Tiburones Ballenas--Whale Sharks

There is a lot of buzz about Whale Sharks these days.  They seem to capture our attention more than most aquatic life.  I'm not sure whether this is because of their size, their spots or merely because they aren't dangerous (they are filter feeders), or who knows what.  Also, due to their filter feeding habits, they spend a large portion of thier time close to the surface of the water, making them easier to spot than most large sea creatures.   

More and more often these days you will meet someone who has swam with whale sharks.  The challenge is that they are migratory, traveling wherever the plankton is thickest.  Depending on the time of year, they are known to congregate in India, Belize, Honduras, Australia, Indonesia, Mozambique, Phillippines, Zanzibar, and of course, off the tip of the Yucatan. 

I have always found sharks very interesting, and the sad fate of these elegant creatures quite distrressing.  There is such a high demand for shark products, and so many countries are without regulations to control the number of sharks killed, that the future doesn't look very good for many species of shark.  Lucky for the whale shark, they are seen as "cute," and have become somewhat of a spokesperson for their kind.

So, of course, when I decided to come to Mexico and work with Fernando, I planned a side trip down to Isla Mujeres to have my chance at seeing this magical creature.  The other day, I got that chance.  About a 45 minute boat ride off shore, and it was easy to see when we'd found a group of sharks.  There were already about 40 boats gathered there.

It was exhilirating to see all of their mouths, dorsal fins and tail fins sticking out of the water.

After marveling at their behavior from above the water, it came my turn to enter the water and see the sharks up close.  (Boats generally rotate groups so that not all guests are in the water at the same time, and so that each group can be supervised by a staffperson.  This is done to try to minimize human impact on their feeding ground, and to keep people from trying to touch the creatures, and many do.)

So in I hopped with my cheap waterproof camera, mask, snorkel and waistbelt lifejacket, which shall henceforth be known as bouyant, slow-me-down device.  After doing a good amount of swimming, and getting admittedly, out of breath, I ended up quite close to a whale shark that was about 15' long. 

I imagine that my eyes were probably the size of dinner plates as I watched it gracefully slide by me.  I tried to memorize every detail--their shape, their color, where they had ridges and where it seemed to be smooth, how they moved, the way thier gills gracefully ease in and out..... I could only imagine what they feel like...  something like wet rubber?  or more like sandpaper?  it was hard to tell.

But nonetheless, I probably spent about an hour in the water, seeing probably 30 sharks all told, sometimes being so close to a shark that I had to move out of thier way just so not to bother them!  For the most part, they seemed to note our presence, and subtly change direction. 

Certainly the more frantic the people around me swam, just trying to get close to one, the more evasive the fish became, so after a while I drifted off a bit by myself, preferring to keep a respectful distance and more mellow pace.  It served me well.  I was was within touching range of probably 15 sharks that day.  But, I did resist the temptation.

All the while I did try to capture these gorgeous creatures with my little camera, but none of these images really do. 

I found the experience to be overall exhilirating, humbling, and awe-inspiring.  I think that anytime we get the chance to reflect on our place in the world, it is time well spent.  I am thankful that I had that chance.  I hope you get that chance, too.  It's really quite remarkable the things that mother nature has created....

As a side note, If you want to take a small step to help protect sharks, sign this petition, by Oceana 2011.  If you want to learn more about how you can help, here are just some of the groups who are also working to help protect sharks: Global Shark Trust, Bite Back, and the Shark Research Institute.

But if you are to only click ONE link, I suggest this one.  It's a list of the victories that have been achieved by people getting involved, signing petitions, and writing letters.

Thanks for reading, now go get wet!