Whale Shark
Rhincodon typus
Sighting evidence at Santa Cruz Bay, Huatulco
Photo: Simon Pierce · CC BY-NC
Whale sharks appear at Santa Cruz Bay's outer mouth between November and May, coinciding with upwelling-driven plankton blooms that concentrate their copepod and fish-egg prey near the surface. Individuals are typically 5 to 8 m juveniles, surface-feeding in slow circles that allow snorkel or shallow-dive encounters at 2 to 5 m. Huatulco is one of the least-visited whale shark sites on Mexico's Pacific coast, meaning group sizes are small and encounters feel genuinely wild.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Whale Shark is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.