Today was a day that many of us were looking forward to for the entire trip. We were hoping to have the opportunity to not only see, but snorkel with the largest of all fishes, the whale shark. Reaching sixty feet in length, these “gentle giants” are amongst the most beautiful creatures in the world. Ari Atoll is one of the places in the world with the best chances of encountering whale sharks, and this was our goal for the day.
Shortly after breakfast, scout boats were dropped and off we went to search for whale sharks along the reef edge. With low early light it was quite challenging, but persistence paid off after a few hours and the game was on. We deployed nearly our entire fleet of Zodiacs and everyone set off on the quest. Unfortunately, the first shark disappeared into the depths, and the search was on again. It wasn’t long before another was spotted, first by the non-snorkelers who got amazing views of a whale shark swimming under their boats. We all came together and soon we were in, swimming with this massive fish. Slowly swimming along, we joined in the underwater parade and had incredible views. How big was it? Hard to say, but at least twenty feet long. As we surfaced and were all swapping stories excitedly, the call went out of an even bigger whale shark down the reef and off we went again!
We arrived in the spot and once again in we went, and this one was not only larger, but swimming really shallow. What an incredible experience to be only a few feet away from a twenty-five to thirty foot shark! As the light danced off its back, I was mesmerized by the spotted pattern along the sharks back. This one stayed much shallower and returned repeatedly to near the surface, allowing everyone to get incredible views. Some of us (nekton) stayed swimming near the shark for nearly a half an hour, while others (plankton) got picked up by the Zodiacs and repeatedly dropped in front for multiple views.
With a morning filled with some of the greatest underwater experiences possible, the afternoon was gravy. Snorkeling, diving, swimming off a perfect beach, or enjoying the conveniences of a resort island, none of it could possibly top the morning enjoying charismatic megafauna.
