Travel for the Over 30s

Snorkeling  with whale sharks is nothing at all like cage diving. Whale sharks are the biggest of all sharks, the biggest fish in the sea, and are plankton feeders, harmless to humans. They grow up to 7m long and migrate up Australia’s west coast. From Exmouth you can take a day tour to swim with the whale sharks.

In a similar manner to what spotting tours the boats use spotter planes to find the whale sharks who swim only a metre or two below the surface. While they are finding the fish the guests get to practice their snorkeling - this is not a trip for beginners and its compulsory to snorkel first off just to make sure that your gear is OK and you are not going to panic being in deep water.

The whale sharks come so close into Exmouth because the continental shelf drops off very close to shore at this part of the coast line. When a whale shark is spotted the idea is to jump in after the dive master and sprint snorkle to keep up with the group -€“ this is harder than it sounds in  1 to 2 metre swell its surprisingly difficult to see others in the water. The boat isn’t allowed within 250 metres of the animal so the last bit is up to you. Unlike all the frantic bubbles and splashing from the humans on the surface the whale shark doesn’t even seem to be making an effort its hard to judge that they are moving fast as with only the blue of the deep ocean below it.

The whale shark season in Exmouth runs from March to July. Its the end of the summer at the water temperature was 28C the same out with the whale sharks as on the beach. You will however need sun protection.  An all day tour costs around A$360 including all gear, pick up from accommodation, lunch.

The photos are from the on-board professional photographer I was too busy swimming hard to take take any pictures.

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