The whale shark pictures in this post are by courtesy Daniel Browne. He is an award wining photographer of the marvels of the Ningaloo Reef. We had the good fortune to have him aboard the boat R.V. Thunder during our excursion.
At Coral Bay in Western Australia, Lionel and Gavin’s Chauffeurs, the Guardian and Guardian-ess, had seen coral and sharks and turtles.. They even swam with manta rays (see previous post). That was an incredible experience.
On the morning of our whale shark tour, we steered out to where 5 whale sharks had been spotted the day before. We got out beyond the Ningaloo Reef and turned to steer north, hugging close to the reef itself. No whale sharks. On we went, north and even further north.
The spotter plane appeared and quartered the area. Nothing. Further north we cruised. We could have been half way to Exmouth by then. We had been aboard and all keyed up for hours There we were, all kitted up in wetsuits, and still no sighting. We started to realise that this might not be our day. This was late in the season and perhaps there just weren’t any more to see. You can’t predict wild animals. It was about time to turn back so we didn’t return around dusk.
Suddenly a whale shark was spotted ahead! Would we catch up to it? We sat on the deck with masks and snorkel on heads, ready to plunge in. The skipper steered into position. The first team of 10 swimmers shuffled on bums down to the marlin board, tense for the word to drop in. If the skipper had judged right, the whale shark would cruise in front of us. Go! And there it was! Just below the surface, moving along with a smooth up and down motion of the whole body. This Guardian was so excited that if he had not needed the snorkel to breathe, he would have eaten it.
We were actually swimming with this great beast. We spread out into a semi circle and followed as long as possible. Some lucky people were alongside the shark, on either side, 3 or 4 metres away, with a good clear view. Some saw mostly its big tail and other snorkelers.
The beast seemed unconcerned by us and never changed its pace. Several people this time got an excellent along-side swim. They got those classic “I swam with a Whale Shark’ instagramable photos. That big tail moved almost lazily but it made efforts to keep up with it seem like a flutter board trying to chase a silent jet ski.
The whole length of their bodies sways up and down, just below the surface, and this apparently effortless motion is enough to propel them as fast as a strong human swimmer. Three times the skipper of RV Thunder came around to drop us in a new position. The third time the Guardian got a really good view. The spotted beast was huge, perhaps 4 metres, bigger than the others. I managed to keep up alongside it although it took the most powerful swimming of my life.
And then that big tail just kept disappearing up ahead. We saw 4 different beasts with different sizes and colourings. In the end it all amounted to several minutes close to these magnificent gentle creatures. One of the greatest experiences of this Guardian’s life. See the Video for more pics by Daniel Browne taken that day and also clip showing their graceful movement.
That was the highlight of our stay in Coral Bay by the Ningaloo Reef. But did Lionel and Gavin ever spot those elusive fore-lions? Don’t miss the finale i of…. Da da da daaah dummmm … Lionel Seeks His Fore-Lions.
LIONEL’S HASHTAG: Click #lionelseeks to see more of Lionel on Meta and Tiktok.
Mawson Guardian Says: Gavin and Lionel live with Mawson Bear. Mawson writes little books full of muddles , bafflements, and even some accidental wisdom.
Where to find Mawson’s Books: Our publisher is OdysseyBooks where you can find fun and beautiful books with pictures for grownups.At Amazon everywhere, including at Amazon Australia (where Mawson Lives), Amazon UK and Amazon France, among others.
You have wandered into Mawson Bear’s web-den. Mawson is the Writer-Bear of It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In and Dreamy Days and Random Naps and She Ran Away From Love.
Mawson Bear 