MonicaA little big dream of mine coming true
In this blog I want to share with you one of the most incredible marine encounters I have had in my life so far.
Madagascar. Me and a Whale Shark.
Whale sharks are the largest fish in existence, they are filter feeders and can reach up to 15 meters in length. They populate most tropical seas and are known to undertake different migration routes across incredible distances.
Researchers are studying Whale Shark populations and can distinguish different individuals through their unique patterns of spots and stripes. Unfortunately, they are currently listed as an endangered species. This is due to their illegal exploitation in numerous countries of the world, for their meat, fins and oil. Marine tourism also keeps increasing and can pose a threat to these animals, if not carried out in a sustainable way.
If you are interested in learning more about Whale Sharks,let me know in the comment box below or by subscribing to my mailing list here! I will soon be sharing downloadable PDFs with detailed species information of your choice.
Now I will tell you about my day. It is one of those days that I will never forget and I hope I can share my excitement with you.
We spent our morning on the boat searching for bait and birds, which would lead us to the Whale Sharks. There were definitely moments where I lost my hopes a little and thought this was a pretty impossible-looking task.
With a little bit of patience, there it was, we found our first Whale Shark! We got ready to jump in when it was safe for us and for the whale shark to do so. Go! There it was, an arm’s length away from me, a 9m long whale shark.
This massive, but somehow such graceful fish with its unique white dots, swam right past me. By the time my heart stopped and I understood what was happening, I then realized that I should start swimming if I wanted to see more of this wonderful creature.
The Whale Shark looked effortless, as if it was barely moving! But trust me, I was swimming as fast as I could with my fins to keep up! Suddenly it stopped, allowed me to give a good look and then gracefully swam away and faded into the blue.
It was time to get back on the boat, we left this individual alone and started searching around again.
I guess that luck was on our side because not long after, we found another Whale Shark. It was a different individual this time, slightly ‘smaller’, if you can even use the adjective small to describe this species.
I was sitting on the edge of the boat trying to figure out where the Whale Shark had gone. Next thing I knew, I had to pull my feet out of the water because it swam right below me! Seeing the size of my feet above the huge Whale Shark is something I won’t ever forget.
Being so close to this creature in its natural environment is an experience I will cherish forever. Their enormous size mixed with their very small eyes and their incredible gracefulness in the ocean, will never leave my mind.
The excitement and adrenaline were like never before! Being in the open ocean with this huge animal was absolutely breathtaking.
I managed to get in the water with a Whale Shark 5 times and believe to have seen 4 different individuals as well as a Humpback Whale swimming by when we were on the boat.
Although this day was all about Whale Sharks, surprises weren’t over quite yet.
We saw 3 beautiful Green sea turtles grasping on some seagrass. They would then occasionally swim up to the surface to catch their breath, in that graceful way that only sea turtles can pull off.
We enjoyed having them around us for some time and then decided it was time to leave them in peace.
I hope I have been able to share with you the happiness of this day.
Seeing these animals in the wild is definitely the right way to do it, but always remember to respect them and their space. It is easy to get carried away by the excitement of the moment and never want to leave, but always keep this in mind: don’t touch them, don’t feed them and don’t destroy their habitats or invade their spaces.
After all, you are entering their home. I don’t think you would like a stranger to come into your house, break your things and constantly follow you around wherever you go, would you?
There are so many companies around the world offering this opportunity. Make sure you book this experience with those who carry out this activity in a sustainable manner, respecting spaces, distances and the time they spend with the individual animals. Inform yourself about each company and choose the most eco-friendly one there is.
Nature is truly extraordinary.
