Whale sharks of Ningaloo :day 1

Hello everyone, well I survived day one and it was an excellent day in the waters of Ningaloo reef. We found, identified, swam with and photographed seven different whale sharks today. We even saw two at once crossing paths at a depth of 7-8 metres. This is a rare occurrence as whale sharks are predominantly solitary animals as opposed to other fish which group together for social reasons or for safety in numbers. Our day here starts at about 6.30 am for breakfast then off out on the boat for a snorkel inside the reef where many species of fish are to be found including large groupers and reef sharks. As soon as the spotter planes are up we get back on the boat and the pilots direct the boat captains where to go to interact with the whale sharks.

We are generally dropped off in front of the whale sharks, wait for them to get to us and then swim alongside, taking identification photographs which tomorrow I will be working on in the lab. We use a very sophisticated computer program to map the markings on the sharks so we can tell if the shark has been to Ningaloo before or if it is new to the area. Tomorrow I shall tell you about the results from the lab and post some of the photographs for you to look at. You can also contact me and ask me questions on the forum at www.teachlive.org.au

Good luck with your tasks which were left on the website.

Mr.F.