Whale Sharks!

[F1fanatic]

Would you bloody believe it??!!

A friend was visiting from the UK and we went diving together a week ago. We were supposed to go again last Tuesday but, for various reasons, I opted out whilst my friend went on the dive trip to Phi Phi.

On the way back, he saw (and snorkelled with) 4 bloody whale sharks!

Obviously, I'm not at all jealous.....

[stevenl]

Yes. quite a few sightings lately, also last friday.

[ScubaBuddha]

Yeah I heard there have been some around lately too. Seems to be the time of year. I saw two just eight days apart on dives last July, one at Koh Doc Mai that literally swam into me, and one on King Cruiser. Got video of both. 15 years and almost 1000 dives, mostly in Thailand and it was my first and only encounters. Consider your friend lucky. Not very many people get to see the worlds largest fish in the wild. A surreal experience which our grand-kids will not likely have the opportunity to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m21xjbJ1Rqs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa-5YVfAOlo

[h90]

Yeah I heard there have been some around lately too. Seems to be the time of year. I saw two just eight days apart on dives last July, one at Koh Doc Mai that literally swam into me, and one on King Cruiser. Got video of both. 15 years and almost 1000 dives, mostly in Thailand and it was my first and only encounters. Consider your friend lucky. Not very many people get to see the worlds largest fish in the wild. A surreal experience which our grand-kids will not likely have the opportunity to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m21xjbJ1Rqs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa-5YVfAOlo

As it is sometimes hunted in Thailand it is not likely that our grand-children will see it.

[doingok]

going to koh tao 1st oct how we get to see some good stuff but not lucky enough to see one of them

[FunkyMonkey]

You get whalesharks passing through Koh Tao at all times throughout the year.

You just have to be lucky enough to be on the right dive site at the right time.

There's people who dive there every day who wait years to see one; yet many an open water student who are lucky enough to see them on their qualifying dives!

Unfortunately you can't call them up to ask when they're next passing through!

So just keep your fingers crossed!

[hhfarang]

This was a few years back, but I took a liveaboard trip out of Phuket to the offshore islands and at a dive site called Richeleu Rock, we saw whale sharks on every dive. We were anchored there for two days and I did 5 dives swimming with one or more whale sharks on every dive. I don't know if this is always the case but at that time I was given the impression that they are nearly always there.

Back then the only way to dive that site was by multi-day liveaboard, but I read recently where there are fast boats doing the site on one day trips now.

[stevenl]

This was a few years back, but I took a liveaboard trip out of Phuket to the offshore islands and at a dive site called Richeleu Rock, we saw whale sharks on every dive. We were anchored there for two days and I did 5 dives swimming with one or more whale sharks on every dive. I don't know if this is always the case but at that time I was given the impression that they are nearly always there.

Back then the only way to dive that site was by multi-day liveaboard, but I read recently where there are fast boats doing the site on one day trips now.

Also at Richelieu Rock you have to be lucky to see a whale shark. Even stronger, the last years we have had more luck at Hin Daeng and Hin Muang than at Richelieu Rock.