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We had, as usual, a variety of wonderful guests this trip—Mark and his sons, Matt and Will, Shawn from Canada and our good friend Shen from Reef Photo. You would have never known Shen was onboard as he spent 12 hours a day under water.  We began our trip at Mini Hammertime and were fittingly greeted by a many Caribbean Reef sharks. We followed up with a relaxing night dive with Lemon sharks. The following morning we woke to a spectacular sunrise full of Lemon shark fins coming out of the water. The Lemon sunrise was followed by a great day with three Tigers and even more Lemons at Crystal Tiger. The next day after one dive at Ginormous we made a bee-line to the dolphin grounds and were quickly welcomed by a large pod eager to play. We stayed into the night with them. Late that night we anchored at Classic Tiger and woke up to a familiar large shape under the boat—Jim jumped in to confirm that it was….EMMA!! The next three days were amazing! We had perfect seas and plentiful sharks: the lovely Emma, TC, Cookie, Miss Gabby, and two baby tigers smaller than 4 feet long, which we named after Shen’s son and daughter, Eric and Emily. Sadly all trips must end, but fortunately we have a wonderful video production that Jim made to relive this fantastic week aboard the Shear Water. Enjoy!

With Matt off this trip Jeremy was lucky to have the first trip back to Tiger Beach in over a month. Guests came mostly from Austria this trip. The trip started exciting with a large tiger named TC coming in without any hesitation. By the next day she was greeted by Emma and at least 5 other tigers. Emma looks like she could pop at any second. She is definitely pregnant. Later in the week we had some great encounters with a pod of 6 Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. We were greeted by sharks at sites such as Ginormous, Hammertime and Crystal Tiger. The water was a beautiful blue with just a bit of chop. The air was warm and summer is definitely here.

 

Come join us in Mexico’s Isla Mujeres to dive with one of the world’s largest congregation of whale sharks in the world. We are hopeful this will be the trip of a lifetime for you, especially if our last two years are any indicator.

Our trips are designed for serious photographers & videographers and those who truly love the ocean. We will make every effort to spend as much time in the water and create the best interactions possible with the whale sharks. That said, we are dealing with nature and there are no guarantees. We may have to work to find the sharks and there may be days when weather prevents us from even going out. For this reason, we need team players who are patient and contribute positively to the entire experience.

On the Boat - A typical day on the water looks like this: We depart at 7am sharp. If the whale sharks are aggregating in a consistent location, we are hopefully in the water by 8am. For the next hour or two, we typically have the whale sharks to ourselves. We work in groups of 3, rotating in/out of the water. The topside action is spectacular with incredible photo opportunities, so out-of-water time is quite productive. In the water, if you haven’t done this trip before, you will likely have more whale shark encounters within 5 minutes, than your entire prior experiences combined. Words cannot describe the quantity and proximity of the whale sharks and the excitement you will feel! Around noon, most of the day boats have departed and we have another hour or two alone with the whale sharks. At 2pm, per the regulations, we are out of the water. After as many as 6 hours with the sharks, we turn south and head back to shore for a swim in the pool and image processing time.

Other Operators – You may have noticed that day boats offer discounted trips to see the whale sharks in Isla Mujeres.  To be clear, we are offering an entirely different standard of service and experience than these boats. Essentially these are cattle boats which take 10 random customers for a brief encounter with the sharks. There is one guide per boat and only 2 guests are allowed in the water with the guide. The guests each spend perhaps 10 minutes in the water then rotate out. When everyone has had a turn, the trip is over and the boat departs, typically around noon. If the seas are rough at all, the boats do not venture into the blue, but instead head for green water where several dozen tour boats compete for a handful of whale sharks. Our guests are not looking for this kind of experience, however if you have doubts, we suggest you try one the day boats first!

Hotel – We are staying at Playa La Media Luna (www.playamedialuna.com), which is where we have stayed in prior years. It is located toward the northeast point of the island.  The rooms are comfortable but basic and we reserve them as bookings are taken. You will need to indicate whether you want your own room or are sharing. The hotel has free wifi internet and a nice pool. Every afternoon we rinse and relax here after our day on the water.

