caj13 - 12-10-2019 at 07:46 AM
Ok now for a tourista question. My brother and his wife will be joining us in Los Barriles for Chrissmas. I'm thinking we need to head up to La Paz
and do one of the swim with the whale sharks excursions.
anyone have any recommendations as to best provider - or more importantly companies/ individuals to avoid?
BajaBlanca - 12-10-2019 at 08:01 AM
Last year we went with an outfit next door to the Burger King. They were really nice and I did a trip report but neither of us remember the names so
I will have to back track and get back to you.
ncampion - 12-10-2019 at 09:21 AM
Went there about three weeks ago and stayed at La Perla Hotel and just took their recommendation. The boats all leave from the pier right across the
street. Actually I think they are all about the same unless you want to spring for a "private" boat. All the boats have to be licensed to enter the
area and no pleasure/private boats are even allowed in. The boats all have to check in with a gatekeeper and only so many boats are allowed in the
area at a time. We had to wait almost an hour before we were allowed to enter the area. If possible find a boat that goes out early in the morning
before the wind comes up. Expect to be on a panga with 10 - 15 other people and be prepared to swim fast to keep up with the sharks. Even though
they look like they're just cruising around slowly, it takes a pretty good swimmer to keep up with them and they don't just stop and let you take
pictures. They also only allow 5 people to be around the shark at a time and no touching! All in all it was a good experience, the guide was good
and knowledgeable and the boat well equipped. Lots of regulations now so the experience is pretty limited, you may be out there for several hours to
get 10 minutes with the sharks. I believe the cost was $1500 pesos plus a tip.
Alan - 12-10-2019 at 09:30 AM
Now that I can't just go out there with my own boat anymore I recommend booking through the Cortez Club at the La Concha Hotel. The air and water can
be a little chilly at this time of year unless you are Canadian. 
At
least with the Cortez Club that can usually provide wetsuits and they are the closest outfitter to the whale shark area.
Someone mentioned the best times to go and they were correct. Usually it is best to try to go in the mornings. The typical diurnal winds begin with
a moderate N-NW wind that usually settles down around 10:00 and then the afternoon winds will start picking up around 12:30 -1:00
bajamary1952 - 12-10-2019 at 10:31 AM
I have been on 2 whale shark trips with Benjamin Duarte (on Facebook La Paz) in December. First time only saw a few not above water; second time saw
20+ & managed to get photos from boat. Remember that viewing all wildlife is solely timing & luck esp. whales.
RnR - 12-10-2019 at 10:33 AM
The above replies are right on. Have been out with several different operators and the experiences have been comparable. The area is highly regulated
and all operators follow a strict protocol.
Only other comment is to book directly with one of the shops. There are a lot of salesmen hanging around the Malecon that will sign you up, but
somewhere, you are paying a commision to someone.
Some other comments about the experience (and not the operators)
If there are a lot of sharks, each boat gets their own shark and can stay up to a couple of hours. If there are only a few sharks, the boats rotate
and take turns to share the shark. One trip, we spent 2 1/2 hrs with our "own" shark. Everybody on the boat spent as much time in the water as they
wanted to.
The sharks are either feeding on plankton/krill or swimming around and looking for plankton/krill. If they are feeding, they are essentially
stationary in one place and you can just float around with them for as long as you want to. If they are searching for food, you will have a difficult
time keeping up with them as they go by and you may only get a minute or two of close viewing.
Watch out for the tail if they are swimming. It is six+ ft tall and you will definitely feel it if you are too close.
caj13 - 12-13-2019 at 12:46 PM
Thanks for all the info everyone. i ended up going with LapazVIPtours. Lots of good recommendations from people over on BPE. They were pretty much
booked over the holidays, lucky I got in when someone else cancelled.
[Edited on 12-13-2019 by caj13]