Sitting on the edge of a Mexican panga-style boat, camera in hand, waiting as we filter through the conga line of boats just off Isla Mujeres, I think to myself: Where are the whale sharks? I'm anxious, waiting for my turn to jump but I don't see a thing at the surface. That's when I hear shouting, "Vamos! Vamos!" Reluctantly, I jump. After a moment of slight disorientation I hear shouting again, "Look over there!" And just like our guide predicted, here comes the most graceful creature I've ever seen, swimming directly toward me. What now? All I can do is stare in awe at this majestic whale shark, one of the little guys but still an easy 14 feet in length. As the whale shark swam closer I steadied my SeaLife Underwater Cameras Micro HD setup and suddenly remembered the briefing on the boat — the time you spend with the whale shark is dependent on how long you can keep up with it.

Time to swim. I kicked and kicked— I had to stay with it! I learned quickly after my first jump that as much as I wanted to stop and take photos, the whale shark wanted to keep moving. So with one "immersion" under my belt, I was ready to go again.

We were fortunate to see several whale sharks on that August day, and I believe there were about six hanging out in our area. No two days off Isla Mujeres are the same. On any given day you could be the only one in the water with a whale shark and the next you could be surrounded by whale sharks and sharing the space with 40 other operators. It’s not just whale sharks that frequent the area; we were fortunate to see a few sea turtles gliding by and dolphins jumping on our hour-long boat ride out of Cancun.

This year, the whale shark tour season is from June 1 to September 15 in Isla Mujeres. Trips leave daily from Cancun and it is a wonderful way to off-gas if you are in between dive days. Before booking a trip to the famous area, here are a few things you should know:

• A licensed guide is mandatory
• Flotation devices are required; a wetsuit counts as a flotation device
• Boats must remain at least 10 meters from the whale shark
• Do not touch the whale shark
• Scuba diving with whale sharks in this area is not allowed
• If an operator is trying to take you on a tour outside the designated June 1-September 15th timeframe, you will be in violation of the law

Want to see more? Check out this amazing video of sailfish hunting off Isla Mujeres and our Divers Guide to Mexico's Yucatan.