Swimming with Giants

Humans Are Small By Comparison

Huge Gaping Mouth of the Whale Shark

Snorkeling with Giants

Some Whale Sharks Get Really Big!

Today we took our dinghy out to a spit of land near La Paz, noted to be the location where whale sharks feed during this time of year. The whale shark is considered the largest fish in the sea, reaching lengths of 40 feet or more with the average size being 25 feet. Although massive, whale sharks are docile fish and aren’t interested in humans since these sharks are plankton feeders. Whale Sharks scoop up tiny plants and animals, along with any small fish that happen to be nearby with their colossal gaping mouths while swimming close to the water’s surface. As we motored around in our dinghy, we spotted the two large dorsal fins and the wide, flat head of a whale shark. I quickly doned my snorkeling gear and dropped into the water near the beast. I was so excited to be so close to this amazing creature that I was breathing hard and at the same time using up energy in order to keep my distance from its huge gaping mouth and swinging tail, which consists of a dual-lobbed caudal fin. I swam parallel with the creature looking at him eyeball to eyeball and could see his five very large gill slits, long gray body, and white spots – an incredible experience. Realizing I was exhausted, I made my way back to the dingy as Leonard motored toward me to shorten the distance. I estimated the creature to be at least 25 feet or more with an impressive gaping mouth as he moved through the water feeding on plankton; I saw numerous fish swimming ahead of him as if to escape his presence. The huge gapping mouth is perhaps the most impressive feature of the whale shark, which can be up to 4.9 feet wide and contains 10 filter pads and between 300 & 350 rows of tiny teeth.