Isla Holbox

Below you will see my favorite photo that I captured on my second trip to Holbox Island, Mexico. After that is a poem I wrote about Holbox, simply called “Isla Holbox.” “Holbox” is a Yucatec Maya word that means “black hole,” but this gorgeous island definitely is not a black hole.

Isla Holbox 

Poised at the top of the Yucatan Peninsula,
An elongated tilde floating a few miles above the mainland,
Isla Holbox is a Mexican gem few travelers know.

A ferry ride from Chiquilá takes you, but not your car,
To the small town of Holbox where golf cart taxis,
Or your own feet, carry you over the soft sand streets.

Two times I’ve trekked there -- the trip worth the prize:
Whale sharks abound in the Gulf waters from June
To September, feasting on pounds of plankton each day.

Magnificent, gorgeous, docile animals and the world’s 
Largest fish -- swimming with them was my dream,
One that twice came true in the deep, chilly waters near Holbox.

A mid-morning boat ride takes you in search of the sharks,
And once discovered, the small craft rocks hard as it
Circles slowly amid the giant grazers who pay you no heed.

A guide enters the water first and then signals when one is near,
So two snorkelers at a time can go with him to view the 
Whales sharks up close as they feed -- but no touching!

On board, it is hot, and the square canvas isn’t much shade,
But the plunge into cold, deep water instantly sucks all
The heat from your skin and, momentarily, stuns you.

Then you see the great fish, the gorgeous brown creature
With its lines of white dots trailing from head to tail, and the 
Silence of the sea closes around you, and you know pure bliss.

Snorkeling in clear, shallow water later, you see turtles and small,
Colorful fish, but none of them compare to the massive,
Quiet, graceful sharks you traveled so far to swim beside.

Holbox is like those sharks -- laid-back, quiet, and beautiful,
Hard to reach but worth the trip, lesser-known, welcoming
Yet aloof, a treasure to behold, but don’t touch -- don’t spoil it.

The streets are white sand with large dips made by the 
Abundant rainfall that fills the roads until it drains away. They 
Know only the feel of golf carts, small delivery trucks, and sandaled feet.

Vibrant murals, tropically painted houses, blazing white buildings,
The sea shining an array of blues as the sun drags its paintbrush
Across the water -- varied are the colors of Holbox, never the black of its name.

Seabirds calling, waves rushing in, the palapa reeds swishing overhead
As you lie in a hammock, the trawl of a fishing boat slowing as it comes 
Ashore, lively Latin music playing somewhere -- soothing island sounds.

Soft sand underfoot, warm breezes across your skin, salty sea water on 
Your lips after an ocean dip, freshly made ceviche followed by chilled
Xtabentún, lobster pizza and a Coca Lite, tacos y tequila -- qué sabores!

Holbox holds my heart. I went the first time only to see the whale sharks, 
but I fell in love with the island. I returned to see the sharks again and to
Better know the Yucatecan treasure that is Holbox. I yearn to return again.

by: Tammy Marshall

Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

Whale Sharks.

Years ago, I fell in love with whale sharks from afar. Very afar – from a landlocked state that is smack-dab in the middle of the United States. For some utterly inexplicable reason, I had never heard of whale sharks until I was well into my adult years, but once I knew they existed, I was utterly smitten.

I then became obsessed with the idea of swimming with them. Yes, they are sharks, but they are called whales sharks because they are filter-feeders who eat tiny creatures like many whales also do. They are also very large, like a whale, but they are fish and not mammals. The whale sharks are the largest fish in the oceans. They are also docile and seem to enjoy human company. 

When I originally started dreaming about swimming with them someday, I learned that they thrive near the Seychelles, which are quite far away and quite a pretty penny to reach, so I tabled my dream until a day when money would begin to fall from the sky. I also started dreaming about the Seychelles, which are gorgeous and are definitely on my list of places I’d still like to see someday.

Then I somehow heard of the small island of Holbox off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula and the fact that the whale sharks migrate there as they follow their food, plankton, during the months of July through September. 

This couldn´t have been a better discovery for me than if I had somehow waved a wand and made it happen somehow. My dear friend, Silvia, lives in the Yucatan Peninsula, and I have visited her there on several occasions, so we worked Holbox into the plans for my next visit.

This particular visit happened in the summer of 2013.

We visited Playa del Carmen first and spent some time doing things near there before heading to Holbox.

The trip to Isla Holbox from Playa del Carmen was an adventure in itself. Driving on unfamiliar roads for 122 kilometers through dense tropical foliage in a deluge of never-ending rain is enough to make the most intrepid traveler second guess her desire to swim with the largest fish on the planet. But we trekked onward and finally arrived at the small town of Chiquila shortly after the storm finally broke.

Immediately upon our arrival in the small coastal town, a young boy appeared, running alongside our car, and directed us to his family´s (or his employer´s) parking facility. It was a luxury one, let me tell you, with a tin roof covering for the car over a tight spot that barely contained space for her tiny Volkswagen to fit.

From there we took the equally luxurious taxi service of a boy on his converted bicycle who carried our suitcases and our two daughters while my friend and I walked alongside in the newly falling rain. I use sarcasm here, yes, but I loved every minute of the unique experience.

We arrived two blocks later at the dock and bought our tickets (80 pesos each) for the ferry that would take us the short ways to the island of Holbox. Due to the weather, we rode inside instead of on top as we would have liked to have done -- fortunately, on the return trip two days later, the sun was shining and we were able to enjoy a ride in the seats on top of the ferry.

