Endangered· population decreasing· assessed 2025

Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus

Sighting evidence at Santa Cruz Bay, Huatulco

Photo: Eric · 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

0 records within 25 km

Confidence: low

No date on file

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Whale Shark

Evidence at this site

Also seen at other sites