Researching Isla Mujeres

I had first heard of Isla Mujeres when I was in the Bahamas September of 2022. On dive boats, everybody tends to swap stories about what they have seen, what they want to see, places they have dove, ect. I had mentioned to my newly appointed Dive Buddy, Alan, that I had always wanted to see a Whale Shark! Alan, who was from the UK, told me his last trip was to an island in Mexico where you could swim with them! At the time, all I could remember was it was an island of “women”.

Whale Sharks are filter feeders and can grow up to 39ft long!

After returning for the Bahamas, naturally, it was time to start researching my next trip. After googling “Island of Women, Mexico”, Isla Mujeres popped up! (Isla Mujeres, as I quickly learned, translates to “Island of Women”.)

Isla Mujeres is a hot spot for divers because of it’s beautiful coral reefs, warm waters, and diverse ecosystem. And WHALE SHARKS! After researching more about the Whale Sharks, I learned that the season for seeing them is June- August.

*Just as a note, in the Caribbean and most places around the world, it is illegal to SCUBA with Whale Sharks. Snorkeling is the only means of seeing them in the water.

So at this point, I knew in 2023 between June and August would be my travel dates, it was now time to start looking at flights! (My favorite part!)