We fly to Perth, then 1200 miles North to Exmouth, which is precisely in themiddle of nowhere. That is its perfect requirement, for only here off the NingalooReef in March, does an endless parade of giants converge from the open sea. The coralsspawn, the shrimps swarm in to feed on the coral larvae, and the whale sharks thunderin to feed on the shrimps.
We go out with only ten divers on a fast, well-equipped live-aboard, TrueNorth, fully air-conditioned with private double cabins. We put spotter planesin the sky from 10:30 AM onward when they have sunlight directly overhead to bestspot the whale sharks. By radio, the planes guide us right to the sharks. Our groupshave had up to seventeen jumps into the water each day to film these behemoths! Itis so awesome that only the great white shark has anything like the power, the mystery,the grace, the sheer bulk to command our respect. And these have no teeth...
It is important for divers who will travelso far to know some brutal facts. We watched operators trying to put divers intothe water on the whale sharks and failing. Walkie talkie channels were filled withinvective. Sophisticated divers will quickly understand that not all spotter pilotsand boat skippers are equal. I have always sought out the best, and the differenceshowed. Our groups have had 25 or more whale shark dives each trip.
In addition to the whale sharks we will dive another great one-of-a-kind, theExmouth Pier. Amid the labyrinthine pilings of this huge structure a wonderland ofmarine species has congregated. Wobbegong sharks, frogfish, deadly stonefish, crocodilefish, catfish, weird nudibranchs, salps, and other stunners are everywhere! Whenthe current is right, this is an amazing excursion into another world. It, with thewhale sharks, offers the most heart-pumping adventures of any year in the historyof diving.
Check It Out!
| Return to home page | E-mail Carl Roessler | Photos |
|---|
Modified 05-19-99