I’ve been fortunate enough to check a lot of things off my Bucket List, but in terms of pure adrenaline rush, swimming with whale sharks in La Paz, Mexico was second only to skydiving. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean. They can grow to be over 40 feet long and weigh up to 40,000 pounds!
On the last day of my Sea of Cortez cruise, the Safari Endeavour returned to the fun and beautiful city of La Paz. I had been looking forward to this whale shark excursion since I first boarded the ship seven days earlier. After suiting up, my group boarded a fishing boat that took us a few miles out in the sea.
We finally arrived at a place where whale sharks are known to feed on plankton. Before long, we sighted the first whale shark. Our guide said that it was just a juvenile. Juvenile, my butt! It was huge!
My heart was pounding like crazy as I lined up to get in the water. When I first jumped in, I lost sight of where the the whale shark was. When the bubbles cleared, it suddenly appeared with its mouth open. It looked much larger under water than it did from the boat. I may have wet my wetsuit.
Was that guy just swallowed?
Another snorkeler looked like he or she was about to swim right in the whale shark’s mouth. At that point I thought I’d swim a a bit further away and observe these amazing creatures from a safer distance. As I turned to swim, another whale shark came out of nowhere and appeared to swallow another snorkeler! I froze as it swam past. Thankfully, the other snorkeler had not been swallowed and was still there.
Though I knew whale sharks had no inclination to eat humans, I couldn’t help but think that they could accidentally swallow me. I don’t eat flies but I once accidentally swallowed one that flew in my mouth. After a several more minutes of walking that fine line between being mesmerized and terrified, I climbed back on the boat and enjoyed these beautiful monsters from above.
That evening I celebrated the latest check on my bucket list with a glass of wine at sunset.
I’d like to give a big shout-out to UnCruise Adventures for hosting me on this unforgettable experience. Here’s a link to my photo album from my UnCruise adventure on Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.
What’s the biggest adrenaline rush you’ve ever experienced?
