updated Oct 2011

UNDERWATER SIGHTING DATABASE - WHALE SHARKS

Very little is known about whale sharks, primarily because of the difficulty in conducting field research on the elusive giants who are thought to spend the majoring of their lives diving to depths below 980 m. The whale shark (Rhincodo typus) is the biggest fish in the sea, believed to grow to lengths of up to 20 meters in length and weighing in at over 34 tons. Whale sharks are filter feeders, feeding on microscopic plankton and small free swimming nektonic creatures such as squid and fishes. They are highly migratory, distributed in tropical and warm temperature seas around the globe in areas of high plankton productivity. Whale sharks have been sighted year round around the island of Koh Tao, on popular dive sites such as Chumphon Pinnacle, Southwest, Shark Island, No Name, and Twins.

Although these docile creatures have no known natural predators in the wild, the global whale shark population is at risk due to human interactions, mainly of the fishing industry, targeting whale sharks for their meat, oil, and fins. Fishing for whale sharks was banned in Thailand under Section 32 (7) of the Fishing Act B. E. 2490 in 2000. It is not known how great the effects of the fishing industry have had on the world’s whale shark populations, however, as little is still known about whale shark migratory patterns and population sizes.

If you happen to see a whale shark please be respectful of its space and enjoy the experience. To learn more about these magnificent creatures please see the following websites.

ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library (Australia)

The Whale Shark Project (Shark Trust and Project AWARE)

or Upload your own Whale Shark Sighting HERE