The morning started with a bus ride from Yardie Creek Station to Tantabiddi boat ramp. We were anxious to get out on the water and go looking for the biggest fish in the sea! The planes were flying above as we ferried over to the catamaran vessel to start the day out. We did the safety demonstration on the front of the boat with the awesome crew from Ningaloo Discovery. An then we pulled anchor and set sail, the skipper navigated out of the mooring and headed south to a well-known snorkeling spot to test our equipment for leaks and malfunctions. The last thing we wanted was to find a beautiful shark, jump in the water and miss the whole thing due to faulty gear!
Once the snorkel and equipment check were completed, we all jumped back on board the vessel and steamed out of the north channel and commenced looking for a shark to swim with. We sat on the front of the boat and took in the sun shining down on us, what a beautiful day it was. As we were driving around looking for whale sharks we were fortunate enough to have humpback whales breaching all around the boat. The skipper of the vessel was able to put the boat into some great positions allowing all personnel on board to take in the beautiful whales as they jumped out of the water. So there we are, a couple of hours into the day and no sign of any whale sharks. We knew that the whale shark season had ended at the tail end of July as they migrated south and we were dreading the fact that we may have missed them! And then we heard the call over the radio… Shark at the surface! The skipper worked his magic and maneuvered the boat in front of the big 8 meter shark and the crew were saying Go, Go, Go… and we were on.
We all jumped into our wetsuits and stepped off the back deck into the water and waited for instructions. Watching the whale guide host direct us in a line parallel to the direction the shark was swimming. I looked down into the water through my mask, breathing heavily out of my snorkel, waiting patiently and then there in the distance I could see the outline of this massive, beautiful creature swimming towards me. The shear size, big open mouth and Its spots gleaming with the brightness of the sun was amazing, I was taken back at how majestic the whale shark was, his tail moving slowly from side to side thrusting him forward. As he started to swim past, we started kicking and paddling beside him, taking in this surreal experience. With the go pro in hand, we kept swimming with the giant while ensuring we were three meters away at all times. After about 3 minutes we all came back to the surface and waited for the boat to come and pick us up. We were huddled in a circle in the middle of the ocean just taking in the whole experience. The boat pulled up and everyone jumped onto the back deck, walking backward with their flippers on and carefully maneuvering back to our seats.
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