La Paz Whale Shark Season
When to swim with whale sharks in La Paz: mid-November to mid-April, best November to January, and why the swim has closed early in some years.
The tours run from about mid-November to mid-April, and November to January is the best time to go. The official window for whale shark watching in La Paz runs from October to April, and a 12-year study of the bay found the juvenile aggregation at its largest between November and January. For the 2026-27 season, the main operators’ calendars on Viator open on 15 November 2026 and close on 15 April 2027 (checked October 2026).
Month by month
| Month | What to expect |
|---|---|
| October | The official window opens, but sharks are still arriving and most tours are not selling yet. |
| November | Calendars open mid-month. The 2025-26 season opened with seven sharks counted in the bay in late November 2025. |
| December and January | The peak. The most sharks, the coldest water of the season (about 20 °C, 68 °F) and the occasional day lost to wind. |
| February | Usually good, but swimming was suspended in February 2023 and paused in February 2024, and in 2025 it closed from late January. |
| March | Numbers thin out. Sunrider’s budget boat stops selling after 15 March. |
| April | The calendars close in mid-April. |
| May to September | No whale shark swims in La Paz. On the Caribbean side, off Holbox and Isla Mujeres, the season runs from about May to September. |
The sharks in the bay are juveniles, mostly males under 8 meters long, and they come to feed on the plankton that concentrates off the El Mogote sandbar. When the plankton thins, so do the sharks, which is why late-season numbers vary so much from year to year.
Why the swim sometimes closes
The management plan for the refuge sets a hard rule: when monitoring counts five whale sharks or fewer in Zone 1, CONANP suspends swimming until numbers recover. It is a conservation rule, not a weather call, and it applies to every operator at once.
Swimming was suspended in February 2023, when monitoring found only two sharks in the bay, paused in February 2024, and closed from late January 2025, after monitoring on 20, 26 and 27 January found between one and nine sharks in the refuge, where operators were used to seeing 30 to 40 (CONANP notices as reported by Zeta Tijuana and the Gringo Gazette, checked October 2026). The 2025-26 season did not close early; reviews of La Paz swims run into mid-April 2026.
For a trip that has to include whale sharks, that makes December and January the safest months, and late February to April the riskiest.
Is the season open right now?
There is no single public switch to check, so look at three things before you travel.
- The operator’s calendar. Tours stop selling dates when the swim is suspended. If a three-hour swim from La Paz shows open dates for your week, it is running.
- Recent reviews. Reviews dated in the last week or two are the quickest sign that boats are going out and finding sharks.
- Local announcements. CONANP and the La Paz municipal tourism office announce openings and suspensions, and the local press reports them.
Book early in your stay
The season also has a weather problem. Strong winds close the bay to all boat tours, and operators usually know a day or two ahead. Book the swim for the first days of your trip, so there is room to move it, and pick a tour with free cancellation. Most of the La Paz swims refund in full up to 24 hours before departure, and several refund you if the daily draw for time slots leaves your boat without one.
The calendar above is Mexico Travel Adventure’s three-hour swim from the Muelle Fiscal, from $123 on GetYourGuide (checked October 2026), with a marine biologist guide and snorkel gear.
Choosing a date and a tour
Swim with Whale Sharks in La Paz
Three hours from the malecón, with a marine biologist. Moves or refunds you if wind or the time-slot draw cancels the day.
Check dates →La Paz Whale Shark Snorkeling Tour and Lunch From Los Cabos
The full day with hotel pickup, lunch and about two hours of road each way. Calendar 15 November to 15 April.
See the day from Cabo →Prices, ratings and review counts from the GetYourGuide listing (checked October 2026) and the Viator listing (checked October 2026). Operators price by season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The rules guide covers what happens in the water, and the price guide what each level of tour includes.
Can't Make These Dates?
Browse More Available Options
Find a tour that fits your schedule. Dates and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Book a Swim Early in Your Stay
The three-hour swim in the calendar above leaves from the Muelle Fiscal on the La Paz malecón, with a marine biologist guide and snorkel gear. If wind or the time-slot draw cancels your day, you can move it or take a full refund.
Check dates for the swim