Two Tonkins In A Kombi: Swimming With Whale Sharks

For those who have decided to make the long trek to the town of Exmouth and it's amazing Ningaloo Reef, a good proportion have done so for one reason and one reason only - the opportunity to swim with the world's largest fish, the whale shark.

Every year from April to July following the mass spawning of coral, whale sharks congregate in the Ningaloo Marine Park. These massive filter feeders can grow up to 18m long as they cruise the world’s ocean in search of concentrations of plankton to feed on. Ningaloo Reef is one of the only places where they appear regularly in large numbers, so lucky for us, Exmouth can offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity to get in the water and swim with these gentle giants.

Now, I was a little hesitant to sign up for a whale shark tour when we first arrived in Exmouth. And this is why:
1. Swimming with a whale shark is not cheap. The average price of these tours is $350 per person and when you don't currently have a job, $700 for Luke and I is alotta powered sites and alotta sausage sangas.
2. You're not guaranteed to actually see a whale shark on any tour (these ARE wild animals we're dealing with here and not some trained circus pony that arrives on cue) and there's no refund policy, just the opportunity to join another tour when the next spot is available (which could be two or three weeks away!).
3. Apparently the waters get pretty chopping out past the reef where we would have to go, so sea sickness was a good possibility.
4. And finally, and the most obvious reason for my apprehension -we would be willingly swimming with sharks! Hello? I know whale sharks are harmless but jumping in open water where whale sharks reside holds the very real possibility that OTHER less friendly and more bitey sharks could be happily crusin' around looking for lunch too!

But the opportunity to see a whale shark in the flesh, in their own habitat and before they become extinct (these guys fetch big dollars on the black market - in some Asian countries a moderately sized shark can sadly come with a $200,000 price tag, if caught) was just too exciting, so we booked a tour with Ningaloo Whaleshark-n-Dive.

The tour bus picked us up at 7:20am in the morning (At this point I wondered whether everybody in the caravan park was coming on this shark tour? I could have sworn the company said a maximum of 20 people were allowed... but why else would so many people be up at such a ridiculous hour? Hmmm) and we made the 40minute drive to the boat harbour on the edge of the Cape Range National Park. Once we were ferried out to our boat in a black rubber zodiac (very James Bond), morning tea was served while we were driven to our first snorkeling spot on the reef. We all went for a practice snorkel (so the tour guides can determine your level of confidence in the water) and checked out some amazing 'bommies' (sections of coral reef with a high density of marine life that are usually only accessible by boat). This was great and it was amazing how much sea life we got to see - and so early in the morning.

Luke only just awake after such an early morning start!

Luke, Jenna and myself, tucking into some morning tea while waiting for 'the call'.

At 10am, the company sent a spotter plane into the air to search for the whale sharks. Now this is when the tour guides brief you about what to do when they actually find a shark (be ready to jump in the water within a few minutes of the 'call', follow your whale shark spotter in the water and remain 3 metres away from the shark at all times and 4 metres away from his or her tail, be prepared for the shark to dive if it gets scared and swim like you've never swam before - these guys can be quick!) and what NOT to do (attempt to touch or ride the shark (Darn, that riding a shark sounds like fun!) or swim in front of the shark because these guys tend to swim in a straight line and as a 12metre king of the ocean, they ain't movin' for anyone!).

The day we went out was pretty cloudy, so we were starting to think all the whale sharks were playing hide and seek, when the call came over the radio at about 11:30am that they had spotted a 6 metre shark about half an hour up the coast. We were all told to hold on, as the boat slipped into top gear and sped up the reef so fast I was sure we were going to blow a motor.

Holding on as the boat races up the coast to the whale shark's location.

When the skipper wasn't too far off the spot where the shark was swimming (oblivious to the crazy mayhem happening above the water in order to find him!) we were divided into groups of ten and told to get our snorkel and flippers on ready to go. Each group had it's own 'whale spotter', who was a fully qualified marine biologist and who's job it was to swim out and find the shark and then swim along side it with one arm in the air (not an easy task - but these girls were so fit!), so the boat and the next group of swimmers were aware of where the shark was at all times.

We were in group one, so we were up first. When we reached the shark, the skipper parked the boat in the path of the whale shark, so when you jump in, the shark is pretty much coming directly for you. The mix of adrenalin, excitement and nervousness was crazy!! While the boat was still going, we were told to line up along the back marlin board of the boat and when the tour guide said "Now!" we all jumped into the water and swam for dear life!

Now, lets just say on the first dive, things are a little crazy. People are kicking and splashing all over the place trying to follow the 'spotter', while keeping their eyes peeled for this big fish and attempting to take gulps of air from a water-filled snorkel. So I'm swimming like a crazy person, and there's bubbles from the person in front's flippers in my face, and I'm finding it hard to breathe because I haven't swam this hard or fast since the 50metre freestyle swimming race back in high school but then... I see it! And it's coming straight for me! I quickly paddle backwards in a fury as if I'm about to be eaten alive by a garbage compactor but the whale shark is oblivious and sails right past me, as if I'm a boring billboard on the ocean highway. Wow! These things really are huge! And super fast! Our first shark was so quick that after our whale shark spotter told us to stop so the next group could take their turn to swim with this fish, I was gulping for air, with heart palpitations and a thousand thoughts running through my mind. But mostly I was thinking, "Oh my god. That was amazing! Can we do it again?".

Gear on and ready to go!

Simo and me, on the boat marlin board ready to jump!

And we're in! The spotter is the girl in the blue rash shirt - she's outta there!

We were lucky enough to have two dives with this first whale shark and then the call came over the radio that another, bigger shark had been sighted. We decided to race up the coast and get up close with this whale shark as well. We ended up having five more swims with this next whale shark, who was, lucky for us, much slower and more relaxed then our first friend. Each time we'd dive into the water, my adrenalin kicked in and I kept saying "Wow, wow!" into my snorkel, which roughly translates to "Roowowerwo" in underwater English. It was just such an honour to be able to paddle next to this huge, unusual creature, which dates back to prehistoric times.

The tour guides can recognise some of the sharks by their crazy injuries (although this guys only eat plankton, this doesn't mean they're immune to a little bite here and there from other marine life). Mostly it's other sharks like the Great White or Tiger shark that inflict injuries on the whale shark, with one poor guy sporting a huge chuck out of his dorsal fin, and another with a bite mark out of his tail. But they don't seem too phased, and just seem to mind their own business, swimming along with grace.

What a day! We ended up being dropped back at the caravan park at about 6pm that night, so it's definitely value for money (oh and you'll be pleased to know I did feel a little queasy at times but there were no over-the-side fish feeding sessions going on from me - phew!) and the banquet lunch was great.