La Paz Whale Shark Snorkel Tour
Two and a half hours north of Los Cabos is the peninsula’s southern state-capital city of La Paz.
From November to April the beautiful tranquil bay of La Paz is home to a population of whale sharks. They are the largest fish in the ocean and an awesome animal to swim with. They are a docile and placid shark species: only feeding on microscopic sea life that lives in the water.
Like a big baseball glove, the bay of La Paz collects this sea life as it moves with the currents of wind and ocean: here these gigantic fish come to feed for most of the year. It’s still much of a secret to visitors who arrive in Cabo and it’s only just a couple of hours by car!
We operate shared tours with a partner dive center and private tours on our chartered pangas.
** please note the whale shark turns are allocated a day before at 3pm. We may have to leave town as early as 4.30am.
Tour details Price & booking
Tour Outlines
An UNFORGETTABLE experience with the largest fish in the world. Whale shark sightings are seen in all, but very rare, cases as we only operate this tour once the sharks are seen in good numbers.
What's included
- 2 Full hours in the Whale Shark Area with only 14 other boats
- Official Regulated Whale Shark Guide and 28ft shaded Vessel
- Transportation from Los Cabos and Todos Santos
- Full meals before and after (PRIVATE and SHARED options) Water + boat snacks (ALL options)
- CPG photographer with private groups or large shared groups
- All snorkel gear, including wetsuits during colder months
Schedule
Leave Cabo San Lucas at 6am (Breakfast packs included for PRIVATE and SHARED options)
Two hours permitted inside the whale shark area. A respectful 5 swimmers per shark at a time, so expect to take turns. Choose private for more turns! Drinking water onboard
Traditional Mexican Lunch onshore after the activity for PRIVATE and SHARED options.
Return back to Los Cabos between 4pm and 6pm. Earliest suggested dinner reservations 7pm.
Departure
From Cabo San Lucas. If you live in San Jose we can pick you up at approximately 5.15am for an extra cost (reflective of Uber prices)
Duration
10 - 12 Hours. Expect longer tours Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.
Price & Booking
Swim with whale sharks
Price in USD | Cash discount availablePrivate Day Trip from Los Cabos
$ 1650
1-8 people
Private Transport | Private Boat
Extra people $100 each (Max 10)
For groups of 11 or more contact for a quote.
Languages: Spanish, English
Shared Day Trip from Los Cabos
$ 295 PP
Shared Van | Shared Boat
Minimum 4 people signed up
Various hotel picks-ups
Languages: Spanish, English
Special prices for small groups
$ 385
$385 1 person | $675 2 person | $850 3 person
Private Car | Shared boat
Regular family-sized car | Shared boat in La Paz | Snorkel equipment | Refreshments
Exclusions: Breakfast & Lunch. Allocated time for coffee – burrito breakfast stop and lunch on the seafront in La Paz. Or, feel free to bring something with you.
Private Panga Rental in La Paz
$ 950
1 -10 persons
No transportation | Boat only
Includes: boat captain, official whale shark guide, basic snorkel equipment, drinking water
$300 deposit paid | $650 in cash on arrival
3 -4 hour boat ride
7 AM start time
5% discounts available on balance Payment. Contact us to leave a deposit
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Hotel pick-ups :
Price includes all hotels in the Cabo San Lucas area up to The Cape and all those on the Pacific side up to Todos Santos.
If you are coming from the Corridor or San Jose del Cabo please meet at the tour center by 6am, We can pick you up earlier for an additional cost to get you to the tour center for this time.
Food Requirements
If you have allergies we can request alternatives – just let us know!
When is the Whale Shark Season in La Paz?
The official season runs from the end of November to April 30th.
Officially, the activity will open as early as October 1st. But in recent years the sharks have arrived later in November. We open this tour on November 15th. You might want to avoid planning your trip a few weeks into the season and also a few weeks before the season ends, as opening depends entirely on when the whale sharks leave and then return again to the area.
In October to early December you can expect to enjoy slightly warmer water conditions. See what the fall months look like around Baja California.
The height of the season in terms of population numbers is December – March.
The area is regulated and only 14 boats are allowed to enter the whale shark area at a time . This is a really great way to reduce human impact while swimming with the sharks in their natural environment. Because of this limit, during busier times such as Thanksgiving week, Christmas and Easter you can expect a slight wait before being allowed into the area.
But not to worry! If we are held up half an hour or so you can take advantage of a short walk along the seafront, or we can take the boat out at the same time for a tour around the bay and try and spot dolphins, rays and interesting birds. You can also decide to mix this activity with a snorkeling with the sea lion or a diving excursion in La Paz to avoid waiting before the shark encounter.
Details of our bespoke La Paz whale shark tour
If you are staying in Cabo San Lucas we can pick you up from your hotel very early. If you’re further away we can pick you up for an additional cost.
La Paz is a 2 hour drive away from Cabo. Along the way we will stop for an optional burrito and coffee!
Our boat and crew will meet us at La Paz marina, from where all our La Paz tour and excursion leave. Once we depart, it takes 20 minutes to reach the whale shark area and then we spend 2 hours inside the allocated zone. We often find the whale sharks by looking at where the other boats are, or the experienced captain searches for a fin breaking the surface, or we can see the slight shadowing at the surface. It takes practice!
If we see other boats with a shark we wait our turn to swim. Sometimes we find many sharks, sometimes we only find one at the end of the tour. It’s very rare not to see any, but it has happened.
Price & booking
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Whale shark Season in La Paz ?
The official season runs from October 1st to April 30th.
When is the best time to See Whale shark in la Paz ?
The optimal time to spot Whale shark, is probably between November to March when the shark population is the most important in La Paz.
How far La Paz is from Los Cabos ?
La Paz is a 2 hour drive away from Cabo san Lucas.