It's whale sharking day. It was an early start and a long day on the boat. First stop was the dive shop to pick up wet suits and any other equipment we needed, then we headed to the boat. I didn't know a lot about whale sharks before today but here's the basics from the Ningaloo Reef Dive website:
"This fish, the largest of the shark family and the largest fish in the world, is a
harmless plankton eater. Reported to reach 18 metres (60ft) but averages 12 metres (40ft) in length, the whale shark is easily identified by its huge size, wide mouth and distinctive pattern of white spots. Thought to mainly inhabit worldwide temperate and tropical seas, it is rarely seen in shallow coastal waters, but is a daily visitor to the Ningaloo Reef every year between late March to June or July when up to 12 whale sharks have been spotted close to the reef feeding on the plankton in the nutrient rich waters"
A lot of the m
orning was spent with the boat crew explaining the rules of swimming with whale sharks and what would happen if a shark was spotted. Basically a spotter plane flies ahead to try to find a shark. If they spot one they radio to the boat and the boat tries to get to the shark as fast as possible. We were divided into two groups as only 10 people are allowed swim with a shark at a time. There are lots of rules about not swimming in front of a shark , or diving below the shark, and keeping 5 metres away from it etc. I have to admit I felt quite nervous by the time everything had been explained. Then we were all dropped off the boat to go for a snorkel, basically to confirm to the crew that we can all swim competently. After that it was a case of waiting.
It wasn't long until we got a call to say a shark had been spotted, and we all excitedly started putting on our wetsuits. We were then told that the shark was about 40 mins away so we relaxed again. At least an hour later we finally got to the shark and there were two more boats there already. So we waited our turn to swim. It all moved very quickly from that point. Our swimmer got in the water and got near the shark then put her arm in the air so we could see where to swim. The boat got nearer the shark and the first group jumped in and swam. Soon it was our turn, and it was all a bit panicky. The driver was shouting "Group B, jump in, group B jump in", so in we jumped even though I wasn't really clear where I was supposed to go once we were in. Everyone was swimming frantically and I was looking around but didn't see much. I kept lifting my head out of the water to check I was still near the others as I was terrified of getting separated out there. After about 5 mins, everyone stopped swimming and some of the group were like "Wow, that was amazing, did you see it?". I was gutted. Hadn't spotted a thing. Thankfully I saw Matt looking equally bewildered and a few others in the group didn't see it either. Very disappointing but at least I wasn't the only one.
We hopped back on the boat and a few minutes later it was our turn again. This time I tried to concentrate on looking for the shark rather than swimming and watching the others. So I put my face in the water and looked ahead. The visibility wasn't great, 5 metres max. Suddenly, there is was, right in front of me and coming towards me. I nearly died of fright. Matt was just to my left and equally near the shark. All I could think, was get out of the way fast....those eyes and mouth were the scariest thing I have ever seen. Matt headed left and I headed right.....I panicked a bit as there was someone to my right, and I thought I wouldn't be able to get out of the way but eventually I got there and turned around the see the massive tail of the shark go past me. I tried to swim with it, but it was moving very quickly and soon it was out of sight. We re-grouped and I discovered that Matt had had a similar experience to me except the shark was moving to the left as he moved to the left so he had even more difficulty in getting out of the way. Bloody hell!
Back on the boat, I didn't know what to think. I had definitely seen a whale shark, but it happened so quickly and I wasn't sure I actually enjoyed it. Another shark appeared and we had a chance at another swim which I wasn't sure about, but the shark dived before we got the chance anyway. Afterwards it was a very long journey back to shore. We stopped off for lunch along the way, and then did some more snorkelling which was pretty good. We were completely exhausted when we arrived back at Coral bay in the early evening. So was it worth it? To be honest I'm not sure. It's an incredibly long day on the boat and a very short glimpse of a whale skark. But it is a once in a lifetime experince and these creatures are very unusual. The shark we saw was about 8 metres long, I can't imagine what it would be like to see one bigger than that. I guess it's just something you have to try when you're here, but I'm not sure I'd bother if I came back again.
Coral bay is really lovely so we decided to stay around for another couple of days but unfortunately the hostel is fully booked so it's off to Exmouth tomorrow after all. In the evening we ate in the hostel again, and then played pool and killer table tennis with a group of people from one of the tour groups. It was brilliant craic and amazingly I ended up in the final a few times but never actually won. Matt got over competetive as usual, and was very disappointed to be beaten by a girl in one final. I chatted to a few people about the whale sharking trip and was shocked to hear some of the stories about the cons the companies pull. If you don't see a shark you are supposed to be able to go again for free on the next available trip -- however, their definition of 'next available trip' is not really what you'd expect it to be. It's basically the next trip when they have a space left on the evening before the trip and you don't necessarily get to go out on the same trip as the person you booked with initially. Not fun! So I guess we were lucky to at least spot the shark on the first trip.
