This photo was found on google images - we didn't take it.Last weekend, Heather and I took a trip to Donsol to swim with Whale Sharks. The Whale Shark is the largest of living fish species. The Whale Sharks are sharks (not whales). The area we visited in Donsol is rich in plankton making it a great place to view the fish. Click here to watch a short video about the whale shark.
We landed in Donsol on Thursday and got up bright and early on Friday to board our boat and search for the Whale Sharks. Another couple from our school joined us on the boat. The four of us were chatting and enjoying the sunshine when our guide suddenly
said, "Ok, get ready- sit on this side." We immediately stapped on our fins, goggles, and masks and lined up sitting on the side of the boat. He said, "Jump, when I say jump." Almost immediately after, he jumped in and said, "jump!" Then, one after another we jumped into the ocean. This was Heather's favorite part. It did kind of feel like we were in the Coast Guard on some sort of mission where we had to fall in line jumping out of the boat. Our tools- fins, snorkels, and masks. Upon entering the water, we swam closely behind our guide scanning the water for the giant fish. A few seconds passed and then suddenly a massive sparkling creature with a huge mouth emerged swimming right towards us. The adrenaline definitely surged through the body. We let the gi
ant creature pass and started swimming hard so we could keep up with it. It was enormous and we were so close that you could reach out and touch the fish (we didn't though, that is not good for the fish). The Whale Shark's movement was slow, methodical, and easy to predict. The size was impressive, but almost as striking were the beautiful markings that shimmered in the sun. It was a beautiful animal! We followed the whale shark until it went down too deep in the ocean for us to see. We all came up, a bit out of breath, and totally psyched to continue searching for more whale sharks.
said, "Ok, get ready- sit on this side." We immediately stapped on our fins, goggles, and masks and lined up sitting on the side of the boat. He said, "Jump, when I say jump." Almost immediately after, he jumped in and said, "jump!" Then, one after another we jumped into the ocean. This was Heather's favorite part. It did kind of feel like we were in the Coast Guard on some sort of mission where we had to fall in line jumping out of the boat. Our tools- fins, snorkels, and masks. Upon entering the water, we swam closely behind our guide scanning the water for the giant fish. A few seconds passed and then suddenly a massive sparkling creature with a huge mouth emerged swimming right towards us. The adrenaline definitely surged through the body. We let the gi
ant creature pass and started swimming hard so we could keep up with it. It was enormous and we were so close that you could reach out and touch the fish (we didn't though, that is not good for the fish). The Whale Shark's movement was slow, methodical, and easy to predict. The size was impressive, but almost as striking were the beautiful markings that shimmered in the sun. It was a beautiful animal! We followed the whale shark until it went down too deep in the ocean for us to see. We all came up, a bit out of breath, and totally psyched to continue searching for more whale sharks.The first day we were able to swim with 8 whale sharks. It was a great workout as you swim as hard as you can to keep up with them. Our longest swim was about fifteen minutes. I must admit, I was the weakest of the four swimmers. (Heather has been swimming in the mornings and she easily outswims me) However, the guide on our boat was some sort of super hero swimmer that helped me keep up. One time when we jumped in and spotted the whale shark, I swallowed a mouth full of water. This put me behind the crew even more than usual. I spotted our guide at the head of the whale shark. I was trailing behind the whale shark by about 6 feet. The guide swam back to me and launched me forward so that I was now leading our crew. It was like revisiting childhood when adults used to lunge you ahead in the water. So much fun- even as an adult! I mentioned this on the boat and the guide took pleasure in giving me turbo boosts to keep up with the whale sharks.
The next day we went out it was a bit cloudy and we were only able to swim with 4 whale sharks. But, it was still a lot of fun! The photos in this post were taken by our friends who had a nifty underwater camera.
This was definitely another experience you should come visit us for!
