Whale sharks are elusive and difficult to spot. They are the largest fish in the sea but certainly a gentle giant. Primarily feeding on zooplankton as small as 1mm.
A great friend of mine, Peter Emmett, just had a wonderful trip to Donsol in the Philippines, where he snorkled with a number of sharks. Donsol does apparently have the highest density of whale sharks anywhere in the world. (source:Wikipedia) So head down there. Bringing in hard needed revenue to the local fishermen (who traditionally hunt whale sharks) is a great way to ensure its survival.
Thanks also to Peter for pointing out to me whaleshark.org, a not-for-profit organisation working to protect the threatened whale shark. One thing they are aiming to do is to have a photo library of whale shark encounters, to aid in further research. So...
If you do see a whale shark and happen to have a camera in hand, please take a photo (importantly of the pectoral fins and the pattern of spots above and around them) and send to http://www.whaleshark.org/
(more info on what they want, can be found on the above website)
Pink anemone fish
Pink anemone (Amphiron perideraion)
Sipadan batfish
Boers btfish cruising the reef top in Sipadan
Yellow edged lyretail (Variola louti)
In a restaurant tank in Hong Kong. A lovely fish, that is been overfished and typically caught using unsustainable cyanide fishing techniques
Chevron barracuda (Sphyraena putnamiae)
A magnificent schooling, top end predator. Photo taken in Palau, courtesy of Park Ng.
MV Bidadari in the Komodo National Park
Photo taken in February 2007, when we had the pleasure of mill pond sea conditions and bright sunny skies
Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)
Whale shark watching tours in Donsol, Philippines, photo courtesy of Conrad Vidad
Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Critically endangered from over hunting, fishing bycatch and egg collection
White tip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus)
Photo taken in Komodo National Park, Indonesia
Raggy Scorpionfish ( Scorpaenopsis venosa)
Well camouflaged, scorpion fish inhabit all tropical reefs. You can't always spot them though
Anemone and attending anemone fish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
2 comments:
The tourism development of the whale shark encounter in Donsol is surprisingly well organized and very eco-friendly (just don't expect a night life). The boats and equipment were very well maintained, and the accommodation comfortable but not luxurious.
It may not be the easiest place to get to, but with a few easy transport arrangements it's pretty hassle free.
When we were there we had about 15 interactions with the whale sharks. We could have had more, but we got exhausted swimming with them as well as getting in and out of the boat.
They say that the season runs for about 9 months to see the whale sharks but the peak period is March and April. We're planning to go back next year and also planning a trip to see the Manta rays in October this year, which are also found close by.
You can see some more photos from the trip at my Donsol Photo Album
Cheers/Peter
Cool, thanks for the information Peter, very useful
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