"This fish, the largest of the shark family and the largest fish in the world, is a
harmless plankton eater. Reported to reach 18 metres (60ft) but averages 12 metres (40ft) in length, the whale shark is easily identified by its huge size, wide mouth and distinctive pattern of white spots. Thought to mainly inhabit worldwide temperate and tropical seas, it is rarely seen in shallow coastal waters, but is a daily visitor to the Ningaloo Reef every year between late March to June or July when up to 12 whale sharks have been spotted close to the reef feeding on the plankton in the nutrient rich waters"A lot of the m
orning was spent with the boat crew explaining the rules of swimming with whale sharks and what would happen if a shark was spotted. Basically a spotter plane flies ahead to try to find a shark. If they spot one they radio to the boat and the boat tries to get to the shark as fast as possible. We were divided into two groups as only 10 people are allowed swim with a shark at a time. There are lots of rules about not swimming in front of a shark , or diving below the shark, and keeping 5 metres away from it etc. I have to admit I felt quite nervous by the time everything had been explained. Then we were all dropped off the boat to go for a snorkel, basically to confirm to the crew that we can all swim competently. After that it was a case of waiting.It wasn't long until we got a call to say a shark had been spotted, and we all excitedly started putting on our wetsuits. We were then told that the shark was about 40 mins away so we relaxed again. At least an hour later we finally got to the shark and there were two more boats there already. So we waited our turn to swim. It all moved very quickly from that point. Our swimmer got in the water and got near the shark then put her arm in the air so we could see where to swim. The boat got nearer the shark and the first group jumped in and swam. Soon it was our turn, and it was all a bit panicky. The driver was shouting "Group B, jump in, group B jump in", so in we jumped even though I wasn't really clear where I was supposed to go once we were in. Everyone was swimming frantically and I was looking around but didn't see much. I kept lifting my head out of the water to check I was still near the others as I was terrified of getting separated out there. After about 5 mins, everyone stopped swimming and some of the group were like "Wow, that was amazing, did you see it?". I was gutted. Hadn't spotted a thing. Thankfully I saw Matt looking equally bewildered and a few others in the group didn't see it either. Very disappointing but at least I wasn't the only one.
We hopped back on the boat and a few minutes later it was our turn again. This time I tried to concentrate on looking for the shark rather than swimming and watching the others. So I put my face in the water and looked ahead. The visibility wasn't great, 5 metres max. Suddenly, there is was, right in front of me and coming towards me. I nearly died of fright. Matt was just to my left and equally near the shark. All I could think, was get out of the way fast....those eyes and mouth were the scariest thing I have ever seen. Matt headed left and I headed right.....I panicked a bit as there was someone to my right, and I thought I wouldn't be able to get out of the way but eventually I got there and turned around the see the massive tail of the shark go past me. I tried to swim with it, but it was moving very quickly and soon it was out of sight. We re-grouped and I discovered that Matt had had a similar experience to me except the shark was moving to the left as he moved to the left so he had even more difficulty in getting out of the way. Bloody hell!
Back on the boat, I didn't know what to think. I had definitely seen a whale shark, but it happened so quickly and I wasn't sure I actually enjoyed it. Another shark appeared and we had a chance at another swim which I wasn't sure about, but the shark dived before we got the chance anyway. Afterwards it was a very long journey back to shore. We stopped off for lunch along the way, and then did some more snorkelling which was pretty good. We were completely exhausted when we arrived back at Coral bay in the early evening. So was it worth it? To be honest I'm not sure. It's an incredibly long day on the boat and a very short glimpse of a whale skark. But it is a once in a lifetime experince and these creatures are very unusual. The shark we saw was about 8 metres long, I can't imagine what it would be like to see one bigger than that. I guess it's just something you have to try when you're here, but I'm not sure I'd bother if I came back again.
Coral bay is really lovely so we decided to stay around for another couple of days but unfortunately the hostel is fully booked so it's off to Exmouth tomorrow after all. In the evening we ate in the hostel again, and then played pool and killer table tennis with a group of people from one of the tour groups. It was brilliant craic and amazingly I ended up in the final a few times but never actually won. Matt got over competetive as usual, and was very disappointed to be beaten by a girl in one final. I chatted to a few people about the whale sharking trip and was shocked to hear some of the stories about the cons the companies pull. If you don't see a shark you are supposed to be able to go again for free on the next available trip -- however, their definition of 'next available trip' is not really what you'd expect it to be. It's basically the next trip when they have a space left on the evening before the trip and you don't necessarily get to go out on the same trip as the person you booked with initially. Not fun! So I guess we were lucky to at least spot the shark on the first trip.
