Swimming with Whale Sharks
17 March 2014 | La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Claudia Richardson
Claudia Richardson and her husband Brian Basura visited us in La Paz.
I asked her to write a guest blog post about the experience she and Brian and Shawn shared when they went snorkeling with the whale sharks in Bahia de La Paz.
Here is her post;
It had been two years since we last saw Shawn and John. They were filling Active Transport’s water tank off a dock in Mooloolabah, Queensland, Australia (November 2011).
I had been envious that day. They would be continuing their adventures, while Brian and I were selling Skylight our 43 foot Mason after a two year journey from California to Australia.
We had first met Shawn and John on the secluded coral atoll of Suwarrow, Cook Islands (August 2010). We had walked pristine beaches and attended potlucks with other cruisers. Then met them again in the murky and polluted Pago Pago bay, America Samoa (September 2010). This place had suffered a tsunami wave in 2009 and still had shown signs of devastation. Then we met one more time on the west side of Malekula Island in Vanuatu (July 2011). We had left Skylight at anchor and they took us to Dixon reef, probably the best snorkeling experience we had that season.
So it was no wonder that as Brian and I awaited John as he walked up the dock in La Paz Mexico, I was filled with conflicting emotions. I was happy to see our friend healthy and well and a little sad that we had arrived by plane. What an accomplishment they achieved by circumnavigating the globe on s/v Active Transport!
John took us Active Transport docked near by. Seeing a boat is just like seeing an old friend. My mind’s eye remembered her in beautiful anchorages.
Shawn was waiting for us. Life at sea has agreed with Shawn and John. They both looked just the same four-years prior. We met John’s sister Debbie who bubbled over in friendship and excitement for the following week’s activities.
John wrote in an earlier blog about our adventure to Magdelena Bay, so I will pick up with the Shark Whale adventure that Brian, Shawn and I enjoyed once we returned to La Paz.
John had tried to make reservations earlier, but as this was the end of the Whale Shark season, the tour operator, Luis (Azul Tours) wanted to be sure that the Whale Sharks where still in the area before taking our reservations and would not reserve our spot until talking with the Captain and crew the day before we planned to go. Then all was set. They confirmed that there were three sharks in the bay.
The next morning, Brian, Shawn, and I waited at the Marina Office for the tour operator who would pick us up and told us to be on time. We soon found out that this didn’t mean they would be on time. In fact, I think they forgot us. No problem, we were only a block away and we decided to walk over to the Malecon (beach front) where the tour operator was located.
As we arrived, they were just loading up passengers for a tour. Our tour was still two hours away and they asked if we could come back. So we set off and found a little beachfront restaurant, where we enjoyed a wonderful plate of tortilla wrapped cheese that was covered in refried beans. We already had cereal for breakfast, but what harm could a little more food do, right?
At the allotted time, we met back at the tour office, put on our snorkel gear, wetsuit, grabbed mask and snorkel and fins and headed out to the little panga that was beached just across the street.
There were just 6 touristas and our tour guide, Alan (from California) and the Captain (I think his name was Aoul. I repeated the name to Shawn, who was a little dubious, so now I’m not so sure). Besides Brian, Shawn and me, there were three gals from Mexico City in bikinis that drew more attention from the crew than we did (can’t imagine why).
On the way to the site Alan gave us a briefing about the Whale Sharks. He told us that the sharks came to La Paz to feed on the krill this time of year. They would come here early winter and stay until late spring. He said that they usually limit the snorkelers to 5 at a time, but being that we had 6 we should be okay. We would have to share time if other boats were present. He told us that female sharks reach sexual maturity around 30 years of age. Although a female shark would appear to give live birth, her eggs (with baby sharks) would remain in her body and she would birth her young live (16 to 24 inches long).
He said that although the whale sharks were protected, they were still being hunted in Asia. He asked us not to touch the sharks as they might get spooked and dive down or swim away, and lastly, to approach the sharks without splashing as this seemed to irritate them.
There it was! A nice big (and I mean BIG), black, shark-shape that hovered under the surface of the water. Unfortunately, there was also a research boat along side the shark. Its occupant was ready to jump in and tag the fish. He did this quickly and gave our Captain a sign that he was done. This particular shark was known as Flavio. I don’t thing Flavio liked getting poked with the tag, because he slowly started to swim away.
Alan saw that the three of us where ready to jump over board and told us that he was taking the girls in first and when the Captain told us it was okay, we could follow.
