This was my second trip back to Placencia to dive with the whale sharks. I went the previous month (April) but wasn't lucky - only saw a whale shark on the last day out of 4 days of diving. I was much luckier in May (when this video was shot) due to better timing.
Although the Whale Shark diving is advertised as being around the full moon, the best dates to actually find and see whale sharks are from 3 days PAST the full moon on to about a week after the full moon. Also, later in the season, albeit with rougher seas, is better for spotting whale sharks. Personally, I think May is probably the best month due to the regular whale shark sightings and the relatively nice weather. June is supposed to be good too, but I gather the weather is getting rougher by that time. March is probably not a good bet, as I think a lot of the sharks are still down in Honduras. This year, no whale sharks were spotted during that month.
The boat ride isn't bad. It takes about 1 hour to get from Placencia to Gladden Spit. Sometimes 10-15 minutes longer depending on the boat and the route selected. The seas weren't too rough so the ride isn't bad - especially if you go with Avadon Divers who have the best dive boat in Placencia, a gorgeous brand new Newton 46' Dive Special!
Avadon Divers - Placencia, Belize, Welcome
I did book in advance, usually a week or so in advance is a good idea as spaces are limited by Gladden Spit Park rules. These limit each boat to 12 divers and also limit the number of boats that are allowed into the park at a given time. No more than 6 dive boats are allowed out there at a time. Time slots are pre-determined via a lottery at the beginning of the season. The reason for this is that the whale sharks are more likely to be spotted later in the day, so naturally, everyone wants the late afternoon time slots! Park rules state that all dive boats must vacate the park by 5pm. The reason behind this is to allow the sharks and the spawning snapper some time left unmolested during peak spawning hours, which occur around dusk.
Whale shark dive prices can be found on Avadon Divers website (above). They are also, IMHO, far and away the best dive op in southern belize. They just opened this year so they are still relatively unknown. Their owner was a DM on the Sun Dancer liveaboard for many years and is originally from jamaica. The shop is owned by Anne-Marie McNeil and her Brother, Phillip. They are just awesome. Look them up on Tripadvisor.com - they are getting rave reviews and are quickly establishing themselves as the premier shop in Placencia!
The way the whale sharks are found is as follows. The boat heads out past the reef into the open ocean and drops the divers along the gladden spit wall which is a deep wall approx 130+ feet below the surface. This is where the Cubera Snapper gather to spawn - just off the wall. It is these fish, and more precisely, their spawn that attract the whale sharks to Gladden Spit. Once in the water, the divers swim along in the blue until a large swarm of Cubera Snapper is spotted. Once you find a large spawning aggregation, the divers try to cluster in above the fish. The mass of bubbles produced by the divers simulates the appearance of snapper spawn and lures the whale sharks out of the deep to come up and have a look. It is pretty reliable that at least one, often several will appear out of the deep to have a look. The older whale sharks seem to be less easily fooled and will make a few passes before moving on. The juveniles, however, haven't always figured out the difference between spawn and bubbles and they will often hang around trying to eat the divers bubbles.
Depth limit on the dives is set at 80 feet by park rules. This was agreed to prevent the divers from going too deep and dispersing the spawning aggregations of the snapper.
Rangers are present at the site and regulate the dive boats and ensure that everybody vacates the park by 5pm.
It is AWESOME diving. =)
