| Whale sharks |
| Alex´s questions and answers: How big can the whales grow? They can grow up to 20 metres long (63 feet), the female is larger than the male. What do they feed on? They feed on Plankton,squid,jellyfish and other small seafood, they move around in the ocean with their big mouths open, as if they where fishing,sucking and filtering as much as 6000 litres of water each hour. Where do they live? They migrate, which means that they live in different places, depending on where the food is. They like warm water. In Mexico we can see them in Baja California and in the Gulf Channel, north of Yucatan. How long do they live? They can live to up to one hundred and fifty years old What happens if a person or another object not wanted enters it´s mouth? The whale will blow it back out. How much do they weigh? They can weigh up to 50 tons. How long does gestation last and how long does the baby stay with the mother? It is believed that the baby´s hatch from eggs inside the mother, and there can be as many as 300 eggs, but very few reach adulthood. The Pup stays with the mother until it is adult. Why should we not touch them when swimming with them? Because they are wild animals and should be treated with respect. |
We traveled to Holbox, and organized a trip with Mawimbi, to go and see the
whales.
We paid 700 pesos per person ( 2005).
We went along the shore until we reached Cabo Catoche and at that point our
captain turned out to sea, after a while is was getting very choppy and Alex
was a little afraid, but suddenly we saw big fins at a distance and some big
creatures snaking ( I say snaking because that is how they move) in big
circles, tears came to my eyes, Alex was jumping with delight, we were amazed
to see those big creatures!
I put my fins and mask on to take a first swim, two eagle rays swam under
the boat.....I had my first swim then waited for Alex to join me, but alas, with
trying to get his fins on and not having the land for a reference when he got
into the water he was totally sea sick, So we tried to relax and when everyone
was finished enjoying the whales, the captain took us to the shore and we
relaxed for 1/2 hour..all was well. On our way back to the town we saw
Dolphins, turtles and also a large amount of sea birds in a lagoon area we
entered..beautiful!
Whales are in the Yucatan Channel from May until early September, It is very
usual to spot manta rays on these trips.
whales.
We paid 700 pesos per person ( 2005).
We went along the shore until we reached Cabo Catoche and at that point our
captain turned out to sea, after a while is was getting very choppy and Alex
was a little afraid, but suddenly we saw big fins at a distance and some big
creatures snaking ( I say snaking because that is how they move) in big
circles, tears came to my eyes, Alex was jumping with delight, we were amazed
to see those big creatures!
I put my fins and mask on to take a first swim, two eagle rays swam under
the boat.....I had my first swim then waited for Alex to join me, but alas, with
trying to get his fins on and not having the land for a reference when he got
into the water he was totally sea sick, So we tried to relax and when everyone
was finished enjoying the whales, the captain took us to the shore and we
relaxed for 1/2 hour..all was well. On our way back to the town we saw
Dolphins, turtles and also a large amount of sea birds in a lagoon area we
entered..beautiful!
Whales are in the Yucatan Channel from May until early September, It is very
usual to spot manta rays on these trips.