Tropical Travel Girl
New article: “Swimming with Giants” whale sharks article in AAA Home & Away
Swimming with whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea, had been on my bucket list for years. On August 18, 2015, my dream was fulfilled, just a few days after my birthday. It was a belated birthday gift worth waiting for, but it didn’t come easily, as you’ll read in my article, published in the March/April 2016 issue of AAA Home & Away magazine’s Hoosier edition. (Click on link below to open and/or download a PDF.)
Swimming With Giants_AAA-Home&Away_Mar-Apr2016
Here are more photos from that day:
This was the only photo I personally was able to take of one of the whale sharks. As I mention in the article, I jumped into the water, saw it right below me, snapped this pic and then it was gone!
Click on any photo to enlarge it and a slideshow will begin:
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- Our group as we are about to board the boat for our whale sharks adventure.
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- Many boats were congregated in the area where the whale sharks were spotted.
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- Ready, set, go! Waiting to jump into the water…
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- Debbie and Nancy
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- Melissa and Becca
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- Courtney, Leslie and Dara
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- Waiting for the moment to jump in!
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- Whale shark (Photo: Becca Hurley)
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- Whale shark
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- Front view of whale shark
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- Whale shark
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- Whale shark
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- Whale shark, Mexico
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- Whale sharks are filter feeders and open their mouths to take in krill from the water.
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- Finally! I was able to swim next to a whale shark!
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- Thanks to Marco, our boat assistant, my third try to stay up with the whale shark was a success!
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- A belated birthday gift and bucket list experience crossed off the list!
Click below to view a short video of the whale shark I finally was able to swim beside:
The whale sharks excursion was arranged through the Grand Residences Riviera Cancun resort, an all-suites resort, where I stayed along with other travel writers. A blog post on the Grand Residences resort and the rest of our stay is coming soon!
(Photo Credit for Whale Sharks photos and video: Natalea Toscano)
You are braver than me! Great pics
I seem to be getting more adventurous as the years go on, Ruth! Also, as a scuba diver, I just love seeing and interacting with everything that lives in the sea. 🙂
You were there right after me! Check out my trip to Isla Mujeres too! http://vickiwinters.com/swimming-with-whale-sharks-in-mexico/
Wow, Vicki! I did! Yes, our whale shark adventures were very close to one another! So glad you were able to “take the plunge” with these giant creatures as well.
Beautiful photos! I was there in July on a science expedition and spent many days with them. Awesome!
Thanks, Tam! I am envious that you were able to spend several days with the whale sharks! What a special time that must have been… I would love to do this again in order to have more opportunities to observe them up close.
So happy that you got to experience this once-in-a-lifetime experience! We swam with whale sharks off La Paz, Mexico – and it was so amazing to have this swim by so close we could almost touch them. The only thing is the water is cold there, so we had to wear wetsuits (and we had a cool day) — it would be nice to experience this without shivering! But we’re not complaining :-).
Thanks, Janice, for sharing your experience with the whale sharks! The water was nice and warm for us but I would do it again with the wetsuit to have another opportunity to swim next to them for a longer time… It went by so fast!
So happy for you!!! You are an inspiration.
Thanks, Lavanya! It was a great birthday present (a few days late)! Since we met on our Galapagos trip, you and I have both had some amazing animal adventures!
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My husband who does scuba diving tells me the sharks are not as dangerous as they are believed to be. He also dived with sharks in New Caledonia, with his brother and our son, but to me it sounds horrific. I envy you however for being so brave. It’s a whole new world out there that you can enjoy because you can dive. Good for you, Debbra!
Thanks, Anda, but these aren’t dangerous. They are called “gentle giants” for a reason. However, they ARE huge creatures! Also, we were only on snorkel for this experience, so you don’t have to be a diver to swim with whale sharks. You should try it, if given the opportunity!
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