In Baja California, there are several places where you can spot and experience the thrill of swimming with this gentle giant.
Diving and snorkelling with whale sharks is an exciting and unforgettable experience, suitable for everyone, including children and adults.
The locations for snorkelling with whale sharks vary depending on the migratory season, and one of these is around Espiritu Santo Island in La Paz.
Whale sharks can easily exceed 10 metres in length and have an average weight of about 9 tonnes. In fact, they are the largest fish in existence.
When they are born, they are about a metre long, which is already quite impressive. So, if you encounter a whale shark measuring 2-3 metres, you’re actually looking at just a baby.
Authoritative sources claim that there are specimens measuring up to 20 metres in length and weighing 34 tonnes.
The largest officially recorded specimen was caught in Pakistan, near Baba Island close to Karachi, and measured 12.65 metres in length with a weight of 21.5 tonnes.
Despite their incredible body mass, whale sharks feed exclusively on plankton, crustaceans, small fish, microscopic algae, and occasionally some squid. For this reason, they are completely harmless to humans.
Their appearance is typical of a shark, but their body is broader and flattened on the back, with a blunt head and a very wide mouth. The two dorsal fins are not very large and are positioned on the rear half of the body. The caudal fin is almost symmetrically bilobed, the pelvic fins are located underneath, while the pectoral fins are quite wide and positioned below the last two gill slits.
Their skin is among the thickest in the animal kingdom, up to 14 centimetres, and features small grid-like protrusions highlighted by a pattern of white spots on a blue-greenish background. These spots are used as “fingerprints” for identifying individual specimens.
The belly is whitish, and the tail has similar lobes (with the upper one being slightly longer).
Snorkelling with the Whale Shark
Although they can also be encountered during scuba dives, the best way to swim with whale sharks is by snorkelling or freediving. These large sharks are mostly found near the surface, so fins and a mask are all you need to enjoy unforgettable moments with these shy creatures.
Baja California Travel can organise any activity involving encounters with this magnificent gentle giant.
Swimming with their mouths wide open to gulp down as much plankton as possible, whale sharks cover vast distances. They are migratory animals, following the plankton, which is influenced by the seasons.
During these long migrations in search of food, these animals can swim over 13,000 kilometres across the ocean (as tracked via satellite). To dive with them, it is therefore crucial to understand their seasonal migratory cycle.
An Endangered Species
They are a vulnerable species, even though they are officially protected in many areas around the globe.
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