Unusual flight times and a Manila layover meant that between my 10:30pm Siem Reap, Cambodia departure and 7:30am arrival at my hotel in Donsol, Philippines I enjoyed less than an hour of sleep…no worries, looming on the agenda…Whale Shark Dives.
I made the short walk from the hotel to the dive center and after a brief introductory video I picked up flippers, a snorkel and a mask and head for the boat. A short ride later, about ¼ mile off the coast, our guide gave the go ahead and we all jumped into the water.
My initial thought was the cloudy water would limit visibility and then suddenly the whale shark appeared within five feet of my now startled face. The initial fear of staring directly into the oncoming mouth of the largest fish in the world instantly dissipated with a “This is the Greatest Thing Ever” moment as the whale shark glided gently below me. The shark was about seven meters in length and as it gracefully swam by you simply marveled at its size and beauty.
On this late morning trip only one shark was present in the bay; there were four boats of six on the bay - at any point there were up to twenty four people vying for a selfie photo position with the whaleshark. The boats dropped you off in front of the whale shark and is shark passed you had an unobstructed view but then it turned into a free-for-all swim beside the lumbering fish as it continued with its plankton feeding. Tired of flippers smacking my face I channeled my inner Michael Phelps and began a freestyle stroke for where I thought the whale shark is headed. Before long, I was in open water, completely separated from the pack that now drifted thirty yards behind to my left.
Ugh…or something to that effect. I used all this energy and I’m nowhere near the shark. I started to tread water and scanned the the surface in search of the whale shark’s tail fin to determine where to swim next.
And then…boom…my knee collided with something under water. It felt like I hit a piece of wood and just received several splinters or that that I’ve just had sandpaper rubbed across the top of knee. I winced, let out a quick scream, looked down, and immediately realized…I just delivered a direct blow to the 30,000lb shark’s head via my knee. Now fear was present…I worried the gentle giant would turn to see who this mysterious aggressor may be and seek retribution via a single gulp of its large mouth. I lifted my legs and flailed my arms to avoid catching the whale shark a second time. The whale shark continued its gentle glide…either intimidated or oblivious to my presence…probably the latter.
By this point my scream has attracted the attention of the other snorkelers and they have quickly descended upon my position. In the comfort of numbers I slowly drifted to the back and waited for my boat to pick me up.
I climbed up the boat’s ladder and sat on a bench. I looked down at my left knee and saw a slight abrasion. Soon blood rose to the surface over the skin…I had just drawn blood in a shark “attack”.
I made the short walk from the hotel to the dive center and after a brief introductory video I picked up flippers, a snorkel and a mask and head for the boat. A short ride later, about ¼ mile off the coast, our guide gave the go ahead and we all jumped into the water.
My initial thought was the cloudy water would limit visibility and then suddenly the whale shark appeared within five feet of my now startled face. The initial fear of staring directly into the oncoming mouth of the largest fish in the world instantly dissipated with a “This is the Greatest Thing Ever” moment as the whale shark glided gently below me. The shark was about seven meters in length and as it gracefully swam by you simply marveled at its size and beauty.
On this late morning trip only one shark was present in the bay; there were four boats of six on the bay - at any point there were up to twenty four people vying for a selfie photo position with the whaleshark. The boats dropped you off in front of the whale shark and is shark passed you had an unobstructed view but then it turned into a free-for-all swim beside the lumbering fish as it continued with its plankton feeding. Tired of flippers smacking my face I channeled my inner Michael Phelps and began a freestyle stroke for where I thought the whale shark is headed. Before long, I was in open water, completely separated from the pack that now drifted thirty yards behind to my left.
Ugh…or something to that effect. I used all this energy and I’m nowhere near the shark. I started to tread water and scanned the the surface in search of the whale shark’s tail fin to determine where to swim next.
And then…boom…my knee collided with something under water. It felt like I hit a piece of wood and just received several splinters or that that I’ve just had sandpaper rubbed across the top of knee. I winced, let out a quick scream, looked down, and immediately realized…I just delivered a direct blow to the 30,000lb shark’s head via my knee. Now fear was present…I worried the gentle giant would turn to see who this mysterious aggressor may be and seek retribution via a single gulp of its large mouth. I lifted my legs and flailed my arms to avoid catching the whale shark a second time. The whale shark continued its gentle glide…either intimidated or oblivious to my presence…probably the latter.
By this point my scream has attracted the attention of the other snorkelers and they have quickly descended upon my position. In the comfort of numbers I slowly drifted to the back and waited for my boat to pick me up.
I climbed up the boat’s ladder and sat on a bench. I looked down at my left knee and saw a slight abrasion. Soon blood rose to the surface over the skin…I had just drawn blood in a shark “attack”.