Swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef

THE deep waters of Ningaloo Marine Park offer an amazing opportunity to observe one of nature's most mysterious creatures, writes Katherine Howell.

ningaloo

THE sky is cloudless blue, the water is a flat crystal-clear green, and my heart is already pounding when our boatload of keen whale shark adventurers motors away from the jetty in Western Australia's Coral Bay.

Swimming with the rare and massive whale shark has been a decades-long dream, and I was here in the 260km-long Ningaloo Marine Park on the remote Coral Coast seven years ago to do just that, but the sea was too rough for the boats to go out.

Today, though, it looks like everything is falling into place.

The biggest fish in the sea, whale sharks are about 55cm long when born and can grow to 18m in length at full maturity, which is around thirty years.

The ones most often seen in Ningaloo are 4-5m, the equivalent of teenagers. They come to the area from mid-March to July in response to the annual coral spawning.

The spawn attracts countless tiny planktonic organisms, which are the whale sharks' main source of food.

The shark is a filter-feeder, drawing in water through its massive mouth and filtering out the plankton with mesh-like rakers inside its gills.

Ningaloo is one of the most reliable and easily accessible places in the world to swim with the sharks, and in 2012, with just over 1000 tours during the season, the rate of success in finding sharks was over 94 per cent.

Our first stop this day is a kilometre offshore, still well inside the reef. We practice entering the water while the boat is still moving, and with a minimum of splash to avoid frightening the shark.

Ningaloo Reef Dive guide Kyeesha explains that when a whale shark is located by the spotter plane flying overhead, the boat will circle to pass in front of it and we will have mere seconds to get into the water.

In wetsuits, with mask, snorkel, and fins in place, we line up on the platform at the stern, wait for the signal, then slide into the sea.

We practice forming an 8m horseshoe behind an imaginary shark then follow it over the coral as turtles and fish dart away from us. Then we get back on board to head out past the reef, about 4km from land, and wait.

A whale shark is soon spotted and we are off. We sit grinning with anticipation as skipper Steve powers the boat through the water.

Guides Kyeesha, Kenzo, and Macca split us into two groups of eight and run over the procedure again, then the first group is ushered to the stern.

I wait on the platform and look at the deep water, a dark blue-green with just the slightest swell, and I try not to think about other kinds of sharks, only about the harmless one we are about to meet.

Kyeesha shouts at us to get ready. The boat slows and my heart speeds.

Skipper Steve blows the horn. Kyeesha drops in first, then we follow.

I peer through the bubbles from other snorkellers' fins and see her pointing into the deep. A shape rises towards us. It's a whale shark, 6m long, mouth gaping as it glides through the water.

All around me people are exclaiming into their snorkels.

We hurry out of the shark's path and fall into horseshoe formation then begin an easy-paced swim behind it. I can't quite believe I'm here, and stare at the fish's sheer bulk and the slow sweep of its tail, at the array of spots on its body.

The markings behind its gills are as individual as a human fingerprint and crucial in studies to identify sharks and map their movements. Very little is known about the shark's life and behaviour, so conservation groups such as Ecocean operate online databases where anyone can help researchers by submitting photos and information about sightings.

We follow on the surface as the shark swims deeper, and with visibility at 20m it's a long time before those white spots disappear into the gloom.

The duration and conduct of whale shark swims are strictly regulated.

There are three other boats in the water on this day, keeping well apart and taking turns so the shark won't be disturbed or frightened.

The Ningaloo Reef Dive crew is passionate about whale sharks, Ningaloo, and the protection of both, and they are keen to share their knowledge and experiences.

On board after six swims, Steve takes us back inside the reef. We moor for lunch - a delicious salad buffet freshly prepared by the crew, then mask up again for a final snorkel.

The water is turquoise here, just 8m deep, with coral bombies growing up to the surface. Schools of tiny fish swim just out of reach, a turtle eyes me as it passes, and I float over the coral garden, so glad I finally swam with a whale shark, feeling like I'm flying.

Katherine Howell has published six crime novels. Her latest book is the hugely successful Web of Deceit. Details at katherinehowell.com

GO2 - NINGALOO REEF

Doing there: Ningaloo Reef Dive runs full-day whale shark tours from Coral Bay. Morning and afternoon tea and lunch are supplied, as are wetsuits, snorkels, masks and fins. Ph [phone].

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