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| Orectolobiformes Rhincodontidae |
No matter how many times I swim with the Whale Sharks,
those bus-sized sea creatures that include Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox in
their annual migration, it is still a fabulous encounter.
A group of island neighbours decided they
wanted to experience swimming with the Whale Sharks.
Did I want to join them? Sure!
Count me in!
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| Yumiko, Andy, Julie and Rob |
Until a short time ago I was convinced (via Wikipedia webpage)
that Whale Sharks were neither whales nor sharks, instead they were considered the
largest fish species in the world.
However a well-informed reader of our blog told me they are classed as Orectolobiformes (Carpet Sharks) and comprise the only member of its family, Rhincodontidae.
If I knew how to pronounce those complex scientific names, I might be scared, but these big teddy-bears of the ocean eat plankton, krill, and tiny baby squid, not humans. They have big scary names and gentle personalities.
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| Victor Ancona |
It is a relatively
new tour company owned by Victor Ancona and his Canadian wife Kasie Dobbs
Ancona. The name Xoc, pronounced something like Shok, is Maya for shark.
For generations Victor’s large and extended family group have
been busy island residents.
Victor’s
younger sister Amaranta Ancona Cervera owns a hair and esthetics
salon near the Poc Na Hostel on Isla.
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| Omar Ancona |
His
well-known and popular uncle Victor Cervera Cervera has Casa Havana vacations, and
previously Casa Havana Restaurante located behind the naval base on Juarez. His beautiful mamá is Delia Cervera
Cervera.
Victor’s grandfather Wandy
Ancona, who lives a couple of blocks south of our home, had a career in the
Mexican Navy until his retirement. Abuelo Wandy and Abuela Olga frequently enjoy sitting on their front porch in the
cool of the evening, watching the street activities, and waving at passersby.
Victor’s love for the ocean is in his blood. He and his
siblings learned how to operate boats at a young age, and he has many fond
memories of staying two and three months at a time on nearby Isla Contoy while
his papi, Esteban Ancona Argaez, fished
in the surrounding ocean.
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| Leaving Isla Mujeres behind |
So off we go on our escapade; the five Musketeers, Julie,
Rob, Andy, Yumiko and I. Two more
adventure seeking vacationers joined our wacky group, Shonna and Matt from
Austin Texas.
A quick run through of the
rules and Victor cast off the lines, while his older brother Omar Ancona
Cervera expertly backed the boat away from the family dock in the Makax
Lagoon.
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| Julie & Rob - let me at 'em! |
Headed towards the northern end
of Isla Mujeres we passed a number of marinas and beach bars, the car ferry,
Playa Centro, and rounded the point by Playa Norte.
We powered through relatively calm, turquoise
seas to join the huge flotilla of tour boats gathered seventeen miles off-shore
at the current location for the Whale Sharks.
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| Andy, check out this beauty! |
Now comes the fun part – swimming with these beautiful creatures. Two people, per boat are allowed in the water at any one time. Life jackets are mandatory. And touching is not allowed. Human contact can damage the delicate surface of their skin, and disrupt their feeding timetable.
All set to go with dive mask, snorkel, and life vest
Shonna and Matt are the first to jump in, swimming hard to catch up as the
critters slid past with a lazy flick of the tail. Two by two we take turns, some of us dive in
more than once while others are content to watch from the boat. The Whale Sharks swim continuously, like a
shark, never stopping their effortless and but rapid movement forward.
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| Yumiko and Andy |
The excitement of my adventure-mates is infectious.
When it is my turn I am so electrified I
forget to pull the diving mask over my eyes, wondering why my underwater vision
is so damn blurry. I sort out my mask,
and eventually realize that ooo-ing and
aah-ing underwater is not advised; it
is a great way to ingest seawater.
Craving
a high-quality underwater camera, one of those stupendously expensive ones that
take National-Geographic-worthy photos, I stare in open-mouthed awe as the black
and white spotted leviathan cruises past my face.
Wow, just wow!
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| Matt and Shonna |
And then so quickly it was over, time to motor back to
the island.
Time for a bit of liquid
refreshments and snacks.
Playa Norte was
a traffic jam of returning tour boats.
Big and small, luxury and modest, dozens of boats anchored to allow
excursionists a chance to swim, drink cervezas, and chow down on afternoon
treats.
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| Playa Norte |
Our very able, and entertaining crew of the Brothers
Ancona, Victor and Omar, dished up some tasty ceviche, quiche, with fresh fruit
and of course cold cerveza.
You just
can’t go on a Mexican adventure without cold beer!
What a fun adventure!
Thanks to our neighbourhood friends for including me.
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| Omar and Victor - our fabulous crew! |
And you may have guessed; Lawrie didn’t join
us. He doesn’t swim with any creature
that has the word Shark in its name.
It’s that 1970’s Jaws-thing.
Hasta Pronto!
Lynda & Lawrie
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| Look carefully - he's there! |
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