There are many reasons to scuba dive in the Maldives; great visibility under water over 40 meters, teeming biomass in warm waters and exhilarating drift dives are but a few. Near the top of the list must be the excellent opportunities that the Maldives affords to dive with the majestic whale sharks.
The strong currents carrying in plankton-rich water create a perfect breeding ground for these magnificent creatures. In fact, the Maldives Whale Shark Research Project (MWSRP) has identified 110 resident whale sharks in the region. The Maldives archipelago is one of the few destinations where you can dive with whale sharks at any time of the year.
Whale sharks are harmless, slow-moving, filtered feeding sharks that feed on plankton in the ocean. They are described as the largest fish in the sea as they can reach up to 12 meters in length. Swimming with Whale Sharks in The Maldives is definitely a lifetime experience!
They can be spotted all year round in The Maldives, yet there is still a lot of research needed in order to fully understand these animals. Charities like Maldives Whale Shark Research Program (MWSRP), are dedicated to studying Whale Sharks and implementing community-focused conservation initiatives in The Maldives.
Without a doubt, the Whale Shark hotspot in The Maldives is South Ari Atoll (aka Alifu Dhaalu Atoll). Here, you can spot Whale Sharks all year round. The chances are high of seeing them, since the waters in this atoll are full of plankton. The Maldivian Government declared South Ari Atoll as a protected marine area in 2009, and certain restrictions are put into place to protect Whale Sharks, making this the best place to swim with them in their natural environment. Although sightings of Whale Sharks are guaranteed most days, there is a peak time of the year to see them here which is from August to November.
While whale sharks are sighted regularly. Most of these sightings are juvenile males with a length of around six meters. At any one point it is estimated that there are 200 whale sharks in the waters of the Maldives. The most common behavior observed of these sharks is cruising, only 12% of encounters are feeding.
The whale shark is the biggest fish in the ocean. Therefore, it is also the biggest shark. It is one of 3 species of filter feeding shark that also includes the basking shark and the mega mouth shark.
Seeing a whale shark is a once in a lifetime experience. These gentle creatures can be seen all year-round in South Ari Atoll. The whale sharks are attracted to South Ari Atoll due to the vicinity of the Chagos-Laccadive Plateau, which provides very deep and highly nutrient rich water. Whale sharks are able to travel around 100 miles every day and they can dive down to 1600 meters deep. The depth can’t be officially recorded due to the tracking tags breaking under the phenomenal pressure at great depth.
Whale sharks are fascinating animals that predate the dinosaurs by 220 million years.
Whale sharks are known to make seasonal feeding aggregations in 20 countries, including the Gulf of California, Australia, Gulf of Mexico, Belize, the Seychelles and the Maldives. Whale sharks feed on microscopic plankton and small fish that they suck into their 5 foot wide mouths. Their throats are much smaller, around the size of a drain pipe. They have two known methods for feeding, suction feeding and ram filtration. Suction feeding allows whale sharks to feed on more mobile prey like small fishes, that they suck into their mouths, together with volumes of water that are then expelled out their gills. By comparison ram feeding is passive. The whale-shark swims through the water with their mouth open and the plankton filters in. It has been suggested that whale sharks are more suited to suction filter feeding because the gaps between their five to seven gills are so small. This small gap is better at filtering out plankton when the shark is suction feeding. Whale sharks have poor eyesight, they can probably only see three meters away, and so they rely on their nostrils in order to find prey.
Whale sharks can’t internally control their body temperature and so they return to the surface in order to warm up and to reload oxygen. This is why they can be found in the shallow waters around South Ari Atoll. During this warming and reloading period, the sharks can be impaired physically and cognitively.
Due to the sluggish behavior of whale sharks and the shallow depths that they travel in they are under threats from boats. It is estimated that 67% of whale sharks have scratches or amputations. The effects of pollution, and increased sedimentation on the whale shark population have not yet been suitably evaluated. #Whale #WhaleShark #shark #Malvides #scuba #scubadiving