Whale shark
Rhincodon typus
Where to see it
Open water off both Roatan and Utila, found by boat when birds and tuna mark a bait ball. Utila is where the research and the dedicated trips are. Nobody should promise you one.
When
Historically March and April, with sightings recorded in every month
Status
Endangered
The biggest fish in the sea, a plankton feeder the size of a bus, and the one animal on this list that nobody can plan around. Whale sharks pass both Roatan and Utila; Utila, the next island west, is where the long-running research and the dedicated trips are. Researchers there describe sightings in every month, most around March and April, with a lot of variation from year to year, and in early 2026 divers were reporting fewer than in the past.
A 2025 citizen-science count logged more reports off Roatan than Utila, though that reflects where people were looking as much as where the sharks were. If you get one, it will be at the surface, found by watching for birds and boiling tuna. Swim beside it, never in front, and never touch. Globally the species is Endangered.