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Whale Sharks. The largest of the shark species. A gentle giant of the sea that so many of us yearn to swim alongside. The Maldives is the only location in the world that Whale Sharks can be seen year-round. Well, ethically that is. The Philippines also boasts year-round sightings but that’s because they bait them and disrupt their migration habits. Panama and Mexico also have ethical Whale Shark sightings but it’s only at very limited times of the year. So is swimming with whale sharks in the Maldives worth it? This blog post will dive into my experience snorkeling with whale sharks in the Maldives and hopefully help you decide if it’s worthy of your bucketlist.
There are lots of different sharks in the Maldives to swim with. Check out my full list of Maldives excursions for more information.
Let’s start with the logistics. Here’s how to swim with Whale Sharks in the Maldives.
Best Time to See Whale Sharks in the Maldives
Fortunately for you, Whale Sharks are present year-round in the waters of the Indian Ocean. There is no Whale Shark season in the Maldives. The water is clearest in the January-March months which makes for perfect snorkeling conditions. Unlike the Maldives Manta Rays which definitely have a season (The best time to see Manta Rays in the Maldives is May- November when the plankton in the water is at its peak).
The Maldives Whale Shark research programme is a charity that is protecting and monitoring the Whale Sharks in the region. They monitor their migration habits and track individuals across the ocean.
Whale Shark Snorkeling Maldives Price?
What does it cost to snorkel with whale sharks? Anywhere from $90-300 per person depending on where you book. Here’s a look at all the islands that offer reasonable whale shark tour prices.
Best Maldives Island to Book Your Whale Shark Excursion
You should also try whale shark diving in the Maldives for the closest encounter with the floating giants.
1. Whale Shark Tour in Dhigurah
This is the closest inhabited island to the Whale Sharks. It’s also not that popular of an island and therefore you won’t have 20 people in your tour group. This is hands down the best place for whale shark watching.
Usual group size for a whale shark tour in Dhigurah: 4-8
Cost of a whale shark group tour in Dhigurah: $100 per person.
2. Whale Shark Tour in Fulidhoo
Another island in the general vicinity of the whale sharks offering tours to see the incredible animals.
Usual group size for a whale shark tour in Fulidhoo: 4-8
Cost of a whale shark group tour in Fulidhoo: $130 per person.
3. Whale Shark Tour in Maafushi/Gulhi
I have a full guide to the island of Gulhi. Maafushi makes this list because it’s the most popular place to go on a Whale Shark tour. It’s the easiest of the islands to access from Male and has by far the most tourists. This means the tours go daily in high season and are far cheaper (and much larger in size).
Usual group size for a whale shark tour in Maafushi: 20+
Cost of a whale shark group tour in Maafushi: $100 per person.
Best Resort for Whale Sharks (Maldives)
Resorts are definitely more expensive when it comes to booking a whale shark tour. We recommend Kuramathi if you want to experience a luxury resort because they are 100% Maldivian owned, environmentally friendly, and offer whale shark excursions with their on-site marine biologist. They make a huge effort to get you in the water as long as possible with the Whale Sharks and the experience, albeit expensive, is much better than the one offered by the inhabited islands on budget tours. The cost is around $260 per person.
Read our entire post about our luxury stay at Kuramathi Resort in an overwater bungalow.
Our Experience Swimming with Whale Sharks in the Maldives
It was supposed to be a full day of rather relaxing snorkeling under the Maldivian sun. If we were lucky, we would encounter spotted whale sharks, gaping mouth manta rays, and a few sea turtles munching on some coral.
Spoiler: we were lucky.
But the sea had other plans. Despite the cloudless sky above the ocean was a tempest. Seemingly small waves, no more than a few feet high, but on our 8-seater speedboat we roared over the white crests coming down on the other side with a spine-wrenching boom. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the sea that made this experience less than perfect. The sad truth is the idea of swimming with Whale Sharks no longer matches the reality.
It was 10 seconds of slow floating bliss. We held hands floating 20 feet above and watched the whale shark we had unintentionally chased around the globe (missing out on seeing them in Mexico, Panama, and the Philippines) scoot along the ocean floor. Then that peaceful little moment was shattered. It was a tangle of blue plastic fins and flailing hands. Dozens of GoPro welding tourists, some who had seemingly never snorkeled or perhaps swam before, moved en mass. The desperation was palpable. Everyone wanted a photo of the rare elusive creature before he descended into the depths again. The mass gave chase itching to prolong their moment with the shark as we had all sat in the blazing sun for hours waiting for just this very moment. Dozens of kicking clawing humans chased this magical monster for a couple of hundred feet before he lurched into the dark blue depths.
The Problem.
Rather than the serenity of nature in a wild and unfamiliar environment, I was struck by the chaos. The human selfishness, as people clawed past one another. Some barely keeping afloat wearing not one but TWO life jackets. The dangerous scenario unfolding before my eyes. Any one of these people would likely use another as a floatation device in a moment of panic. It sure didn’t help that the see was a churning choppy mess rather than a glassy pool as it had been the week before.
You see the problem is there are too many of us. Travelers that is. Well humans in general, but I won’t go into that here. Travel has become so accessible and so comfortable that we’ve ruined these once-special moments. Too many of us want to see these incredible once hard-to-reach places and animals. That should be a good thing. But instead, we ruin them with our sheer numbers.
No one wants to see them this way. But we do all want to see them.
I don’t know what the solution is— but I know that I won’t swim with Whale Sharks again. Anywhere you can buy a ticket to find one particular animal is bound to feel this way. Instead, I’ll visit parks with a wide variety of animals, few tourists, or encounter them on my own in the wild. Like how we chose Wilpattu in Sri Lanka rather than the more popular Yala.
That one spot in the Indian Ocean is known for whale sharks. Therefore all the hotels, resorts, inhabited islands, guesthouses — whatever, send their boats packed with travelers there. Some days there are hundreds. All for a fleeting glimpse of nature. In an “ethical” way. There’s no touching and no feeding. But how ethical is chasing around a massive sea critter with large boats and selfie sticks? It’s just too much.
Is Whale Shark Snorkeling in the Maldives Worth it?
Considering both the financial and emotional toll— I give it an emphatic maybe. $100-$130 per person is a hefty price tag for what is likely to be 1 minute or less of frantic swimming semi-near a whale shark. And the experience I described above was less than ideal.
But it’s still a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Did I do it? Yes. Do I regret it? Not really. But would I do it again? No. It’s quite put me off large animal encounters in general. So, all I can do is give you the information so that you can make an informed decision and not be devastated when you realize it’s not just you and the shark out there.
And I’m not a complete idiot. I knew there would be plenty of other tourists there. It’s an incredible experience after all. But I was shocked at the sheer numbers and chaos of it all.
I think that the Maldives still offers the best experience in the world for swimming with whale sharks. The water is crystalline and blue. Whale shark sightings are common and the locals make every effort to keep it as ethical as possible. Let me know if you swam with whale sharks and had a different experience than I did!
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