For the past week Humpback whales, Whale sharks and schools of dolphins have been spotted in the ocean from Voyager Beach Resort. Join us for daily dive and snorkeling excursions to see these amazing creatures.
Here's a bit of folklore. In Kiswahili, the whale shark is called papa shilingi, meaning "the shark covered in shillings". According to the local legend, God was so pleased when he created this beautiful fish, that he gave the angels gold and silver coins to throw from heaven onto the back of the shark. Luckily, the whale shark with its magical markings is easy to spot because it swims near the surface, catching the sun on its back. It's the whale shark's way of saying thank you to the maker.
Whale sharks have called Kenyan waters home for many years. Even though it's a shark, the fish behaves like a whale, feeding on plankton and other small sea creatures and it's completely harmless, making it a beautiful fish to swim with. Recently, there's been a significant increase in their sightings, possibly due to the post El Nino mantis shrimp invasion, which the whale sharks feed on.
However, the worrying bit about the increase in whale sharks along the Kenyan coast is that they have become more of a target with fishermen. Under international law, whale sharks are only given a secondary type of protection. They are listed under CITES Appendix II meaning that trade in whale sharks is allowed but must be monitored. But monitoring can only be successful if there are enough patrols at sea and the law is enforced. Most specialists are of the opinion that this level of protection is not enough and that we still do not know much about the biggest fish in the ocean.
Check with Buccaneer Diving for diving excursions with the whale shark. Buccaneer Diving is assisting with gathering information about these amazing creatures, working with Project AWARE to help protect these gentle giants of the sea.
Frederic van Lennep, Operations Manager, Buccaneer Water Sports and Diving
freshaevents@gmail.com
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