AussieMitch
New member
Ok (Gulp!!- first time posting pics) I've been a bit of a lurker for a while, and well, at the moment I am tankless due to a big move so havne't really had a reason to post or start a thread. But then I realised RC had a place for SCUBA and Snorkle people! So here it is...
In April of this year I travelled 1400kms north of my home city Perth, in Western Australia to swim with the largest fish (and true sharks) in the ocean. These guys undertake a feeding migration up the coast of Western Australia.
I was lucky enough for us to have encounters with 5 sharks during the course of the day. All were believed to be juvenille males, ranging frokm 5-7 metres to 11-15 metres long. To put the sheer size in perspective for you, the big guy coming towards you had a head the size of a large dining table and was literally as big as a bus underwater. Maximum size is believed to be 22 metres.
The amazing thing was that even though these fish are swimming in open waters off the back of the reef they are accompanied by a small fleet of fish species, most swimming at the head, eating krill as the whaleshark feeds.
Not much is really known about whalesharks, but you may be interested to know that they are now believed to give birth to hundreds of live pups, as opposed to laying egg cases like some other shark species. This may explain the discovery of the smallest whaleshark baby to date at just 40cms!!!
It is still unknown why the Ningaloo migration consists mainly of males, or where or how they breed.
In addition to the exciting whaleshark encounter, I also did some of the best snorkling I have ever done. The life was incredible, and almost every species we keep in our tanks was down there!! I even had an encounter with an overly friendly parrot fish that decided my ankle was tasty and sank his fangs in lol.
I am planning on going again next year in April (for the Whalesharks) and again in early July (for Whalesharks again and schools of Manta Rays) Am going to make it an annual thing, to keep it real and remind myself why I am part of the hobby
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/219707whaleshark_compressed.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/219707whaleshark_compressed2.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/21970711_April_09_028.jpg
In April of this year I travelled 1400kms north of my home city Perth, in Western Australia to swim with the largest fish (and true sharks) in the ocean. These guys undertake a feeding migration up the coast of Western Australia.
I was lucky enough for us to have encounters with 5 sharks during the course of the day. All were believed to be juvenille males, ranging frokm 5-7 metres to 11-15 metres long. To put the sheer size in perspective for you, the big guy coming towards you had a head the size of a large dining table and was literally as big as a bus underwater. Maximum size is believed to be 22 metres.
The amazing thing was that even though these fish are swimming in open waters off the back of the reef they are accompanied by a small fleet of fish species, most swimming at the head, eating krill as the whaleshark feeds.
Not much is really known about whalesharks, but you may be interested to know that they are now believed to give birth to hundreds of live pups, as opposed to laying egg cases like some other shark species. This may explain the discovery of the smallest whaleshark baby to date at just 40cms!!!
It is still unknown why the Ningaloo migration consists mainly of males, or where or how they breed.
In addition to the exciting whaleshark encounter, I also did some of the best snorkling I have ever done. The life was incredible, and almost every species we keep in our tanks was down there!! I even had an encounter with an overly friendly parrot fish that decided my ankle was tasty and sank his fangs in lol.
I am planning on going again next year in April (for the Whalesharks) and again in early July (for Whalesharks again and schools of Manta Rays) Am going to make it an annual thing, to keep it real and remind myself why I am part of the hobby
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/219707whaleshark_compressed.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/219707whaleshark_compressed2.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/21970711_April_09_028.jpg
