5 Places to Swim With Marine Life

Whale sharks, Isla Mujeres, Mexico 

Every summer, hundreds of toothless, school-bus-size whale sharks congregate off the Yucatan Coast, where they skim the surface of the ocean, slurping up plankton. 

Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean, and they’re considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But as the interest in seeing the animals in the wild increases, so does the incentive for protecting them.

Visitors can arrange the roughly two-hour trip (including boat ride) from Isla Mujeres to the congregation site, which shifts depending on currents. Once there, you can jump in the water with a guide to snorkel alongside the graceful creatures. Tour operators for snorkeling with the whale sharks include Isla Whale Sharks (prices from $150), Whale Shark Adventures ($145) and Solo Buceo (prices from $199).

Visitors can arrange a trip to snorkel alongside humpback whales in the Silver Bank off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

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Humpback whales, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Each January, thousands of humpback whales migrate from the North Atlantic to the Caribbean where they mate and raise calves in the protected shallow waters of the Silver Bank about 80 miles north of the Dominican Republic. To see them, you’ll have to book a week aboard one of three boats permitted to bring passengers to the 40-square-mile designated whale sanctuary. From the mainland, it takes up to 10 hours to reach the Silver Bank. Once there, strict guidelines surround any interactions between humans and whales. 

But what a show. Adult whales, up to 56 feet long with pectoral fins like surfboards and eyes as big as softballs, swim with babies at their side. Something about looking a wild whale in the eye will make you feel like an underwater giant has peered into your soul.

Tenders carry passengers and crew members out to look for cooperative whales each day on tours with Aquatic Adventures (prices start at $4,195). Snorkelers are only allowed in the water with them when the whales are relaxed. Oceanic Society also offers trips to swim with the whales at the Silver Bank (prices start at $6,365).

Scuba divers can float near manta rays at night during a visit to the Big Island of Hawai‘i.

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Manta rays, Kona, Hawai‘i

The Big Island is known for its manta rays, and one of the best places to see them is just offshore from Kona International Airport (KOA) — at night.

There, floodlights attract plankton, which chums up the creatures that remind me of swirling magic carpets.

Divers line up on the ocean floor between 35 and 53 feet deep and shine their lights upward while snorkelers, clinging to flotation devices, point their lights downward. Everybody gets a front-row seat to the performance.

During my trip to see the manta rays, I sat on the rocky ocean bottom for 45 minutes as a 14-foot ray and a pair of 10-footers flapped their enormous wings, making huge looping rolls as they scooped up plankton. Numerous dive shops, including Kona Honu Divers (prices start at $199) and Manta Ray Dives of Hawaii offer the outing as a one-tank night dive ($170).

You also can do the excursion as a snorkeling trip with tour operators including Ocean Encounters ($124) and Big Island Divers (prices start at $129). Although there’s nothing quite like sitting on the ocean floor watching the mantas go by.