This is an incredible shot Mickey! Gives you some perspective on sizes.
First of all, my thanks to Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers for allowing me to share these amazing and spectacular photos with you.
The whale shark was spotted in shallow water as Flamingo Divers headed towards their dive site. They slipped into the water and snorkeled with this magnificent creature.
- Wow………what a sight! A whale shark in the Sandbore Channel.
Jayne tells us “I’ve seen one about 6 years ago – a fleeting glance as it passed over head. Mickey’s never seen one before. This one was great as we got to snorkel with it in shallow water, and it swam circles around and through our group! Loved it!
Look how tiny Mickey is as he swims along to get up close to the whale shark. Thanks Dave for this great shot!
The whale shark is the largest fish in the sea with an average length of about 26ft . It’s actually not a whale but a shark and it is quite different than most other sharks in the way that it eats. It has a very large mouth in front, a big square head and distinctive coloring. They have little eyes, big gills, six ridges along their backs and pale white dots evenly spread about the body with a white belly.
Face to face with the gentle giant of the seas.
Even though it is so huge, the whale shark does not pose significant danger to humans. They are docile fish and sometimes will allow swimmers to hitch a ride (not recommended as these are wild animals). Whale sharks are actually quite gentle, can play with divers and thus you can swim with this giant fish without risk. Keep out of the way of the shark’s large tail fin though!
Close up view of feeding time.
Our wedding couple along with friends have been diving with Mickey and Jayne at Flamingo Divers for a full two weeks now. They were hoping to see a whale shark. No whale shark but huge amounts of other sharks on almost every dive. Our bride and groom did take time out for their wedding though! (see my previous post)
We hope you’ll join Mickey and Jayne and Flamingo Divers as they guide you through some spectacular dive sites and the reefs of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Grab your dive buddy and book your dive adventure today…..Call or email Flamingo Divers at Toll Free: 1 800-204-9282 or greatdiving@flamingodivers.com You can also contact me to arrange all your diving needs too.
Marta