“Where to start? With not knowing what to expect, it’s not hard to exceed one’s expectations—but the past two weeks have blown whatever I had dreamed it would be out of the water. There really aren’t words to explain the feeling of seeing one of these giant of the seas in the water—videos, pictures and documentaries really don’t do whale sharks justice. Their majesty and presence have to be felt by being in the water with them, swimming with them, and just observing them effortlessly moving in their habitat. Under the guidance and tutelage of Jim, Rich, Shameel, and Aimee, I can honestly say that this has been one of the most rewarding two week experiences of my life. From that enchanting first encounter, to learning how to duck dive ( 🙂 ), to those crazy and tiring days of 6+ encounters, to the last encounter—so many memories of this great adventure on Dhigurah.
Whether it is a quick 3 minute encounter, where we just do the science part of the experience before other tourists come or the whale shark decides to go where we cannot (at least most of us—the 3 human fish can stay with them a bit longer than this land lubber from Alberta); or if it’s one of those magical 15 minute encounters where it is just our team and the whale shark—every encounter is awesome. Not to mention seeing countless other denizens of the oceans—sailfish, turtles, dolphins, or those ocean going magical carpets called Manta Rays (another jaw dropping experience to swim with). TME retreats gave us a great home to come back to after a day on the water with great service and food, so that we could get the date entry all done before supper. All of this adds up to a once in a lifetime experience—at least until I return with my wife’s permission. Awesome is the best word to describe the past two weeks. Why everyone else doesn’t do this, I have no idea. These guys really do have one of the best ‘office’ jobs in the world”
