Yes, that’s me! This photo is about 12 yrs old now, but whenever I think of my experience diving with whale sharks…I am just awestruck!
These gentle beasts are the size of a bus, and are majestic giants in the ocean. They are the biggest fish in the oceans, and the biggest shark! They are actually sharks, not whales, but they call them whale sharks because they look more like whales, and such a gigantic size that people mistook them for whales.
I lived in Australia in 1994-1995, and enjoyed every single minute of it…I almost didn’t come home…LOL
Before I traveled back to my native Canada, I had the amazing opportunity to backpack around that great country for 1 month. My family and friends put their input into what they thought I should go see, etc., but I already had my plan…
I lived in Perth, Western Australia, and instead of visiting the big tourist cities such as Sydney and Brisbane, I revealed my greatest desire…To go straight into the outback and see what Australia is all about. I traveled from Perth, WA to Alice Springs & Ayers Rock in Central Australia, then up to Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, and I followed the coast all the way back down to Perth, stopping in fabulous little nooks and cities along the way!
On this trip, I had a stop in Exmouth, Western Australia, near the end of my wondrous journey…And, yes, I decided to go all out and go diving (well, snorkeling really) with whale sharks for 1 day. I contacted a diving company/outfitter that takes experts and newbies alike (such as myself) out on tours between March & May to spot whale sharks and swim with them.
It is a huge operation really. We went out on a great boat into the ocean (pretty far off shore…I mean, I couldn’t see any land in sight), and they have planes and/or helicopters spotting whale sharks, and directing the boats. The boats go in that direction and are told where to let off the snorkelers. There were about 12 of us on-board. We were never guaranteed to actually see these rare creatures who grace us with their presence in very few parts of the globe. Much of their lives is not extensively researched and unknown.
Well, before we knew it, we had found ourselves a whale shark. Wow, I thought! The guides tell us to jump off the left side of the boat (we have wet suits and fins, equipped with snorkels and masks). I was a little frightened as I had never snorkeled or dove before. I excitedly plunged in, and when the bubbles fizzled up and cleared, boom, there was an enormous whale shark, mouth open whilst feeding, about 2 meters in front of me, coming straight for me. I just happened to jump right in front of it…
As I hurriedly and, I must admit, with a little bit of panic, I started kicking to back up and off to the side of the shark. It’s mouth was bigger than me in both directions, and it was a huge, gaping hole. Well, I happened to slightly kick the shark with my fin as I tried to swim out of the way. I by no means hurt the animal; on the contrary, I think it just was curious as to what I was. So, now, I have the whale shark turning to follow me to figure out what exactly I am. Now, I am a little scared; okay, quite a bit…
All of the other snorkelers were thinking this show was fantastic and were taking underwater video and photos of the whole thing. I’m thinking, ok, someone help me!!! Well, the estimated 15 ton whale shark caught up, and turned it’s eye, which is on the side of it’s head, and had a good look at me. It was satisfied with that, turned the other way, and allowed us to swim and follow it for a good 30 more minutes before it sped up and dove into the depths away from us. The whale sharks typically swim around 3 mph…a pretty good clip if you ask me, when you are a newbie “marathon” swimmer.
Whale sharks don’t eat people (don’t worry), although their name suggests something completely different. These sharks actually eat plankton, etc. When we were snorkeling with the whale sharks, it happened to be jellyfish mating season, and the water was decorated with pink confetti-like eggs (as you may see the pink flecks in my photos)…It really was a site to see! Wet suits were absolutely necessary, as a few of us even got stung on the tops of our feet that were exposed outside of the flippers…But, needless to say, the whale sharks love jellyfish season because there is literally tons to eat!
All in all, we had a great whale sharking day! We got to swim with 4 whale sharks, and this occupied us for most of the day.
While waiting in between whale shark sightings, we also got to swim with a school of huge tuna, and a group of rays…
We even had the chance to catch up with some dolphins, but they tried to evade us, and we just puttered around inside of the reef for a while, where I actually got stung in the face by a jellyfish. I didn’t even see it coming. I was coming up for air, and there it was right at the top of the water. And there I was with a huge, fat lip…Very attractive. Yes, it hurt, but I went on like a trooper to continue my snorkeling.
What an absolute blast! This was probably thee most amazing thing I have ever had the privilege to do. I would do it again in a heart beat. Who knows, maybe I’ll see the same whale shark I saw 12 yrs ago, since they live 100-150 yrs!
The whale sharks are a rare and wonderful beauty.
Whale Shark Classification:
| Kingdom Animalia (animals) Phylum Chordata SubPhylum Vertebrata (vertebrates) Class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) Subclass Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) Order Orectolobiformes Family Rhincodontidae Genus Rhincodon Species typusReferences: (Col, Jeananda. Zoom Sharks. http://www.ZoomSharks.com 1996) |
I hope you enjoyed my story and photos. Come back soon and explore!
Live Exotically,
Kimberly Edwards 
P.S. For more great information on the Whale Shark, please check out this book. It is a thorough examination of the lives of whale sharks.
Technorati Tags: whale shark, snorkel, Western Australia, diving, shark, Ningaloo Reef
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