Meals – Lunch and snacks are included on the boat free of charge. This consists of sandwiches, fruit, chips, bars, soft drinks, and water. For an extra charge, we can provide deli wraps or sandwiches of your choosing. You are responsible for your breakfast; however we also arrange warm breakfast burritos for an additional charge. Dinner is also separate and costs usually less than $25 each with drinks. Each evening we head out together and enjoy Mexican dining at any one of the fun restaurants on the island. Dinner is a great time where we catch up on the day’s activities and share stories of our adventures.

Transportation – Golf carts are the primary mode of transportation on this island. They are fun and efficient. They are also necessary as we are a good mile from the pier and need to transfer ourselves and camera gear, back and forth each day. As such, we rent golf carts for the group and the cost of these are included in your trip. We also use these to tour the island, to get to turtle nesting sites and to visit the turtle rescue and research center.

Tips – The captain and first mate work extremely hard for us and do their best to deliver on expectations. Tips are a core part of their compensation. To keep things fair and reduce your on-island cash needs, we are including the tip in the total trip cost. So essentially, when you arrive on the island, dinner, drinks and souvenirs should be your only out of pocket expenses.

Cameras – For those of you with cameras, you should know that strobes are not allowed, and frankly not necessary either.  Last year we shot everything without strobes using as wide lenses as possible. We also strongly recommend not bringing more than two cameras or more than one laptop to avoid problems with customs.

Equipment – A wetsuit is required (unless you want to wear a life vest!) however the water is quite warm. We recommend a thin shorty or full (3mm or less). You likely will be swimming a LOT, so we recommend comfortable full-foot fins (leave your heavy/stiff open-heel fins at home) and neoprene socks. Bring plenty of sun lotion with high SPF as you will be exposed to lots of sun.

Transfers – We will also arrange your shuttle from the airport to the Cancun/Isla Mujeres ferry. The shuttle takes about 30 minutes, and the ferry another 20 minutes to transfer you to the island. You should plan to arrive in the morning or afternoon the day prior to your trip beginning and to depart the morning or afternoon after the last day on the water.

Summary Info:

Cost: See Below

Dates: July 3-7 (Sold Out),  July 8-12 (Sold Out), and July 14-18 (Spaces Limited)

Payment: Deposit of $1000 plus a signed contract to hold the spot. Remainder due April 4th, 2012.

Fly in/out of Cancun

Day before – Arrive in morning/afternoon

5 days – Snorkel with whale sharks

Day after - Depart

Guests – 5

Cost:

- Boat @ $350 per day per guest ($1750 Total)

- Transfer @ $50 each way to/from ferry to island (begin & end of trip)

- Ferry @ $7 each way to island

- Hotel Playa la Media Luna @ $105 (single), $55 (share) per standard room with 2 dbl beds

- Golf cart @ $100 per guest

-Tip $200

Total: $2,780

- Food at local restaurants (approximately $25 per day)

Arrival Steps:

- When you exit the airport, the driver will be holding a sign with your name on it.

- Accompany the driver to the van where he will load the gear.

- Present the driver with the transfer coupon that will be sent to you

- The driver will take you the ferry.

- Purchase round-trip tickets to Isla Mujeres (about $7)

- The ferry departs every 30 minutes.

- When you arrive in Isla Mujures, depart the ferry and walk to the taxi area.

- Hire a taxi for a very short drive Hotel Playa La Media Luna

- Check in at the hotel and request the hotel notify your trip leader that you are here.

Wrap Up – Two years ago Isla Mujeres was not known as a major whale shark destination. With aggregations exceeding several hundred whale sharks in blue water, word is getting out and this year we are sure many people will be there in hopes of seeing them. Our job will be to deliver on these expectations and hopefully we will be as fortunate as the prior year. That said, please bring all the positive thinking and good karma you can, as like all things in nature, there are no guarantees.

See a video of last year’s whale shark trip.

If you have any additional questions about this, please contact:

Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures, Inc by email at info@scuba-adventures.com