Mexico: An action-packed week in tropical Cancun

Mar 9 2010 by Chloe Griffiths, Liverpool Echo

Chloe Griffiths dives into an action-packed week in tropical Cancun

WHEN I say ‘listo’ put both your legs over the side, then when I shout ‘agua’ I want you to jump in and swim as hard as you can. Our captain spelt out his orders.

As the instructions came I swung my first flippered foot, then the second, over the side of the small fishing boat and pushed myself overboard.

Plunging into the depths of the Caribbean, I frantically waited for the bubbles to clear so I could catch my first glimpse of the creature I had travelled more than 5,000 miles to see.

But as the froth faded, I was suddenly face-to-face with it.

More than 10 metres long and with its huge, metre-wide mouth stuffed with 3,000 teeth gaping open, I was seconds from being swallowed.

But as I swam away, this giant creature of the deep simply followed me. No matter which way I turned, it was still behind me. Until, after what seemed like an eternity, it dived deeper and passed beneath my body. With heart pounding, I looked down – the whale shark had gone, but a stingray was serenely hovering underneath me.

Every year, between May and September hundreds of whale sharks, the world’s largest species of fish and biggest shark, converge in the tropical waters just north of the Isla Mujeres in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. I had set off from Cancun on an eco-friendly trip to swim with these gentle giants about two hours before fearing I would not be lucky enough to see even one. But instead I got up close and personal with about 50.

Yet according to our captain, this was a slow day.

Here the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico meet creating a seven miles area rich with plankton which sparks these normally solitary creatures into a feeding frenzy, gathering together in groups of up to 300 on the surface.

So once we had spotted the first fin, it was not long before we were surrounded by dozens of these gentle giants of the deep.

After several previous doomed attempts to swim with whale sharks, for me it was a dream to come. But while swimming with these mysterious creatures was the undoubted highlight of my trip, this attraction-laden corner of Mexico certainly has a bewildering array of activities to satisfy every dreamer.

Many people, understandably, jet into Cancun to lounge on the glorious white powder beaches and let the warm seas of the Caribbean lap at their feet, but for the more adventurous there is a whirl-wind of options. We had started the week with a venture away from Mexico’s coastline, down into the underworldly experience of Rio Secreto, a magnificent underground river system. With only our head torches for light, we descended beneath the surface to walk, paddle and swim along 600m of the network, from one fabulous chamber to another admiring a breathtaking spectacle of rock formations.

The following day we were back outdoors and in the tropical surroundings of the "biggest natural aquarium in the world" to try what is, for many, another top 10 experience. It was my third time swimming with dolphins, but that removed none of the magic, especially in the paradise setting of Xel Ha. This giant tropical outdoor park offers an array of water-based activities in glorious surroundings.surrounded by glorious flora and fauna, including giant parrots, lizards and an array of exotic fish more beautiful than any tank.