kja Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 But Manta Rays, whale Sharks and Humpback Whales, oh YES!! I just got home and am TIRED - I swam soooooo much today. My legs feel like jelly and it's not from being on the sea, but in it happily swimming next to, under and around whale sharks! I hope to have some time tomorrow to do a proper blog post with more images so make sure to check that out later in the afternoon, but here's a quickie I resized for web for tonight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Oh wow, they are truly magnificent, aren't they? How very lucky to swim with one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 OMG OMG OMG!! I am so jealous!! I have always wanted to do that. Hopefully sometime in the near future I will get around to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ish Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Wow, thats awesome Looking forward to seeing the rest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Oh unreal!!!! Cant wait to see the rest. Lucky woman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 You have a great life, I am surprised you get time to post here, but I am glad you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripley Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 (edited) Wonderful photo. I envy you being able to swim with these gentle giants. What an amazing image of one of earth's most endangered creatures. The oceans they cover are pretty vast - from Australia to Asia to India and beyond. They now have protection in the Philippines and India which is wonderful so they aren't allowed to be finned there. At work we used to sponsor a trip each year for an employee to swim with the whale sharks and assist with data research (with Earthwatch) but we don't do it anymore. It's sad that the Japanese have 2 of them in a tank that they caught from the wild, considering the kilometres they cover in the wild. I don't know how long the poor things are going to live confined like that, they are the size of a bus. eta: Are Earthwatch still doing the research for whale sharks out of Exemouth? Edited June 30, 2010 by Ripley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mish13 Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 OMG that is so on my bucket list, I am very jealous, more photos pleaseeeee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colliepaws Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 WOW! Awesome photo....that is just stunning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareyJ Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 Fantastic photo! I swam with them in Exmouth about 10 years ago and it was fantastic! I took a camera with me but didnt take any photos because I was too busy trying to keep up with them! My sister is up there at the moment and has booked a swim in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest belgian.blue Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 I so have to swim with them next year! Does your work do the drives? I'm itching to head back up to Coral Bay and Exmouth, so going to come up this time next year .. well in whale shark season Coral Bay is the best place in ever!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted July 4, 2010 Author Share Posted July 4, 2010 yesterday went out again and it was AWESOME! A quick frame from yesterday's magical day on Ningaloo Reef Canon 40D, Sigma 17-70 @ 30mm, ISO 800, 1/125, f10, Subal housing w/big dome port Yes, my company Exmouth Diving Centre, does Whale Shark Adventures and a whole bunch of other tours here on the Ningaloo Reef PM me and I'll send you some info if you'd like. ripley - Ecocean is the group doing research and they have a fantastic photo ID library that everyone can access and contribute to. We work closely with them and have done so since before they officially existed Whale sharks are actually found all around the globe, but there are only a few places with reliable sightings each year and only a few of those with great conditions and relatively easy access. The Ningaloo Reef is still the best of the bunch for visibility, reliability and consistency of season. Japan isn't the only country with whale sharks in captivity - the Atlanta Aquarium in Georiga, USA has them as does Dubai. Whale sharks and captivity do not mix well and I will never spend a single penny to support any facility that has them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 that looks like an awesome experience. great photos too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted July 5, 2010 Author Share Posted July 5, 2010 OK, finally have a few more photos up from the 29th ... still have to work on getting the images from the 3rd done, but at least it's a start! Clicky click here (and leave some lovin' if you want!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PossumCorner Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 Beautiful shots, the whales are superb, is a calendar planned? And love the kangaroo, eyes closed, you can't see me. Yesterday I had to (don't ask) spend some time at the Melbourne Aquarium. With all my phobias about zoo photography, it is not a fun experience even to watch. There is a lovely new "exhibit", a magnificent Giant Pacific Octopus. On display in a too-small tank with hundreds of people passing every hour, pressed against the glass, tapping, and shooting with flash because its use isn't policed. And even the red focus-beams would light up the tank. They are sensitive and shy and intelligent and it was obviously hating every moment. Have to admit they are getting a good conservation message across to the school groups, and yes it is special to see sharks and rays swim overhead across the cave tank. But comparing the experience to seeing them free and wild is plain sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCresties Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 Just absolutely stunning :p Moving to Perth on friday and have promised myself to get