Whale Sharks are the largest fish in the sea, dwarfing some whale species. Despite their massive size (up to 18m), they are completely harmless and feed only on tiny microscopic plants and animals called ‘plankton’. Planktonic matter lives in the seawater and becomes concentrated around Ningaloo following the coral spawning in March and April. The occasional bad visibility this time of year can be attributed to the abundance of plankton but without it whale sharks wouldn’t visit! In order to sift the plankton from the water, whale sharks open their mouths up wide and allow the water to be channelled through their gills. The gills are lined with hundreds over tiny teeth called ‘gill rakers’ which collect up the plankton and allow the water to pass back out.

Most of the whale sharks that visit Ningaloo are juvenile males, around six meters in length. The sex of a whale shark can be determined by viewing its underside. Males have two ‘claspers’, visible genitals protruding from the lower abdomen. Females simply have a slit, like opening from which live whale shark pups are born.

Whale sharks can grow up to 18 meters in length. They have a flat broad head and mouth which can be a meter in length. They have a short blunt dorsal fin and long pointy tail fin. Their skin is a mottled greyish- brown covered in hundreds of dots that look something like an Aboriginal dot painting. Their skin is rough like sandpaper and very thick to protect them from cuts and wounds inflicted by other animals. Mature Whale Sharks have few natural predators, although an individual that has returned to Ningaloo 2 years in a row has lost its dorsal fin and flesh from its side. This shark, (nick named Chompy), was probably attacked by a Great White Shark or Killer Whale.

The biggest threat to Whale Sharks today is HUMANS! Whale Sharks are protected in Western Australian waters, however after leaving Ningaloo their journey takes them to some Asian waters where they are not protected and are in fact hunted. Sadly, many of the larger specimens are observed in this dangerous territory and these are more likely to be the reproductive individuals. Sharks in general have very slow growth rates, are late to mature and have a low fecundity (birth rate), which makes them very susceptible to over fishing.

Whale Shark Identification Pilot Program:

Scientists do not know a lot about Whale Sharks, they have proved to be very allusive creatures. However more and more data is being collected to give us a better picture of the lives that they lead. Check out some of the links below for more information on whale sharks and download the Whale Shark Identification Pilot summary to view some interesting data from the 2004 Ningaloo Whale Shark season. This program has been developed by Allison Richards a local Exmouth resident, Scuba Diving Instructor, Whale Shark Spotter and a bit of a mermaid. She also runs the Ningaloo Community Turtle Monitoring program based in Exmouth. Her goal is to develop the Whale Shark project further to improve the knowledge of Whale Sharks and to ensure their continued survival and yearly arrival on the Ningaloo Reef.

THE NINGALOO REEF IS THE MOST RELIABLE PLACE IN THE WORLD TO VIEW WHALE SHARKS! The Ningaloo Reef has the most reliable annual aggregation of whale sharks, in the closest to proximity to shore, anywhere in the world! Whether it has been your life long dream to swim with a whale shark or you are an adrenaline junkie seeking the next thrill, swimming with a whale shark on the Ningaloo Reef is the experience of a lifetime! Since the late 1980’s charter boats have been taking paying customers to swim with whale sharks on the Ningaloo Reef. Spotter planes are used to locate the whale sharks from the air and to direct the boats to the sharks. The boat is positioned in front of the whale shark’s course and snorkellers leap off the back of the boat to view the shark which is heading right in their direction. The people are then picked up and dropped back in front of the shark, leap- frogging along the length of the reef, hoping that the whale shark doesn’t dive! Whale Sharks are known to dive to depths in excess of 700m, so the name of the game is to keep the shark happily feeding at the surface to allow the maximum viewing time. Due to the popularity of ‘Whale Sharking’ and the number of operators, a code of conduct has been devised for swimming with whale sharks. This can be viewed on the CALM web site. It includes staying three meters from the shark’s head and body and five from the tail as well as no touching the shark or flash photography.

If you are considering booking a Whale Shark tour, select a company that shares it’s plane and works in with other operators. This will increase your chances of seeing a Whale Shark and any other animals that appear on the reef from dugongs to manta rays!