one of the biggest races of the year, but she is also very excited to do what she loves best. She will be swimming in her favorite race, the 200 Individual Medley, which includes all four competitive strokes: freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly.

Being 14 years old at the time, it was quite intimidating for Bridget to be swimming against 17 and 18 year old girls who were going to be swimming for some of the most competitive schools. There were about 150 swimmers competing in her division, and she placed 22nd overall. Bridget was ecstatic and more proud of this accomplishment than of any other of her victories or competitions in which she swam.

Bridget is currently a sophomore and attends Glen Rock High School along with her sister (and triplet) Mary Kate Horton. Bridget and Mary Kate both get along really well, and share most of the same friends.

Bridget is a very well-rounded swimmer. Her favorite strokes are the breaststroke and the backstroke because she feels she is strongest in these strokes, although she is also strong in the freestyle and the butterfly and is able to compete with them when necessary. Bridget is ranked fairly high in the state of NJ for her age for many of events, even achieving a number of top 10 rankings. She is also ranked fairly high in our regional area.

Although it is quite evident that Bridget has some natural talent for swimming, she has had to work very hard to get to where she is today. In fact, it is believed that Bridget is one of the hardest working girls in the sophomore grade.

Bridget and the other Horton triplets started off her swimming career at a very young age. When they were six years old, they decided to take swimming lessons.Their decision to pursue swimming was inspired by their parents, who both swam competitively when they were younger. Right away, Mary Kate and Riley seemed to dislike it and wanted to quit almost immediately. But unlike the other two, Bridget quickly fell in love with the sport, and decided that it was something that she wanted to pursue.

In addition to swimming, Bridget spends her spare time playing soccer. Although she dedicates more of her time practicing at the pool, she still enjoys getting out on the soccer field and kicking a soccer ball around every once in awhile.

The swimmers for the Sharks attend many swimming competitions.The majority of the meets are held at Princeton University, Rutgers University, and in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, although some can be as far as Indianapolis, Indiana. This is where the team attends Nationals for the spring season, which is the biggest competition of the year.

Although very nerve-wracking, the swim competitions can also be a lot of fun. Especially for a competition that is far away, there is a lot of time that is to be spent with your teammates, which allows them to bond and grow as a team.

All of these athletes spend six days training at the Wyckoff YMCA, spending two hours each session swimming in the pool. However, they do not just swim to stay in shape. They also spend another hour of practice doing extra dry land training (pilates, spin, aerobics, weight room).

Even though they spend so much time together training, they can even be found hanging out together on a weekend or during the summer break. The teammates have such strong relationships with each other that they are never bored when they are together.

Contrary to popular belief, sharks are generally not a threat to people. The giant sea creatures do not normally hunt humans. When they do, it is usually a case of misguided identity, according to NOAA. Encountering the giant fish is an exhilarating adventure many people want to participate in. If you're curious but not quite ready to get that friendly with these large sea species, a cage dive will likely better suit your appetite for a shark-viewing adventure. More experienced divers are brave enough to literally swim with the sharks.

Aptly named, Tiger Beach off of Grand Bahama is one of the world's top spots for seeing tiger sharks. Most diving expeditions guarantee an up-close sighting of these toothy creatures, which can grow up to about 16 feet in length. Tiger Beach is on the bucket list of underwater photographers and adventurers. Occasionally, they will also come close to other shark species such as reefs to hammerheads.

Go on an undersea safari in the "Great White Shark Capital of the World." It's a premier cage diving location that promises a truly thrilling experience. You can stay on the boat and still see all the action as the sharks circle around and descend. They hunt year-round. In the winter months you can even witness great whites hunting and breaching out of the water in pursuit of the seals.

The barrier reef is known for sightings of all kinds of large creatures. The reef shark and nurse shark are occasional visitors as well as the whale shark and the loggerhead turtle. Also, Manta Rays and larger species of sharks are known to visit these waters. Along Ambergris Caye, nurse sharks are more common than elsewhere in Belize. The Shark Ray Alley is right next to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, just 10 minutes away. The sharks are known to be friendly and even "pose" for photos.

Maui is a true paradise for divers. Get friendly with locals and they will tell you about the secret spots where scalloped hammerheads assemble. Lahaina Divers, a scuba tour agency, will organize small groups and take them to a secluded part of Lanai for kayaking, snorkeling and stand-up paddle boarding. You'll see the stirring scalloped hammerhead sharks, the sunken schooner Carthaginian and Turtle Reef.

With an extremely unique and diverse wildlife population, a dive into the waters of the Galapagos offers the chance to encounter several species of sharks, including hammerhead, dusky and whale sharks. Plus, while you're exploring beneath the sea, you may even have the opportunity to see other creatures like sea lions and large schools of tuna.

Cocos Island is one of the world's most famous places for shark sightings, especially to see hammerhead sharks in the summer. The inspiration for Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park is about 300 miles offshore from Costa Rica. Drop down on the legendary seamount Bajo Alcyone and you'll share the water column with a half-dozen shark species, sailfish, tuna and wahoo, according to Scuba Diving.

Southern California is a great place to see fast shortfin mako sharks. These open-ocean hunters follow their food to the San Diego coast from June to November, according to Scuba Diving. Divers often spot them alongside sleek blue sharks. La Jolla Water Sports will take you on a shark tour to see leopard sharks. They usually start migrating to the calm waters of La Jolla Shores in the spring.

Bora Bora is mostly known as one of the most romantic paradises on Earth. Its name has become synonymous with overwater bungalows, lavish floating villas with glass floors so people can see the lagoon life below, according to Tahiti.com. It's also a hotspot for sharks. Snorkeling trips to see lemon sharks are very popular. 041b061a72