Thursday, August 07, 2008

Whale Shark Sighted Today in Bonaire’s Waters

Every once in a great while, some lucky divers are fortunate to find themselves diving with the ocean’s largest fish, the whale shark.  Earlier today, two such divers, Mr. and Mrs. David Kaplan from Albany, New York, USA, experienced the wonderment and awe of seeing a whale shark.

The whale shark, which feeds on small fish and krill, is not dangerous to humans, although, like any marine animal, care and consideration should be afforded it.  The Kaplans were diving between Alice-in-Wonderland and Angel City on Bonaire’s southern leeward coast and at 12:30 PM spotted the huge fish.  They tell us the whale shark had a retinue of Horse-eye Jacks and Barracudas trailing along behind it, eager to pick up any food remnants from the whale shark.

For those diving Bonaire these days, keep your eyes pealed into the blue water--the shark was traveling northward!  Jerry Ligon, one of Bonaire’s resident biologists, tracks sightings of such animals, and he tells us that there have not been any sightings of whale sharks for several months now, and perhaps all of 2008. (Source:  Jerry Ligon, image copyright Susan Davis).