Whale Shark season officially begins May 15, 2013

May 4, 2013 by

Snorkel with Whale SharksIn Cancun we have the unique opportunity to snorkel with Whale Sharks when they migrate through our area from mid-May until mid-September every year. For the 2013 season, tours begin May 15th.

Whale Sharks are not actually “sharks”. They feed on plankton and they have no teeth. The average adult whale shark is 32 feet long and weights 9 tons.

Tours leave from Puerto Juarez, just 10 minutes north of Cancun. The boats are small and usually only hold 8-10 passengers. It takes 45 minutes to 90 minutes to get to where the whale sharks are swimming in the ocean. Once there, we take turns snorkeling beside these giant fish.

The tour costs $179 per person. You should be a good swimmer for this tour since you are out in the ocean. Every time we have gone out to see the Whale Sharks we also see lots of sea turtles and manta rays too. You can book your Whale Shark Snorkel here.

Filed Under: About Cancun, Things to do in Cancun, Travel Info, Trip Reports Tagged With: , , ,

April 2013 Weather in Cancun

April 30, 2013 by

April is a beautiful and busy time in Cancun. The Spring Breakers are gone. The pools are not frigid. The weather is warm, but not blazing hot like in the summer. April is Cancun’s driest month with just an average of 2 rain days, however this year has been extraordinarily dry.

High temps average 88.7 F (31.5 C) with low temperatures at 74 F (23.4 C) which is a pleasant temperature for anything you want to do outdoors. The water temp is a perfect 80 F (27 C).

April Weather in Cancun

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March 2013 Weather in Cancun

March 31, 2013 by

March in Cancun is a crazy, beautiful time. The beaches are full of young bodies on Spring Break. Be prepared for crowded bars and night clubs that party until well after daylight.
The weather is all over the place…warm and sunny 85F one day and cold and rainy the next. We have put away our warm blankets 3 times, only to get them back out a few days later.

It is quite windy also. There were many days with strong winds which causes the ports to close. In Cancun there is a port authority that determines when it is too windy to allow boats on the ocean. On windy days your fishing, snorkeling and diving tours will be cancelled.

March weather in Cancun

Filed Under: About Cancun, Travel Info, Weather Report

Immigration and Customs forms Mexico and United States

March 21, 2013 by

When you leave the US or Canada for your vacation in Mexico, be prepared to fill out Customs and Immigration forms. It is helpful to know what these forms look like and what questions you will be asked.

The first two scans are your FMM, or Tourist Visa. You will be given this form to fill out while on the plane before you arrive to Mexico. This is a simple form that just requires the info directly off your passport.

When you arrive to Cancun International Airport, the first stop after getting off the plane will be at Immigration. Here the immigration officer will take the FMM form you filled out, keep the blue side and give you back the green side. The blue side is your Entry into Mexico and the green side is your departure visa when you leave Mexico. It is VERY IMPORTANT to keep the green part (with your passport) as you MUST have this to leave Mexico. What happens if you lose your FMM Tourist Visa while in Mexico. Every person must fill this out.

Also during your flight to Mexico you will be given a Customs Declaration form. Each head of household needs to fill this out. Again it asks for your basic passport info, how long you will be in Mexico, and how much luggage you have. Most importantly it asks if you are carrying 10,000 US Dollars or more, any meat, food, plants, chemicals, weapons, or merchandise for which you need to pay duty.

After you land and clear immigration, your next stop will be to pickup your luggage and go to customs. Your luggage will go through x-ray and you will hand the customs agent the form. There is a button that each person must push. If the button light turns green then you proceed to pickup your scanned luggage. If the button light turns red, your luggage will be searched.

When you leave Mexico you will surrender your FMM Tourist Visa and you will fill out the US Customs Declaration form. The US wants to know about your travel, where you’ve been and where you are going. The form asks again if you are bringing cash, meat, plants, merchandise, etc. You will give this form to the Customs agent when you land in the US.

For more information about traveling to Mexico and the paperwork you need to fill out, please visit http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information.

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Daylight Saving Time – Mexico changes time 1 month after the US and Canada 2013

March 10, 2013 by

Except for the border states, Mexico daylight saving time begins at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in April. Daylight saving time ends on the last Sunday in October. However those are different dates than in the US and in Canada. There is almost a full month of confusion between the date the US changes time and date Mexico changes time.

2013 Daylight Saving Time Dates
Set Clock ahead Set Clock back
USA & Canada March 10 November 4
Mexico April 7 October 27

Exceptions: State of Sonora and Ten Municipalities along the northern border.

Here in Cancun we are on Central Standard Time, but from March 10th to April 7th we are on a different CST than in the US and Canada. Crazy, right?

Many people are confused during this time, especially when it comes to their [Read more…]

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