Awe for magnificent whale sharks shines through on Australia's Ningaloo Reef

Irish Examiner

15 hours ago

They're notoriously secretive, so much so that, to this day, scientists aren't entirely sure how or when they mate and reproduce.
They tend to be solitary, but if you were lucky enough to chance upon a group of them, they'd be called 'a constellation', surely the loveliest collective noun ever devised. And they've been listed as 'endangered' under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List since 2016.
Whale sharks — and they are, in fact, sharks, although posing no risk to humans — are the largest fish in the world, growing up to 15m in length and weighing around 18,500kg in adulthood.
But big isn't necessarily mighty: it's estimated that there are fewer than 200,000 whale sharks left alive, thanks to shifts in water temperatures and increasing amounts of ocean plastics — as well as deliberate fishing for their fins, which can fetch tens of thousands of euro in the Asian market.
Small wonder that the experience of swimming with these magnificent creatures is seen as a 'bucket list' must for so many people. If a whale shark's size and elusiveness isn't enticing enough, there's their incredible beauty, a splatter painting of delicate white spots and stripes along the broad stretch of its back.
But the appeal of getting up close and personal with these gentle giants of the sea makes for a lucrative business, which in turn can result in unethical practices, further threatening the species.
In the Phillipines, where whale sharks are easily sighted from November through to May, some areas, such as Oslob, have attracted criticism for the close-range engagement, including hand feeding that's encouraged, simply so that tourists can snag the perfect underwater selfie.
Aerial view of travellers resting on a beach at Warroora Station, on Ningaloo Reef. Picture: Ningaloo Discovery Tours.
A shark of such size needs a fair amount of food to survive, especially when their 300 or so teeth aren't built for chewing. Whale sharks are filter feeders, gliding open mouthed through the water to hoover up plankton, as well as small fish and shrimp.
It's a big and time-consuming job, so who can blame them for flocking to places such as Oslob, where shrimp is tossed into the water and there for the taking? Are they supposed to care that this diet is less diverse than that which they'd eat naturally, or that getting too comfortable around boats might lead them into proximity with propeller-powered ones, which could cause them injury?
Are they supposed to understand that hanging about in one place with the promise of easily-gained food could impact their natural migratory habits?
It's a very different story on Australia's Ningaloo Reef, located about 1,200km north of Perth. Research published last year describes whale shark tourism here as setting the gold standard, following the use of biotelemetry devices to measure the impacts of tourism, namely swimmers and boats, on whale sharks, which can be seen here between March and August each year.
Thanks to stringent local tourism practices and high compliance, the conclusion was that impacts are so minimal as to be virtually non-existent.
While Ningaloo is the world's largest fringing coral reef, meaning that you can be above the corals within a few kicks of the beach, it takes a little longer to venture out into whale shark territory.
Whaleshark Tour with Live Ningaloo, Ningaloo. Picture: Ningaloo Discovery Tours
The boat ride gives our enthusiastic guides ample time to brief us on protocols (sadly, it also gives some of the visitors ample time to be outrageously ill… if you're thus prone, then seasickness tablets are essential) and to share with us some of the few facts known about these marine megafauna.
For instance, a female shark harpooned by fishermen in Taiwan in 1995 was found to be pregnant with over 300 pups — all at different stages of development. Later research demonstrated the presence of a single father, indicating that whale sharks mate once and that the females then store the sperm to fertilise their eggs when required — or when it suits them.
Even so, little is known about a whale shark's early development: they are rarely sighted until they're about 3-4m long and a few years old.
Spotter planes — 'spottos' — are buzzing overhead as we make our way out into deeper water; from their lofty vantage point, they can spot the presence of a whale shark close to the surface and communicate its location to the boat's skipper.
Fully kitted up in our snorkelling gear, we wait for the signal from our guide before entering the water and finding ourselves face-to-face with an almost absurdly enormous, gaping mouth, which seems to be beatifically smiling. Its markings are both bold and delicate, an explosion of stars. You can quite see how, from above, a group would merit the term 'constellation'.
Reef and Range tour with Trek Ningaloo, Ningaloo. Picture: Ningaloo Discovery Tours
'Swimming with whale sharks' is perhaps something of a misnomer here: In keeping with the ethics of the practice, interaction time is very limited and a maximum of 10 swimmers are permitted alongside the shark at a time, with strict distancing maintained from its head and tail.
Flash photography and duck diving are also forbidden, as is, of course, feeding. Additionally, only 14 operators are licensed to conduct whale shark tours in Ningaloo Marine Park, which spans 940sq m.
Exmouth, the remote town to which you must fly to access the wonders of the Ningaloo — and they are myriad, even outside of whale shark season — lacks the large-scale development that scars many natural tourist attractions.
There's a rawness and emptiness here, both of which must be beneficial to the land and its fringing waters. Even so, the business of whale shark tourism can't, in all honesty, be said to wear an eco-halo: Factor in a flight to Perth from Europe, plus the two-hour internal flight to Exmouth, add the fuel used by the 'spottos' and boats, and the carbon cost soon tots up.
The lack of development means that most of the accommodation options around Exmouth are unassuming, but there's one exception, where you can tick boxes of both glamour and sustainability.
Aerial view of Coral Bay. Picture: Ningaloo Discovery Tours.
Sal Salis is cunningly concealed in the sand dunes of the Cape Range National Park, edged by beach and reef on one side, and the ancestral land of the Yinigurdira people on the other. Recognition of its actions to safeguard the fragile ecosystem have been recognised by various accreditations, including ECO Certification by Ecotourism Australia.
Such efforts can't fail to be appreciated when you wake up to glorious golden light in a luxury safari tent, but they take on an even deeper meaning when you explore the surrounding ocean.
Personally, my whale shark encounters were fleeting, the water —and hence visibility — was churned up by flailing flippers and yes, I did feel a little sad that my speckled beauty offered me its Joker-esque smile before disappearing into the depths (they are known to dive beyond 2,000m) and depriving me of the opportunity for that prized underwater 'here's me with…' shot.
But, for me, the disappointment was a part of the experience just as significant as actually seeing a whale shark. We're so primed to believe that the world will bend to our will. Add to basket. Click to buy. Same-day delivery. I want, therefore I have. An experience with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef is precious, undoubtedly, and it may well be a tick on a bucket list for many — but awe for these magnificent creatures is what really shines, whether you get to 'swim' with them or not.
Escape Notes
Singapore Airlines flies from Dublin to Perth from €1,394 return in economy class, singaporeair.com
Qantas flies from Perth to Exmouth from €311 return, qantas.com
A full-day whale shark tour with Ningaloo Discovery costs AU$550/€311, including transport, lunch, equipment, and snacks, ningaloodiscovery.com.au
A luxury tent at Sal Salis is priced from AU$1179/€1131, salsalis.com.au
Sarah was a guest of Tourism Western Australia westernaustralia.com
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