Australia - West Coast - Swimming with Whale Sharks

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Hello all!

I don’t think I can write it well enough to do it justice though. I was just the most incredible experience.

Thursday 3 June - Coral Bay - Swimming with Whale Sharks
We were up early filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness for our day with the Whale Sharks; excitement because if we get to see them we were sure it'd be pretty amazing; nervousness because a) it’d be a bit scary and b) all we've been hearing for the last few days is how there are no Whale Sharks about in Coral Bay. When we got to Coral Bay Adventures, the company we were going with who are the best company ever, we asked and they had spotted one yesterday but hadn't got there in time with the boat. I so desperately wanted to see a Whale Shark!! I'd never even heard of them before I came to Australia; the first I heard was from a bloke in Sydney who said he was coming over to the West Coast especially to see them. I assumed you could go whale watching on a boat or something and just forgot about it. But as soon as I got to Perth I heard more and more about it, Googled a picture of a Whale Shark and from then on was captivated. They look so awesome and I hadn't realised you could actually swim with them. There are only a few places in the world that they return to regularly and the Ningaloo Reef is one of them and the only one when they come like clockwork, between April and June each year. So we had our fingers crossed. We got a bus down to the jetty (we have to stop going places in the dark the night before we're due to go in the day) and then onto the boat. The crew were immediately amazing; Stu the Captain, Amber the photographer, Natalya and MJ the swimmers and a ‘decky’ who I can't remember the name of at present. We started out across the Bay and stopped for a snorkel; some people were reluctant to go in but had to so the crew could see that we were OK and safe enough to go in with the Whale Shark, if we saw one. I went in with a ‘noodle’ (a float type thing) so that I could sit on it if I had a coughing fit. It helped loads and I did have loads of coughing fits so it was a good job I had it. The snorkelling here was even better than the snorkelling we did the other day from the Kayaks. There were so many fishes, even more beautiful colours and different shapes and sizes. We saw lots of small rays (two of which looked like they were mating, it was over in seconds?!) and some Reef Sharks. I thought I'd freak the first time I saw one of them but it was OK once you got used to it. These ones were about 1 1/2 metres long. There was also some other small shark but can't remember the name of that one. We were in there for about 45 minutes then got out and warmed up; as soon as we were our of the water the girls offered us hot tea or coffee (and made it for us) and cookies and salt n vinegar crisps (GREAT for the hangover Caz!). As we were drying off we saw a big Eagle Ray breach out of the water (I just caught the splash), and then we spotted Humpback Whales. I've never seen a whale before so it was so exciting and we were so lucky as they are not due until mid to late June (everything is happening early this year). We stayed with them for about 15 minutes and it was so peaceful. They are BIG animals. We could hear the blow of their air hole and even saw one dive with the tail coming up, not quick enough to get a photo of that though. It was easy to see where they were even when they were under the water, as their air hole blowing makes a nice smooth circle on the surface. There were two of them, moving quite fast but going South not North (they are supposed to be going North, maybe they realised the season hadn't started yet and that they should wait a couple of weeks!). After that we saw Bottlenose Dolphins and then HUGE Tuna fish feeding in a bit shoal. They were jumping about like crazy! And two flying fish, one of which flew for about 20 seconds, amazing.

Amber then sat us down to talk us through the Whale Sharks. Whale Sharks are the biggest fish in the sea, they don't need to come to the surface to breathe as they have gills but come to the surface to feed and sun themselves (there are 3 companies in Coral Bay offering swimming and they share a spotter plane that stays up searching between 10am and 3pm). Not much is known about them; where they go when they're not at their usual spots etc. The Ningaloo Reef is the only place that they go regularly, like clockwork (their time there follows the mass spawning of coral). They were heavily hunted by the Japanese, the fins could fetch up to $15k USD on the black market, but now they are protected and there is a big push on eco-tourism, as more money can be made from tourists swimming with them than eating them in Japan. They can live up to 100 years old in the wild but don't live well in captivity; maybe 4 or 5 years. There are only a few Aquariums in the world with them and they are frowned upon, the one in America went through 13 Whale Sharks before they could display one (the others died). We then had lunch which was lush (we'd also had crackers and dips in the morning); I was happy and I hadn't even seen a Whale Shark!!! As it wasn't looking positive for the Whale Sharks we had a 2nd snorkel which was even better again! I saw some amazing coral, HUGE big lumps of it, some of it was purple. I also saw a Stingray that had buried itself in the sand. When we got out we heard how a couple had come back to the boar early because they had seen a big dark shape lurking in the water around where we were swimming, and saw it was a shark as it got closer, they could have told us so we could have got out!!!

