How does it feel seeing whale sharks for the first time, or to swim with them in the beautiful Sea of Cortez? Check out Mike’s first-hand travel account to find out!
Whale shark expedition day! The anticipation builds—how will it be? There were almost 30 of us… Would we all see a whale shark? Would there be enough to go around?
Expectations were high. 6 hours over 2 shifts seemed like an awfully long time to be out there. Were we going to be looking for them forever without actually getting to enjoy the experience? The crew tried to prepare us, to set our expectations. We should be ready for a good deal of waiting.
My First Time Seeing a Whale Shark
Off we went, cruising on the panga, around the bend, and into the bay. The first thing I noticed was that our group was the only boat out there. Great start! We were the last panga out and noticed right away that others were already in the water. That meant they found whale sharks! Yeah!
Within 10 minutes, we were on to our first whale shark. Our guide Pascal and the captain shouted “Go, go, go!”, and off we went. “Put your head down, now”, so we listened, and boom, there it was directly below and coming right at us. Slowly, I aligned myself to his side and off we went, swimming side-by-side for over a minute. I waited for it to dive, but it just did not.
I swam until I could swim no more, enjoying and relishing every moment with this magnificent creature. After seeing whale sharks, I’m in awe of their majestic size and their beautiful finesse. I felt this moment was so magical, I wanted to hold on to it forever. This was my first encounter of the day, and it only got better from there.
Fun Fact: Whale Sharks are the largest fish alive today and can grow as long as 60 feet—that’s over 18 meters!
A Magical Day: Seeing Whale Sharks Up-Close
Again and again, the encounters multiplied. One by one, our family dropped from tiredness as they had swam and seen as much as they could handle. As we neared the end of both our first and second 3-hour shifts, the sharks seemed to become more and more comfortable with us. They dove less, they slowed down, and at times even seemed to stop, allowing us to just rest by their side and take them in fully.
They even started to circle back, approaching us, and some came right up to our boats. It seemed as if they were enjoying this almost as much as we were.
The highlight for me came as I was swimming next to one shark, and then out of nowhere, another shark came right up, almost kissing the first, with me tucked right in the middle of the two. Heaven. Was I scared? No way!
Ah, this was such an amazing day and made the entire trip 100% worth it. Everything else will be icing on the cake.
Guest Account by Mike P., USA, August 2023
Planning a Whale Shark Adventure?
Mike’s story is just one of many unforgettable experiences our guests have with whale wharks and more. If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing whale sharks and swimming side-by-side with these gentle giants, discover how you can join the adventure here: ‘Ultimate Whale Sharks’ with Nautilus Liveaboards.