The moment we got to Holbox, I knew it was special. My advance research had prepared me for the lack of cars and the abundance of golf carts, but I was still a bit astounded to see them being used and even painted up as taxis. We hailed one, if you can even call walking up to the nearest waiting driver and asking for a ride "hailing" one.

The streets of the town are all of sand, a very white, soft sand that has been pounded down by the tracks of the golf carts. I did discover a few vehicles besides golf carts on the island, but they were few and far between and most comprised of small motorbikes. People walk or drive their golf carts or ride their bikes.

We stayed at a lovely residence/inn, and the owners´ son was quite helpful in arranging our whale shark excursion; however, arranging one on our own would have been quite easy as there were an abundance of people offering rides out to see and swim with the sharks. (When I returned two years later, though, the Mexican government had stepped in to regulate the whale shark tourism, so it’s done differently there now.)

The following morning we awoke early and awaited our taxi. The man and his golf cart arrived and took us to the dock and walked us to our boat. There were many there awaiting their clients for the day. Each boat was small and could only accommodate six to ten people.

Ours held 10, counting the four of us. In addition, there was our captain, Diego, his assistant, the very talkative and heavily tattooed Marcelo, and our diving guide, Franklin. The others were a polite and quiet family of four and a very annoying late middle-aged couple who monopolized the assistant and made general pests of themselves during the dives. 

When the boats go out, it is anybody´s guess if they will even be able to find the whale sharks. They make no promises. They must go out and search for them, and it is a very big ocean.

We drove for quite a while, and then suddenly the captain pointed ahead and said "delfines." He came to a stop so we could have a good view of the dolphins frolicking and jumping out of the water. We didn´t get close enough for a really good view of them but seeing them in their element was priceless.

Then we continued onward, and some of the passengers even dozed off to the lull of the boat, but not me. I didn´t pay 100 dollars to take a nap on a boat. I love looking at the water because I live nowhere near it in my real life, so the view itself was worth the money paid, and I reveled in it.

Then, quite suddenly, we came upon a collection of boats bobbing up and down in the water, and the moment I´d long dreamed about was there. Whale sharks! A bunch of them were feeding on plankton and swimming around the boats and near the people already in the water with them.

We slowed and came to a stop. And that´s when it hit all of us. Seasickness. Horrible, horrendous, hideous seasickness. We hadn´t felt it at all while the boat was clipping along over the waves, but once we started bobbing up and down with the waves, we all felt very nauseous.

Two men from the quiet family of four were suddenly vomiting over the side of the boat. At least my daughter and I managed to quash our need to hurl even though it was quite overpowering. My friend also managed to remain vomit-free, but her young daughter got quite ill, and she had to spend the whole time consoling her while the rest of us took our turns with the great fish.

Naturally, the annoying couple had to be the first ones in the water. You can only go in two at a time with the guide, and you must jump in quickly when a shark swims by and then attempt to swim fast enough to keep up with it long enough to get a good look at it.

My daughter and I were the last to go in. Right before I jumped, a wave of nausea hit me hard, but I kept it down and managed to get into the water without throwing up on the way down. Being in the cool sea helped immensely and the seasickness vanished right away. The waters of the Gulf of Mexico are quite chilly, but they are a welcome shock to a system that is on the verge of throwing up.

Sadly, I had a faulty mask and didn´t realize it until later, so water kept rushing into my nose and I did more gagging on salt water than actual viewing of the sharks on my first time in the water. The reason to go two at a time is so that you can hold the guide´s hands as he attempts to keep you alongside the nearest shark, so as I tried to hold his hand and keep my face in the water, my problems intensified as the water rushed in and caused me to gag. 

The giant fish are just that --giant fish. They are breathtaking, though, and at no time did I feel any fear of them or of the deep water we were in. This was mostly due to me trying to breathe and stay alive despite the water flowing up my nose!

Photo by Jeremiah Del Mar on Unsplash

We discovered that whale sharks are very quick, and as soon as one appears he also quickly disappears. They are also very difficult to see from above in the boat because their coloration blends in perfectly with the water in which they swim. Below water, though, they are breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly massive!

I took a second turn in the water with the annoying woman who swam off by herself and left me alone with Franklin, which was fine with me since he found a beautiful manta ray swimming nearby and pulled me along behind it a ways. I also spent more time in the water actually seeing the sharks this time despite the fact that I still had the faulty mask --I just focused more on holding my breath and looking than on actually attempting to snorkel the way I was supposed to be doing.

You can´t touch the whale sharks, and I doubt I would want to anyway, although I can imagine a lot of selfish people out there who would want to do just that. They glide by so quickly that it would be difficult to catch up to one fast enough to touch it anyway, but they don´t need to be touched to be admired and appreciated. (On my second trip to swim with them in 2015, though, I got thumped on the shoulder by one, and it was incredible!)

I still cannot believe that I did it. I swam with whale sharks. I completed a dream. And I went back and did it again two years later with a prescription snorkeling mask of my own that didn’t leak and that let me see the giant fish in all their glory instead of as large, blurry shapes. You can be certain that I want to swim with them again, preferably at Holbox because it’s one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited, but I’d be open to swimming with whale sharks anywhere.

Holbox is a long, narrow island with a small population. I hope it remains that way and that cars continue to be banned and that the streets never get paved. I hope the whale sharks continue to thrive and return there each summer and that the number of people wanting to go out and swim with them is abundant yet not to the point where the selfishness and greediness of humans end up harming the most magnificent creature in the sea.

Going after your dreams:

Continue reading for some advice about going after your dreams.