snorkling fit and fullfill a dream to snorkle with Whale Sharks and Manta Rays - if I saw whales as well I think I would just die on the spot from total happiness overload :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripley Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 (edited) Japan isn't the only country with whale sharks in captivity - the Atlanta Aquarium in Georiga, USA has them as does Dubai. Whale sharks and captivity do not mix well and I will never spend a single penny to support any facility that has them. Yep, I know. It's tragic. However the whale shark that was in the Dubai aquarium was released this year. Conservation gorups had been pressuring the aquarium since her capture. She is now free but rumours were that she wasn't doing too well in the tank so that is why they released her. I admit I'm surprised the US still has one in captivity as it's wild caught too. It's inhumane to take such a huge gentle creature from the ocean and put it in captivity. :p ** Update on the whale shark in Dubai: "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—For 18 months it swam circuitously in silent frustration at an aquarium in Dubai’s most famous five star hotel. Named Sammy by local media, the gentle whale shark was the star attraction at the Atlantis Hotel on Dubai’s man-made Palm Island. However, the whale shark soon became a cause célèbre for local environmentalists and even former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson because of the circumstances of how it arrived at the newly opened hotel. The infant shark, which is an endangered species, was caught off the coast of Dubai and taken to the ‘lost city’ attraction at the hotel soon after the US$1.5 billion resort opened in 2008. Hotel officials said that the fish was in distress in UAE waters and it had been rescued, but environmentalists rejected the suggestion. “Holding a whale shark in a constraining artificial environment where it is unable to feed and has a limited area to move, can have fatal consequences,” a group of activists wrote to the hotel in a letter that was published by local media. They said that the shark, which was 13 feet when caught, can grow up to 46 feet in length. Pamela Anderson, an ardent animal activist called the captivity of the whale shark “heartbreaking.” Despite pressure on the hotel, and massive negative publicity, Atlantis refused for 18 months to release the shark. Then suddenly, in a move that raised suspicion among environmental activists, Sammy was released back into the waters of the Persian Gulf on March 18. Some speculated that the animal may have been close to death and the release was timed to avoid negative publicity. London-based World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA) raised concerns over the lack of rehabilitation of the whale shark prior to its release. “WSPA is concerned that Sammy’s chances of survival are slim”. “This was a wild animal caught and put into an unnatural environment—purely to amuse hotel guests—who has been unceremoniously dumped back into the ocean.” Tracking Sammy Working with the Florida-based Mote Marine Laboratory, Atlantis staff tagged the animal before its release. The results of that experiment were released on Tuesday, almost three months after the whale shark was freed. It shows an astonishing pattern where the animal traveled 216 miles in a month before disappearing from the radar in the seas around Qatar. However, the tag attached to the animal detached prematurely, after only 33 days. The device was originally intended to stay attached for 100 days. Steve Kaiser, vice president of Marine Science and Engineering at Atlantis, said that the early detachment was not unusual. "The early release of tags has been reported by other researchers of whale sharks in other locations,” he said. “Researchers can only guess as to why they detach prematurely." Dr. Robert Hueter, director of Mote's Center for Shark Research and leader of the tracking project, said that the team was able to put together a detailed account of the animal’s movements despite the tag detaching early. "After Atlantis staff tagged and released her off Dubai, the whale shark took a mostly westward path through the Arabian Gulf, traveling south of Iran and then curving southward to waters off the coast of Qatar, ending up about 348 km [216 miles] west of her starting point," he said. Local environmentalists are pleased with Sammy’s success and have invited Atlantis and Mote to give a presentation on the data at a workshop in December. The gesture was unthinkable just six months ago when the hotel was considered to be the last word in the exploitation of endangered species. Dubai-based whale shark activist Jonathan Ali Khan told local daily Khaleej Times that Atlantis has scored a major PR victory. “I think they’ve redeemed themselves,” he said." Oh and beautiful photos as usual, kja. I'm going to browse your blog over my lunchbreak. I'm off to (hopefully) dive with manta rays next month and can't wait! Edited July 5, 2010 by Ripley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted July 6, 2010 Author Share Posted July 6, 2010 crazycresties (and other DOLers heading this way) - let me know when you are thinking of coming up and I'll make sure you get the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCresties Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 I need some time to loose weight and get fit enough to do justice to snorkling with these amazing creatures - so hopefully this time nest year I'll have got my lardy arse in slightly better shape and then I'll take you up on that offer, cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted July 6, 2010 Author Share Posted July 6, 2010 OMG tell me about being unfit. The second day I was out I swam hard for almost 20 minutes straight pushing a huge camera and I thought my legs would never recover...they were all jelly for like a whole day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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