We left at about 7:30 am and the ride was about an
hour. The whale sharks congregate in a shallow area
off shore where the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean
converge. It is plankton rich and it is common to
see manta rays feeding as well. They feed until
around noon and then descend back into the depths.
We got 4 encounters lasting about 10 minutes each.
The guide positions the boat in the path of a
feeding shark and you hit the water and up to and
swim along side of the shark for as long as you can.
Then you chase another until exhausted, get back in
the boat and let the next group go. These fish are
large and are leisurely feeding. However, due to
their size, what is slow and easy movement to them
is a lot of work for us. The greatest experience I
had was as I was swimming alongside towards the head
of one shark, it saw me and slowed down. I got
eyeball to eyeball and we looked at each other for a
period. Truly awesome. If you ever have the
opportunity - go!
In the meantime - enjoy the slideshow.
