Sorry if this is a big blog but today was one of my best days while travelling.
One of the main attractions at Exmouth is the Ningaloo Coral Reef. It's close to the shore (unlike the Great Barrier Reef) and you can snorkel easily over it. After the first full moon in April the coral spawns and the water gets a bit cloudier for all the snorkelers. The significance of this is that it attracts the largest fish in the ocean the Whale Shark. The blue whale is the biggest animal in the sea but its a mammal and not a fish. These whale sharks are harmless to man as they generally filter feed on plankton, coral spawn and anything else that goes into its one metre gaping mouth.
On the way up to Exmouth I'd heard of whale shark tours where you can swim with these creatures. The tours are expensive and can be a let down if no sharks are spotted that day. Much of the expense comes from spotter planes that go up in the sky and report back to crews in boats if they see a shark swimming near the surface. Due to the unreliability of the spotting the tour companies offer a second chance deal where you get to go out again for free if you don't see any sharks on day one.
On my first day in Exmouth I met a Canadian guy who had already been out on a non-eventful day one. He was unable to go out for the second chance as he was moving on but wanted to sell his second chance. He was offering that for 200 dollars (80 pounds) instead of the 350 dollars (145 pounds) he'd spent. I wasn't entirely sure whether these things could be transferred at the office but I took a chance. I got to the tour office and the girl said it was fine and I booked in for Saturday - which had finally come around today.
The tour bus picked me up at 7.30am and we set off for the dock. I was genuinely excited about the prospect of being in the water with the whale sharks but I was trying to come to terms that I would only get one chance at this - today or nothing! We boarded our boat and got kitted out with wet-suits and snorkel gear. Our group was twenty people with two guides and a videographer. First we went snorkelling over regular coral and were checked over to see that everything worked as it should. The water was a bit cloudy but we saw some good fish including a 1 metre white tipped reef shark. I was thankful to have at least one shark under my belt so to speak.
Back on the boat we had morning tea and I got chatting to the other passengers. Alison was from Swansea and had seen the Borneo Orangutans on the way to Exmouth and the whale sharks. She had travelled to Australia just for this experience, in comparison I had learned that this was possible just a few days before! Her story exactly matched with Donna who I had met on the Easyrider bus. It turns out that these two friends had gone their separate ways after a squabble or two along the way - small world. I got on very well with both but hey-ho.
So we sat around waiting for a call from above. Music was playing and the boat was bobbing around in the water with us waiting expectantly. At 11.37am I felt a burst of adrenalin as shouts from the captain rose up. The engines grew noisey and we darted off towards the sighting. Everyone was flapping around with flippers and wetsuits and masks and it was pure joy. Within moments we were on the edge of the boat with our flippers dangling. Katy, one of the guides, was shouting to the captain asking whether our boat would be first to the sighting. We would be second in of about five or so. The crews all co-operate well with the multiple groups but you need to be up the queue in case the shark gets spooked and dives into the depths. I could see the coastline but there was 180 metres of water between us and the sea bed so there was plenty of depth for the creature to disappear into. We arrived on the scene and the first group were already in the water. Their guide was in too and had his hand in the air signalling that the shark could be viewed from there. It wasn't far away and our guides were readying us to go in. The first group were called off the shark and we plunged in to the water. I scanned under the surface but couldn't see anything yet. I looked about the water and one of our guides had their hand in the air. I swam over. Clearing my snorkel I ducked under the surface. What I saw will stay with me forever. It was majestic. The shark was huge and it had a great bulk and white dots all over. The wide mouth was open and smaller fish were swimming all around it for protection. The water was beautifully clear blue and vision was almost perfect. In those first moments the whale shark was swimming towards us, as it neared and passed I got another great adrenalin rush. Then I realised I should swim if I wanted to keep on seeing it! The thing wasn't going fast but I didn't keep up long. Our guides called us off so that the next boat could have a go. Back on the boat everyone was beaming. The guides told us it was about 3 metres long which felt like a disappointment of sorts as the bigger ones in this area are up to 12 metres long. The biggest ever seen were 18 metres!
We got two more "drops" with that shark before it got bored and dived. Some boats had only had one drop so we were pretty lucky. Everyone got towelled off but the boat was buzzing with excitement. There were about 6 children on board and the fish must have seemed even bigger to them. One young girl was shaking through a mix of fear and excitement. Three drops all with great views of the shark was more than I'd expected. I'd become used to seeing the back end of it as it swam on but the moments as it passed each time were unbeatable.
I'd been hungry since the first snorkel session on the coral. Lunch was a great platter and we all got stuck in. We were standing around talking with plates in hand when another shout went up from the captain!! The engines growled and plates went flying! This was brilliant - another shark had been spotted with rumours of greater size. The other boats had taken lunch where they moor but ours had stayed out at sea. That decision meant we would be first on the scene! As we plunged into the water there was no previous group to use to guide us to the shark. Our guides did a great job and I followed. "Whoa this ones circling, brilliant" shouted Leith the videographer. "We got a close encounter here, this ones very inquisitive" he continued. And he was right, unlike the first shark this one was very interested in us and was turning around to get a better look at us. This fish was bigger too, 5 metres long and considerably fatter. I was stunned. We get told to keep our distance - 3 metres at all times. There was no chance of that as the whale shark intentionally followed us and prodded at one or two snorkelers. I was loving this, everyone was. The best view I got was right down it's mouth as it was barely 50 cms from me and facing me head on. It was a rabbit in the headlight moment for me that's for sure. It turned away from me and eventually we were called off. Back on the boat everyone was elated. Leith announced that "even for a jaded old videographer like me that was amazing". They rarely are so inquisitive and the guides were convinced that this was the first time it has seen humans. Katy, one of the guides, had not been in the water with us. She was clearly disappointed - as a veteran of hundreds of swims she had yet to get an experience like this. The fish was not special in size, 5 metres is still small-ish for these waters but it was the biggest we would see in the day and it's behaviour made up for it. We got five more drops with this one. The drops sap the energy as you spend some of it trying to keep up with it. Some of the group were not going in for the final drops but I made sure I got my money's worth.
The captain came down and said that this was whale-sharking at its best and that we were a very lucky group. He was an easy-going guy and was keen for us to see the other marine like we passed on the way home such as sea-snakes and turtles. A great finale was a pod of dolphins that came and swam with the boat. There were about 20 dolphins and some were tucking themselves right next to the front of the boat. They were clearly enjoying themselves as they were jumping out of the water en masse. We were going fast and it was a thrilling sight. All the passengers were standing at the front of the boat now and watching the display. Each time the dolphins slacked in pace the captain would swing the boat to tempt them into another round. Fish, crew, passengers and the captain were having a great time. That was the moment I decided to shell out and by the videographer's dvd. It is 60 bucks but with any luck I'll be able to put some footage on the blog. For now though, I'll paste a single picture I found on the internet. We were as close as the guys in the picture!
So, I think it will certainly be a highlight of my trip. Short of going into space I'm not sure how it could be topped.
***Newsflash*** I have now received some pictures from one of the people on the boat with me. I've uploaded them all, and will also hopefully get some video footage on as well. Thanks to Matt for the photos.
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