'Whales' in the West

Australia's eastern seaboard does not have the monopoly on migrating whales. Each year the Ningaloo Whaleshark Festival highlights the community’s relationship with the yearly visitation of the whale shark.

Ningaloo Reef is one of the best kept secrets of Western Australia, and the Ningaloo Reef and Marine Park is one of the great wonders of the natural world, attracting people such as serious scuba divers, tourists and young holidaymakers from around the world.

It is one of Australia’s most important, and most accessible tracts of reef, the largest fringing reef in the world, stretching for 260 kilometres.

Have you ever thought of swimming with whale sharks?

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the world’s largest living fish, growing up to 18m in length. These placid plankton feeders have a distinct pattern of white spots and stripes that is unique to each individual. Whale Sharks have a possible life span of more than 100 years as they cruise the oceans of the world.

It is only in the last 150 years or so that accurate sightings of this huge fish have been recorded in various places around the world. Being a fish and not a mammal, the whale shark breathes through gills, like a fish and even though it is often found swimming just below the surface, it is capable of diving down to enormous depths as well. Regular sightings of this ‘gentle giant’ have been only been recorded in Australia since the 1980s.

Whale sharks have been tracked by satellite in various oceans of the world – in waters off the US coast and in the South China Sea. They can travel thousands of kilometres on their migrations – in some cases it takes them years to complete.

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