Where in SE Asia I may see Whale Shark regularly?
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El Nido in the Philippines is getting a reputation for them and a bit further afield, the Nigaloo reef off the West of Australia is renowned for them.
There are other areas that were known for them but unfortunately they're getting seen less frequently. Richelieu rock in Thailand for instance used to be almost guaranteed for a sighting but this year no one I know has seen any there - they may still be about but the numbers have dropped off
There are other areas that were known for them but unfortunately they're getting seen less frequently. Richelieu rock in Thailand for instance used to be almost guaranteed for a sighting but this year no one I know has seen any there - they may still be about but the numbers have dropped off
From my experience of diving the region here are some options, these are, it should be noted, season related. And with whale sharks there is no guarantee except maybe ningaloo in australia
Thailand, west coast, particualrly the island north of similans Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and importantly Richelieu Rock, where i saw my first one a couple of years ago and it was late April. I had heard it is better ealrier in the season ie december / Jan
October / early November sees a lot of sighting of plankton pelagics (made up term) dwon the east coast of malaysia, particularly the further offshore sites. Pulau Tioman (maybe) , Pulau Aur (better), the Seven skies Wreck (best of all), and also anambas islands if you are able to get a boat out there.
Check out the photos from last year here. Over two dives we saw 4 manta and 2 whale sharks (no it wasnt the same ones over and over)
http://www.whitemanta.com/gallery/2003-Oct-23
Thailand, west coast, particualrly the island north of similans Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and importantly Richelieu Rock, where i saw my first one a couple of years ago and it was late April. I had heard it is better ealrier in the season ie december / Jan
October / early November sees a lot of sighting of plankton pelagics (made up term) dwon the east coast of malaysia, particularly the further offshore sites. Pulau Tioman (maybe) , Pulau Aur (better), the Seven skies Wreck (best of all), and also anambas islands if you are able to get a boat out there.
Check out the photos from last year here. Over two dives we saw 4 manta and 2 whale sharks (no it wasnt the same ones over and over)
http://www.whitemanta.com/gallery/2003-Oct-23
Hi
We see them in Utila in Honduras the main season for them is from the end of Feb till the begining of june
We see them in Utila in Honduras the main season for them is from the end of Feb till the begining of june
Hi to Albion
Just giving another area where Whale Sharks can be seen as we do get a lot of people that when they are in Honduras ask where else in the world they can see them, we find that people that are traveling will sometimes try to arrange trips to coincide with the Whale Sharks
Just giving another area where Whale Sharks can be seen as we do get a lot of people that when they are in Honduras ask where else in the world they can see them, we find that people that are traveling will sometimes try to arrange trips to coincide with the Whale Sharks
DeepBlueDivers:
my first reaction was... I know my geography can be bad but...
jlyle
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Unfortunately, the best place to see whale sharks is in the markets of SE Asia where it's sold as "tofu shark." What a bloody shame.
whaleshark viewing/snorkelling would be the tourist attraction of eastern Visayas , Philippines specifically , Leyte and bohol and at Sorsogon (south eastern Luzon). the area covered by Leyte, Bohol and Sorsogon(Donsol) would be the area where they feed.
...if you want to see the whalesharks. Best period is March/April, check Gunther's site at www.leyte-divers.com for more info. It is a 6 hour boat ride from Cebu City, followed by 3 hours in a minibus. Sogod Bay is around the corner - its were the US fleet defeated a huge Japanese fleet in WW II (too deep for wreck diving though),
I dove with Gunther in July 2003 when he was called upon to assist in rescueing a 4~5 meter whale shark from a local tuna trap. Needless to say, best experience ever but with a sad end: we were not able to get it out. Had to leave the next day and Gunther never let me know how it ended so I guess it wasn't pretty. A buyer for the meet had already arrived when we arrived and sought to dive to its rescue with a few locals and a coral cay team that was researching the local reefs.
ciao - Arjan
I dove with Gunther in July 2003 when he was called upon to assist in rescueing a 4~5 meter whale shark from a local tuna trap. Needless to say, best experience ever but with a sad end: we were not able to get it out. Had to leave the next day and Gunther never let me know how it ended so I guess it wasn't pretty. A buyer for the meet had already arrived when we arrived and sought to dive to its rescue with a few locals and a coral cay team that was researching the local reefs.
ciao - Arjan
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