Whale Shark

Seeing the whale shark in the wild is magical. And completely harmless. These gentle giants range in length from 8 to 15 meters. They do not eat other animals, but tiny plankton. The whale shark is the largest fish in the world. And it is not a whale as is often thought. But it is a kind of shark. Although you do not have to be afraid of this animal at all.

You can snorkel with these friendly giants in various places. The animals are often super calm, so you can watch them well. For many divers and snorkelers, an encounter with this animal is an absolute highlight. So ask on the spot if there are any reports of encounters. And get into the water.

These popular places can get very busy, it might even gets too busy according to many. You can go into the water for half an hour with hundreds of others, which is probably a bit different than you expect. Nevertheless the experience is magical. Whale shark tours are largely regulated, it is big business.

With their special gills, whale sharks sift the tiny plankton from the water. A whale shark is often seen swimming with its mouth open. This usually happens just below the surface of the water, and often in the vicinity of fishermen, which creates a special bond between the fishermen and whale sharks. They feed the animals, but not everybody likes that. This happens for instance in Oslob in the Philippines and in other locations

Scientists still know surprisingly little about this animal. In the meantime, projects have been set up to collect photos of animals, so that it may be possible to find out whether they are migrating, for example. The official Latin name is rhincodon typus.