The girls, still suited in life-vests, splashed and kicked like crazy to get to Flavio. When Aoul said, “Okay,” the three of us were in a mad dash to try to catch-up with the beast now on the go. I saw a big shark tail in the distance, slowly getting away. We didn’t know if this would be our last chance, so we swam until our hearts rapidly beat against our chests. The Whale Shark barely seemed to swim, yet, with the smallest movement of its tail he was out of reach. Kicking hard, the three of us chased it before Alan signaled us to get back on boat. Better to go by boat than fin.
On the second attempt, I swam much harder, trying to get a closer look and was able to catch up and swim alongside this massive Whale Shark. I could not help but to feel the wonder of being along side this magnificent creature.
It was mesmerizing. It was so big and shark-like. It was maybe 23 feet in length. How could it get that big and I couldn’t even see what it was feeding on? It’s five pairs of gills were like loose material that constantly fluttered in the water. Massive amounts of water must have been passing through those gills. The sharks spotted and striped patterns could compete the beauty of any butterfly. I later read that the sharks could be identified by these unique patterns. Our shark, Flavio, could now be identified by a yellow tag numbered “045” left side of it’s dorsal fin.
I also read that the Whale Shark is the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate. The average was around 31 feet in length and weighed about 20,000 pounds. The largest reported was 46 feet and weighting 66,0000 pounds. Alan had told us that the Sharks we saw were juveniles. These are mostly pelagic, open sea-goers, found in tropical and warm oceans with a lifespan of about 70 years old. Whale Sharks have very large mouths (4.9 feet wide. I am 5.0 feet – imagine how I felt) and 300 to 350 rows of tiny teeth (glad I did not know this earlier). They are filter feeders and fed mainly on plankton (microscopic plants and animals).
Soon, I saw that Brian, Shawn, and Alan were with me, before Flavio (aka 045) took off with the most minimal sweep of his tail.
We did this several times. Off panga, swim like mad, get back on the panga, and then look for shark. As we waited yet for another boat pick up, Alan said, “Did I mention that you get good exercise on this tour?”
In fact, it was very strenuous! I tried to dive down a couple of times to see Flavio from a new angle, but the acrid feel of my “frijoles” rose to my throat and I wisely kept to the surface. Brian said later that he had thrown up in his snorkel due to the exertion. On the good side of that, he was able to dive a little with the shark. Shawn appeared to have no such problems and as Alan said, “ You were diving circles around the shark!” With fins on, Shawn is half-fish himself.
After a few tries, the girls from Mexico decided they would bask in their bikinis and drink beer they had brought onboard. This further distracted our kind Captain, who did his best to entertain them.
This ended up great for Brian, Shawn and me. Now Flavio settled down, and soon we were joined by number 044 (without a name). We got a lot of great video, as the GoPro was passed between the three of us. Shawn took several as he swam under the sharks. Brian is currently splicing together the short clips and will hopefully have something to share with John to post.
We had many amazing moments with the Whale Sharks as they fed at the very surface and inhaled copious amounts of ocean water. By the afternoon, the sun had warmed the surface water and the water became thick with krill. I could feel small pinpricks on my face and hands. Small and clear-bodied, the krill became visible.
We took advantage of this to get close to the head of the sharks for viewing and videoing. All of us got caught off-guard as the shark would decide to turn towards us. It’s mouth would near us and we would quickly back away. Mentally, you tell yourself that they can’t eat you. But, the other part you said you would be sucked into it’s massive jaw. Both Shawn and Brian got bumped by it’s huge head and/or jaw and describe it as getting hit by something so solid and hard, as if it were a rock.
We were eventually were brought back to the boat for sandwiches and drinks. I thought I heard that anytime we wanted, we could get back in the water with the shark, which had stayed right off the bow. Sandwich, shark, sandwich, shark. I really didn’t hesitate. Although I was getting tired, I could eat sandwiches anytime, but this was a chance in a lifetime! I jumped in with the GoPro and shark. Brian told me that onboard, the crew did a head count and at “5” they realize someone was missing. He told them it was just me, and I would be fine. Feeling responsible, the Captain jumped in. Shawn scarfed down his food and was soon back in the water. After a while, the Captain signaled that it was time to go back in.
This was an amazing experience. We were the last tour of the day. We experienced a nice long time with the whale sharks. We never felt rushed. And just as in Mag Bay, the crew loved to experience these large creatures just as much as we did. We must have swam with 3 or 4 different whale sharks, and on the way back in, counted at least four more. Alan told us we had been really lucky, as normally there might be one to three sharks a day.
We have been lucky indeed.
Lucky to be in the right place and at the right time. Lucky in gray whale watching, lucky in whale shark snorkeling and most of all lucky to have met John and Shawn on a lonely coral atoll in 2010.
Gracias and Adios mi Amigos! Have a safe trip! See you when you got back to the States!