Whale Shark

As the largest fish in the world, and the world’s largest fish, the whale shark is perhaps the most sought after marine encounter by scuba divers. Despite the mythical status given to them, whale sharks are actually common in several places around the world, where currents, food and water temperature converge in a convenient feeding place. With increased protection in more countries worldwide, the populations of whale sharks are rebounding, however, they are still endangered from shark finning. Despite research, very little is known about the whale shark and breeding and migration routes are still a mystery to scientists.

Encounters :

Often seen while snorkeling (because the sharks feed at the surface) divers have also seen whale sharks at depths of up to 20 meters; due to the speed of whale sharks swimming rate, vigorous kicking is often needed to keep up with their pace. Touching, moving in front of or pulling a fin is illegal in some countries (such as Australia and the Maldives) and should never be attempted: the tail fin can knock a diver unconscious with just one flick.

South Ari Atoll in the Maldives has regular encounters with whale sharks year round, and is a mecca for European divers (though is little known by divers from North America).

The east African country of Djibouti has a long whale shark season, and with the fantastic untouched reefs, stark volcanic landscapes and white salt Lakes of Abbe and Assal, the country is a fascinating place, rarely visited by westerners and is the perfect place for divers looking for an off the beaten track destination.

Exmouth, Western Australia boasts a 3 month season from March to May each year, where snorkelers are directed to the whale sharks by spotter planes flying over Ningaloo Reef.

Western Australia's Christmas Island features a long whale shark season, with a world famous crab migration each Nov/Dec, where millions of crabs march to the sea to lay their eggs.

Scientific Name:

Rhincodon Typus

Diet:

Krill and small crustaceans

Basic Facts:
Found in all the world’s oceans (except Mediterranean)

Prefers waters 30 degrees N to 35 degrees S;

Prefers water temperature to be 21 to 25 degrees C;

Grows up to 20 meters long;

Gives birth to live young;

Is a close relative of the basking shark;

Listed on CITES treaty for protection

 

Whale Shark Research & Conservation Projects :

Darwin Initiative www.darwin.co.uk

Utila Whale Shark Research www.utilawhalesharkresearch.com

Ecocean Research, Australia www.whaleshark.org

CSIRO www.marine.csiro.au

Diving With Whale Sharks

Contact Dave, he has dived and snorkeled with Whale Sharks in the South Ari Atoll, Maldives. Here, near Maamagili, an important administrative island on the southern curve of this large atoll, whale sharks congregate in large numbers almost year round. (In fact, in the summer months, it's common to see whale sharks and manta rays, on the same day!) They come to feed on the concentration of plankton helped by the unusual shape of the island of Maamagili, where strong currents push the soup into concentrated clouds where these giants gorge themselves.

Diving with whale sharks is more difficult to predict that snorkeling with them; they are often scared off by the boat's motor, and the air bubbles from scuba tanks can also frighten them away, especially young ones. Snorkeling is a better option: they often congregated off the reef edge at, and you can slip into the water, snorkel out over the shallow corals, and there they are, suspended in that distinctive color of water the Maldives are famous for, their spotted skin dappled by shafts of lift filtering down through the water column.....

Though these are the largest fish in the sea, they can sometimes be missed....on one dive in the North Male Atoll, a group was exploring a shallow reef teeming with fish life so intently that, when an enormous shadow darkened the sea floor, nobody looked up, thinking it was a dive boat or a local dhoni traveling to the island. Upon surfacing, the dive staff were ecstatic, imagining the encounter we must have just experienced: one of the largest whale sharks they had ever seen (estimated at 6 meters plus) had swum overhead, but no one had seen it!

Questions about diving with Whale Sharks? Contact Dave here.

Photo: Courtesy of Christmas Island Tourism Association