Whalesharks at Exmouth

I can't remember when it was, but I do know it was a long time ago, that Carolyn and I were watching a documentary on TV, all about Whale Sharks, and there were people in the water swimming with them. I remember the look on Carolyn's face as she said, "one day I'm going to do that!" Well friends, that day has been and gone, as yesterday we spent the most unbelievable day, swimming in the Indian Ocean, with these huge and majestic creatures. It was just wonderful!!!!

The amazing Whale Shark.

We chose "Ningaloo Whale Sharks", www.ningaloowhalesharks.com  from the large number of

Coming to pick us up.

operators who do tours. They have their own dedicated

Ready to find Whale Sharks.

spotter plane to find the elusive Whale Sharks.We cannot speak highly enough of the crew at Ningaloo Whale Sharks. From the time I phoned to get information on the tour, up until they dropped us back at the caravan park, everyone had been so friendly and helpful. Given that we are seniors these days, we were apprehensive about our ability to snorkel in the open ocean for any length of time, so we had lots of questions, to which they gave us nothing but assurances, and on the day they delivered!

Sucker fish follow the whale shark

Keep clear of that tail.

Now I know they can't lay claim to the perfect weather on the day, but it certainly helped, as you will see from the amazing photos, most of which were taken by staff photographer Morgan on the day, and purchased by us on disk at the end of the tour. At $50.00 for every photo he took on the day, we thought that was pretty reasonable, and no way we could get memories like these ourselves. I also hired an underwater camera for an extra $50.00, to take our own shots while swimming and snorkeling the reef, which worked out well, as I got all my shots on a Cd at the end of the day. We were picked up at 7.20am from the caravan park, and joined 18 other lucky people, for what would prove to be one of the greatest wildlife days of our lives. Viewing the whale sharks is highly regulated, which is great to see, and even though there were lots of boats running tours, only one boat at a time is allowed on a shark, and only ten snorkelers at a time in the water, to swim with that Whale shark.

Wonderful colors on Ningaloo Reef.

A Green turtle swam by.

When safely on board, we were all fitted with our snorkeling gear. Our group included a French family, German, American and British tourists, and a few Aussies. Ages ranged from 5 to 65, no guessing who was at the top end of that scale!!! We pottered out to a place on Ningaloo Reef, and all went into the water, divided into two groups of 10, to do a little guided snorkeling tour. During this time, we were all assessed as to what, if any, additional assistance we may require in the water, when the real action started. The sea life on the reef was fantastic,

Carolyn with the Whale Shark.

John swimming with the Whale Shark.

with amazing corals, lots of different fish, and even stingrays, turtles and small reef sharks. Back on board, some of the gear was altered as required, and we headed off outside the reef in search of Whale Sharks. Along the way we enjoyed morning tea, whilst Captain "Beam me Up Scotty" Kirk, communicated with the spotter plane circling above us. Didn't take long, and the first Whale Shark was spotted. We quickly headed over, and one of the crew was quickly in the water to locate the shark, and determine whether it would be comfortable around people, and also to determine its swimming direction. Once that is all done, it is go go go, and the first ten snorkelers are in the water, whilst the next ten get ready to go. We were in

Feeding on plankton.

Surrounded by 100's of fish.

the first group, but last into the water, and missed the shark as he dived into the depths. We couldn't believe it, when the crew told us that we could go first, with the other group, when the next shark was located. It was only a matter of minutes, and soon we were face to face with our first Whale Shark. This one was big, at around 6 metres, and it just glided along surrounded by its entourage of sucker fish. We just swam along beside it for quite some time, before we pulled aside to let the next ten snorkelers in for their turn. We

There he goes.

Coming along for the ride.

clambered back on board the boat, and waited to go again. Eventually this Whale Shark did a dive, and we went in search of another, All in all, we found six sharks on the day, and we got to have an extended swim with three of them. We just can't describe how we were feeling, being in the water with such a huge thing. We never felt frightened or concerned, too much adrenalin for that!!

We found out a lot about Whale Sharks. They are a shark, not a whale. They still remain quite a mystery, as even though they are now tagged, they swim below the surface and therefore radio

Spectacular Coral.

Carolyn with Wally the Whale Shark.

trackers don't work. They are tracked by their spots, which are unique to each one, meaning the photos that get taken are sent to a central location for comparison and identification. They can dive to depths of 2000 metres, and can live up to 100 years. They grow up to 9 metres in length! They come to Ningaloo Reef each year from April to July after the coral spawns, to feed in the plankton rich waters. Then they head off to who knows where! In case you are wondering, there is no touching the sharks. By law, you must stay 3 metres away from the sides of the shark, and 4 metres from that enormous tail. The only touching allowed is Wally, the boat mascot, who had been in the care of Rose, our youngest snorkeller. She did let Carolyn have a cuddle!

Giant clam.

More coral and fish.

With it becoming increasingly difficult to find more Whale Sharks, we headed back inside the reef to find a quiet spot for lunch, and some more amazing snorkeling. Lunch was great,with sandwiches and salads, and then it was back in the water. The sea life was incredible. It is very different to the Great Barrier Reef, but is nonetheless beautiful. The range and colours of the fish and coral was simply amazing. There are so many different and
beautiful fish, and the water is so clear. You just don't want to leave the water. But sadly, there is

Even more coral and fish.

Beautiful Parrot Fish.

a time when the anchor has to come up, and we must head for home. We all move out on the bow of the boat or up onto the fly bridge, to see if we can spot more sea life. We find a pod of dolphins, but they are not in a playful mood. We also find a Leatherback Turtle, but he took one look and headed for the bottom. All around, the sea is alive with surface fish, thought to be small tuna, shear waters are having a great time feasting, and there a flying fish skimming across the surface. It is all just simply amazing.

Last one in......

We arrived back at shore exhausted from a day in the sun, swimming with the Whale Sharks. Celeste, our tour leader played question and answer with us on the way home, with lollies as prizes. It was a lot of fun. Without the games there would have been a lot of snoring!!! We got back to the caravan park and had a wonderful shower, then cracked a coldie and sat in our recliner chairs, pinching ourselves and saying "did we really see all that today???" I can tell you, we were in bed early that night, and dreaming of Whale Sharks. What a wonderful lot of memories we have!!