Kee Hua Chee Live!: SWIMMING WITH SHARKS---THE WHALE SHARKS, NOT GREAT WHITE SHARKS!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
SWIMMING WITH SHARKS IS ONE OF LIFE'S THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE AND OF COURSE I MEAN SWIMMING WITH WHALE SHARKS AND NOR GREAT WHITE SHARKS WHICH WILL EAT YOU AND TEAR YOUR BODY TO BITS AND SHRED YOUR FLESH INTO MINCEMEAT!

Swimming with whale sharks is a surreal, life-changing experience!

This could be YOU swimming next to the planet's biggest and most harmless fish!
Life-sized balloon version of a whale shark

Whale sharks are not whales at all but a member of the shark family which includes small, harmless sharks less than a metre long. Despite its strange name and monstrous size up to 60 feet long, the whale shark is as harmless as a hamster and more so as hamsters can bite but whale sharks cannot! So whale sharks look fearsome but are as adorable as me!

You do get whale shark sightings in Malaysian coasts and when this happens, fishermen and locals jump into the water to stroke and pet them! Whale sharks, like dolphins, are quite pro-human and will allow homo sapiens to touch, stroke and caress them.

But this touchy-feely thingy is frowned upon by the Aussies when it comes to getting up close and personal with their whale sharks at Ningaloo Marine Park off the Coral Coast of Western Australia.

From March till July, these gentle giants flock to Ningaloo reef and homo sapiens can get up close and not too personal with them!

Before you die, this is one thing you must do!

Now is the time to take the plunge with Ningaloo’s gentle giants off the Coral Coast of Western Australia!

Western Australia's whale shark season has officially started in Exmouth and Coral Bay, a two-hour flight from Perth, the state capital.

After early sightings during summer, the mighty whale sharks have returned to the Ningaloo Marine Park in good numbers and are expected to remain in the area until late July.

Whale sharks are attracted to the Ningaloo Marine Park to feed on krill that swarm to the area shortly after the annual coral spawning in March and April each year.

Whilst whale sharks are the largest fish in the sea (growing up to 18 metres long), they are completely harmless to humans and are safe to swim with. The Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia’s Coral Coast was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2011 and is considered one of the best places in the world to swim with whale sharks. Ningaloo Marine Park protects the world-famous Ningaloo Reef – Australia’s largest and most accessible fringing reef. Here, swimmers can simply step straight off the dazzling white sandy beaches and enter an underwater wonderland of incredible diversity. Whale shark tours are offered between mid March until early August and sometimes into September if whale sharks are still in the area.

Australia’s Coral Coast CEO, David O’Malley said the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area is considered one of the most reliable and easily accessible places in the world to swim with whale sharks.

“Hopefully the early sightings during summer were an omen of another good season to come,” Mr O’Malley said.

“We are optimistic that the 2013 season will see a record number of visitors take the plunge with the almighty whale sharks in the Ningaloo Marine Park.”

NINGALOO WHALE SHARK FESTIVAL 2013

It's fun galore at the Ningaloo Whale Shark Festival!

It's nonstop fun for the family!

Just in case you forget, it's the great Ningaloo Whale Shark Festival!

The annual Ningaloo Whale Shark Festival, held from 24 to 26 May, will celebrate the season with a cocktail party, festival and family entertainment.

Ningaloo Reef is a name recognised nationally and internationally as a ‘premier marine environment’, home to the most predictable, seasonal aggregations of whale sharks in the world. The festival highlights the community’s relationship with the annual visitation of the whale shark. Its objective is to bring together government departments, business, industry and community members to strengthen their relationships/ connection, while enhancing the education and celebration of the whale shark and its annual visit to Ningaloo.

The event will start with a cocktail party at the Novotel Ningaloo on Friday evening. Festivities will continue on Saturday at the

Talanjee Oval with a family fun run, float parade, market stalls, rides,activities and entertainment throughout the day and the evening. Sunday is Family Day at Town Beach with plenty of beach games and entertainment. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ningaloowhalesharkfestival or www.ningaloowhalesharkfestival.com or www. westernaustralia.com

ABOUT WHALE SHARKS

· Latin name: Rhincodon typus

· Harmless to humans: Although whale sharks are a species of shark they are completely harmless to humans as they are filter feeders
Weight: A 12-metre whale shark weighs approximately 11 tonnes with a mouth more than a metre wide

· Length: Whale sharks are thought to grow up to 18 metres long, but the most frequently encountered size of whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef are between four and five metres

· Pup length: 55cm – baby whale sharks hatch from an egg case while instead the mother’s body before being expelled into the ocean

· Mostly male at Ningaloo: The majority of whale sharks seen in the Ningaloo Marine Park are juvenile males

· Sexual maturity: May not occur until whale sharks are 8-9 metres long (around 30 years old)

· Diving depth: 1500 metres

· Lifespan: It’s thought whale sharks have a lifespan of more than 100 years

· Threats: Illegal fishing, boat strikes

When do whale sharks visit Ningaloo?

Whale sharks visit the Ningaloo Marine Park after the annual coral spawning, which usually occurs in March and April. Krill and other tiny sea creatures swarm to Ningaloo Reef to feast shortly after the coral spawning. This phenomenon attracts whale sharks (the world’s largest fish) to Ningaloo Reef to feed on krill, plankton and copepods. Officially the whale shark season starts on 1 April, however the last few years there have been sufficient numbers of whale sharks to start tours around mid March. Tours are expected to run in Coral Bay between mid March and June and from Exmouth between mid March and late July. Tours sometimes continue into August if whale sharks are still in the area. Whale shark spotter planes are commissioned by tour operators during the season to locate whale sharks for tour boats.

2012 whale shark tour statistics

· Just over 1000 tours conducted throughout the season

· Success rate 94%

Whale shark conservation

Ecocean is committed to whale shark research and conservation and has set up a whale shark identification library that people can add their images to. The library is maintained and used by marine biologists to collect and analyse whale shark encounter data to learn more about whale sharks, as not much is currently known about their life story. The library uses photographs of the skin patterning behind the gills of each shark and any scars to distinguish between individual animals. www.whaleshark.org

Ningaloo Whale Shark Festival

The annual Ningaloo Whale Shark Festival to be held in Exmouth between 24 – 26 May 2013 celebrates the whale shark season with a cocktail party, festival and family entertainment. www.ningaloowhalesharkfestival.com

More information on swimming with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef