Whale Sharks

Category: Research | Date: Feb 25 2008 | By: admin

Greetings from Watamu! Watamu is north of Mombasa and close to Malindi. We arrived late last night and went straight to the bar to meet Garry Cullen the manager of Hemingways Hotel where we are staying in huge luxury. Garry and I have been emailing for months and it was really nice to meet him at last! We also meet Steve and Helen Curtis who own Aquaventures. They are kindly providing us with a boat and dive gear. Last but not least (and perhaps most crucial) we met Rob Dobson the pilot of the microlight and his girlfriend Lynne. They are providing the vital air support. We all had a lovely evening and a delicious dinner under the stars! A really big thank you to Garry and his team here as they are making our stay so wonderful! THANK YOU!

We woke early this morning and after breakfast we set off. This is the first time I have gone on the boat, as Garry and his team have planned everything for us up here so I don’t have to do my usual admin and planning. For a change I get to enjoy the research and watch the tagging! What a treat :) There were no tourists on the boat either so it was just us. This means the boats can go faster and it is also a lot easier for the researchers to work. It is only possible because Garry and the sponsors are covering all the costs in Watamu.

The microlight went up and we waited for our first shark. Helen was on the boat with us too and we all chatted, passing the time. I was enjoying every minute away from my desk and endless phone calls! We were caught very unawares when Lyn came on the radio - “whale shark, whale shark, whale shark”! In a flurry of excitement we all got into our fins, geared up with videocameras and underwater cameras. The microlight guided us to the shark, talking us through the directions over the radio. When we saw it, I was overcome. It’s been ages since I have seen a shark and this one was a big ‘un!!! Estimated length over 8metres!! Volker was first in the water and tagged it so quickly. I have to admit I didn’t actually see it in the water because the visibility was so bad and it was so moving so fast but I knew it was there!!!

We saw the shark again later that morning complete with its tag and have now just come back. Showered, fresh and ready to blog!

This is the flying machine that makes it all possible.

And here (drum roll please) you have the first ever whale shark to be tagged in Watamu.