Snorkeling with Whale Sharks
A must-do experience
As promised in our last post, this week we have another whale experience, albeit a much different one. Rather than whale watching from a boat, we spent last weekend swimming with whale sharks! On Saturday, we drove down to Tofo, which is about 200 kilometers south of Vilankulo. Tofo is another beach town, but it has quite a different vibe to Vilankulo. It’s a lovely place to stay for a weekend, and since it does not have the barrier of the archipelago, you can surf waves on the beach and see whales from the shore during their migration season.
Tofo is also known as a hub for marine megafauna, and manta rays, whale sharks, and other large sea creatures are often spotted there. The multiple coral reefs also make this a good diving destination. Accordingly, there are many dive centers, most of which also offer ocean safaris. We drove to one of these called Liquid Dive, which offers snorkeling ocean safaris. They provide the gear, and it is about 50$ per person for two hours. Obviously, as with a land safari, there is no guarantee of what you will see.
We set off, and for the first 45 minutes or so we saw only humpback whales - beautiful, to be sure, but we, being spoiled by living on the sea, wanted to see whale sharks. Just as we were thinking that today would not be our lucky day, the skipper spotted a huge dark shadow near the water’s surface. It was a whale shark!
The protocol upon sighting one of these gentle ocean giants is simple: everyone who wants to get into the water with the whale shark must don masks, fins, and snorkel, and then, once the guide gives the signal, dive in as quietly as possible. Once in, we can swim around and near the animal, but were cautioned not to touch it; we want the impact on the marine life to be as minimal as possible.
We all wanted to dive in, so once everyone was ready, we flipped off the boat. It is always a little disorienting to get into deep water looking for something, as trying to simultaneously clear your snorkel, spot the guide out of the water (she kept one arm up so we could all stay relatively close), and spot the whale shark in the water is a lot to juggle. Almost immediately, though, the huge mammal came into view. Being in the water with such a mammoth creature is an experience which doesn’t compare to any other I have had. Feeling so out of your element in the water coupled with watching the grace of the huge whale shark is an interesting juxtaposition. The whale shark drifted along beneath us, seemingly unbothered by our presence, huge tail swaying back and forth to propel it slowly along the bottom.
We ended up seeing three of them, and this first one was in the murkiest water. I had Jay’s GoPro with me, and here is the first photo I managed to get:
As you can see, this water was not too deep; the whale shark was near the bottom. I think it may have been the shallowness that gave the water a green tinge. Above, you can see our friend snorkeling - this shows the size the whale shark. The ones we saw were juveniles, and so measured about 3-6meters long - the adults can be up to 12 meters, or 40 feet! It is the largest living shark. The bigger ones are apparently generally spotted farther out to sea or up the coast, between us in Vilankulo and Tofo. Still, swimming near a 4 meter (13 foot) whale shark is a truly magical experience.
After a few minutes, we hopped (with attempts at grace) back on to the boat and carried on. It wasn’t long before another was spotted, this one in deeper, clearer water.
One thing which really stood out to me was how clear and bright the white spots and patterns on the whale sharks are. I read an interesting story about this, telling a tale attributed to early Mozambican tribes. Apparently, a god was visiting earth and saw the whale shark swim past. Stunned by its grace and beauty, the god rained silver coins down onto its back, and that is why it has spots. After seeing these animals in person, I can understand the urge to worship them. They are truly one of a kind creatures.
I would definitely recommend this ocean safari to anyone who goes to Tofo. Seeing whale sharks will be a highlight of the trip for sure.