At quarter to 3 we'd given up hope, then Stu very calmly told us that the plane had spotted a Whale Shark (as if it was nothing special!!) so it was all fingers crossed that it'd still be up when we got there. It took about half an hour to get there and it was a bit nerve-wracking, wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. The other boat out that day was already there and we just watched it coming nearer and nearer. We got our stuff on ready and as soon as we were there we were off (the other boat left to make way for us, think it's nice how they all work together). We were in the second group and were going in with Natalya. Amber was dropped in first and as soon as she finds the shark in the water she puts her arm up (as long as her arm is up in the air she can see it so we always know where to go) and keeps swimming with it. The first group were dropped in in front of the Whale Shark and had a minute or so (the idea was to get us all an initial look the first drop just in case the Whale Shark dived) then we were dropped in and they were picked up. We were dropped in in front (you couldn't see the Whale Shark from the surface) and had to look ahead of us for it coming towards us. Natalya points to where it's coming from (I have no idea how they see it so easy) and we watch out for it (we had been told we had to get out of the way quick if it's coming for us) and once we see it we have to start swimming with it. Luckily it came at me just below and to the right, so I didn't have to get out of the way quickly. Which was good as I was a bit dumbfounded (after the initial fright, it was nearly 8 metres long!). I swimming, just watching. It was so amazing I chocked (literally), then got a bit behind (in hindsight, I shouldn't have taken the noodle as it slows you down) which was OK as I only missed about 10 seconds then Natalya came to get me. We were picked up by the boat and then dropped in front again for a second swim (we just rotated with the first group) and we had a longer and better look. It's just so beautiful, all spotted and dappled and moving so gracefully despite it's size. It was such a privilege. I got a bit emotional about it, as I sometimes do about these things. I just fell in love with it. This amazing creature who is goodness know how old, has travelled goodness knows how far and for a brief moment in both our lives we meet like that. It seemed amazingly unperturbed, it looked up at us with it's little eyes looking as if thinking “what is going” on it but bless it, it just kept swimming. You could feel the power of its fin as you were swimming with it (one knock and you'd be out) After a couple of minutes swimming I got squashed and pushed under so had a rest (how Amber manages to keep up with it, with one arm up in the air whilst taking photos I have no idea) and sat the 3rd drop out, which didn't happen anyway because the Whale Shark dived as they went in .But it came up again but as I was still puffed out I decided to sit it out and sat up top with Andrea and Stu watching it from the surface. That was cool too, am glad I did that. We could see it in the water, it's little fin bobbing about.

The whole thing was brilliant and gave us all such a buzz. The crew are awesome - so professional, smart, organised, in control, helpful and pleasant. They are so knowledgeable and you felt really safe; they had their eye on us the whole time and really wanted to help you see have the best day. Natalya said to me that they sometimes forget what it’s like to do it for the first time, but remember when they see how happy it makes people. For some people it is a once in a life experience and they wait years to do it; we heard some sad stories where people had gone to the Ningaloo Reef just to do it, but hadn’t seen a Whale Shark. There was a German couple with us; the wife and given him the experience as a present for his 60th birthday. On the first 2 drops he didn't see it and as the swimming was so fast he didn't want to go in again. But they talked to him, told him that Natalya would pull him along and that when he was tired the boat would pick him up. I was so pleased he saw it the 3rd time. There were lots of people on the boat that were on their second trip, as they hadn't seen it the first day they went out. Once everyone was out (there are strict controls on how long you can swim with the Whale Shark for, 90 minutes at most and the other boat had already been there for a while) the Whale Shark came up again to the surface so we could watch it from there. We saw it bank and dive and then it was gone. The dreamer in me likes to think it was saying bye. Thank you lovely Whale Shark for an amazing experience 😊

We then had cake and more tea and headed back in. We were so full of it. As we got back to the shop we were offered drinks, even beer (I had lemonade), and watched the DVD of pictures; am so glad I have them. Then it was back to the hostel and the reality of washing and showers. I was not happy after doing my washing. The stains of Karijini did not come out. I’d accepted the clothes I wore hiking were going to get dirty, but not the stuff I was wearing on the bus. And I had to clean the rucksack too but think that's a lost cause. For dinner I had microwave Macaroni Cheese, which was nice but unfortunately there are a lot of flies here (it was from one Aussie animal experience to another!). I got talking to some Perth boys who are up here fishing for the week (I'd had words with them earlier, about stinking out the sink next to the clothes line with the smell of fish, in the end it turned out it wasn't them, it was a bait box behind the wall, it smelled all night, luckily didn’t make our clothes smell) and they told me that a fisherman had had a Whale Shark swim right past his boat that day. I then took a wander to the pub where the others were and had a glass of water, then wandered back. John managed to explain what a Manta Ray was as I was swimming with them the next day and not really sure what they were and then to bed. Again I had a struggle with my breathing but I went to sleep thinking I was still on the boat and dreaming of Whale Sharks.

I’m such a lucky girl.

Xx

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