Kiribu

Whale Sharks are amazing creatures. Growing to be over 12 meters long and over 20 tonnes these monsters are surprisingly timid. They are the largest shark, and therefore the largest fish in the world. Despite being a shark, they don’t live up to the usual expectations of violent killers associated with some members of the Chondrichthyes (Sharks and others) class. They are filter feeders, and trundle along with their mouths wide open, eating large volumes of mainly plankton, krill and some small fish.

The great thing about these animals is that you can quite safely swim along side them (if you can keep up and avoid the big tail!). Whale Sharks float around the warmer seas near the tropics. Here follows a few of the best places around the world to see and even swim with this fantastic creatures.

• Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. A great place to go diving, Ningaloo Reef has devoted Whale Shark tours to take you out to see these beasts! The best time to see them here is between March and June.
• Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti. This small country on the Eastern coast of Africa lies at the northern end of the great rift valley where it plunges in to the depths of the Red Sea. The best time to see the sharks is between October and February. Aside from Whale sharks this area has a mass of marine life and coral, so well worth a visit.
• Utila, Honduras. This place lies at the end of the second largest reef system in the world, and is home to plenty of marine life, not least the Whale Shark. While they can appear year round, the best time to see them is during March-April and August-September.
• Isla Holbox, Mexico has an abundance of Whale Sharks between June and September.
• Thailand hosts a number of Whale sharks best seen in either Chumphon Pinnacle, Hin Daeng or Richelieu Rock between November and May, although sightings aren’t guaranteed, but you can combine your trip with a bit of culture too!

For those of us living in colder climates, while you probably won’t see a Whale Shark passing by, you can observe the Basking Shark, which is the world’s second largest shark – only very slightly smaller than the Whale Shark – who enjoys cooler waters.

• Cornwall, UK has plenty of Basking Sharks from April to August. Only a few hours from London, it would make an awesome weekend trip!
• East Coast USA, for example Cape Cod, occasionally has Basking Sharks passing by during the summer months.