Text: Michael Silvergieter

Photography: Fred Kamphues

©2001 Mill House/Fred Kamphues/Michael Silvergieter

(Michael Silvergieter is a marine biologist at the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada)

Shark. The very word strikes fear in the hearts of many, conjuring images of bloodthirsty killing machines of the deep. While sharks may be excellent hunters, they rarely take a liking to human flesh, and many species are harmless, including the whaleshark. Growing to over twelve metres and weighing as much as eighteen metric tons, the whaleshark is the biggest shark of them all.

These leviathans roam the tropical seas, straining plankton through their huge mouths. With only miniscule teeth and an inquisitive nature, they truly are "gentle giants". Indeed, humans pose much more of a threat, as the creatures are still hunted in many countries and whaleshark meat still fetches high price.

The Ningaloo Reef

At the northwest tip of the Australian continent, the Ningaloo reef is the longest fringing reef in the world. The 260 kilometre long coral reef is often just metres from shore and is home to a plentitude of Indo-Pacific marine life. For a few months every year, the coral polyps broadcast their eggs and sperm by the billions. And every year from April to June, whalesharks congregate to feast on the bounty. This is one of only a few places in the world where these creatures regularly come close enough to shore for people to see them.

During the whaleshark season, daily boat trips take tourists and scientists out to observe these rare, awesome creatures. The sharks usually swim just below the surface and are easily seen from the air, where spotter planes aid the boats in their search. The relatively easy access and use of a spotter plane make Ningaloo the best place in the world to find whalesharks with reasonable certainty. 

Once aboard the boat, we were introduced to the crew and briefed on whaleshark protocol. Regulations govern the interaction to ensure the animals aren't harassed and that they continue to come to Ningaloo. Touching the animal is strictly prohibited; we were to remain at least three metres from the body and four metres from the tail. The idea is to keep disturbance to a minimum and avoid interfering with the animal's movement. A naturalist/videographer and scientist would observe and record each encounter. I had never met a shark in the water before, yet I was about to swim alongside the biggest shark there is.

When I told friends and family I would be doing this, there was a mixture of responses. Those who knew about whalesharks were green with envy; to swim alongside a whaleshark is unparalleled. For many divers, this is the ultimate underwater experience and a rare opportunity. Others tended to question my sanity.Frankly, I was leaning towards the latter right then.

The group was split in two, so that no more than ten people would be in the water at a time. We all donned wetsuits and prepared fins, mask and snorkel. We had to be ready to get in the water with just a few minutes' notice when a shark was located. As the boat made its way through the reef, a small plane ran search patterns, occasionally circling a spot, then moving on.

I would like to be able to say that I was deeply affected by that first experience, but I wasn't. Instead, I was left coughing and choking, trying to expel copious amounts of the Indian Ocean that I had swallowed through my snorkel. I returned to the boat immensely frustrated and more than a little queasy (I recalled images of drowned cartoon characters being revived and coughing out all manner of fishes). There was just enough time to recover and wash down the salty water before we were called to action once again.

White spots and ridges along the side of the brownish green animal gave it an appearance not unlike a dinosaur.  An entourage of smaller fish were along for the ride on the animal's wake. Two or three remora were harmlessly attached to its side and belly, hoping to feed on scraps of food the shark might leave behind.

The animal continued to swim on, barely submerged beneath the surface and seemingly oblivious to our presence. The slow moving fish with a fat body and large forward-facing mouth doesn't much resemble the sleek torpedo-like shape one expects of a shark.

It seems almost paradoxical that this, an animal that can grow as large as a bus, eats plankton, innocuous little organisms that are no larger than your fingernail. We soon left the original shark alone, heading for another that had been sighted nearby. Another boat was already there, so we waited at a distance for our turn.

This one was nearly twice the size of the last, likely at least eight metres long. I was near the front, and the shark kept turning slightly, so that I had to keep moving out of its way, but at the same time got a great view of the head. It's massive, flat head was surrounded by a school of yellow pilot fish, some seemingly inside its cavernous mouth. Far below, two smaller reef sharks cruised by, reminding us that we were swimming in "shark-infested" waters.

By mid afternoon, we were all pretty tired. Thankfully, the sharks don't swim that fast, but after awhile they were definitely leaving most of us behind. Four sharks had graced us with their presence that day. Other boats had similar success so that we often had the animal to ourselves. Tired and happy, we had a hearty late lunch and prepared for the optional SCUBA dive on the reef before returning to Exmouth. We arrived back at the shop to find emus grazing on the front lawn under a spectacular Indian Ocean sunset. What a perfect way to end this fabulous day and a reminder that Australia truly is a magical place.

© Mill House

In cooperation with:

Exmouth Diving Centre

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