The Seychelles, 14 October
On the north-west of Mahé, we notice a disturbance on the surface of the sea - a feeding frenzy of thousands of small fish over a particularly dense area of plankton. Behind the fish are five adult whale sharks, their huge mouths agape, reaping the harvest. This isn't the first time we've seen whale sharks since the plankton 'bloom' began a few weeks earlier, but it's the largest grouping and the first indication that something very unusual is afoot.
We drop over the side of the boat. The plankton has reduced visibility to less than 10 metres. A huge, streamlined shape appears out of the gloom - an awesome sight. I find the apparent absence of teeth reassuring.
We drop over the side of the boat. The plankton has reduced visibility to less than 10 metres. A huge, streamlined shape appears out of the gloom - an awesome sight. I find the apparent absence of teeth reassuring.
16 October
Off Therese Island, we spot four or five sets of fins breaking the surface. In we go. As the bubbles clear, I see something I'm really not expecting - six distinctive pairs of sharks some way below us, all ascending towards a spot extremely close to us. It's like the scene from Star Wars, where all the Empire cruisers are converging on the rebel ships. They're coming at us from every direction. We look at each other and climb out of the water. Why are they acting like this?
The mystery revealed
On the next dive, I see what's going on. I notice two sharks, coupled together, ascending almost vertically. Turning round, I see two more doing the same thing. They're mating. It scarcely seems plausible, but it must be true. Then, a large female, maybe 14 metres long, heads straight towards me. Before I can do anything, she lifts me clean out of the water. I put my right hand flat onto her head, the first time I've ever touched a whale shark. She's warm with the texture of semi-dry concrete. I tip over to one side, and think she's going to strike me with her tail, but she pulls the stroke just short of hitting me. Later, she comes alongside the boat to stop it drifting into the group. Her actions appear to be those of a matriarch who doesn't want us around.
Once in a lifetime
Afterwards, we conclude that the combination of a large, mixed group of whale sharks plus an unusually rich harvest of food triggered the urge to mate. Pairs of sharks appeared to feed, then dived, before coming together for the nuptials.
The sharks may have travelled for thousands of kilometres to be in the same place at the same time, and it was only good fortune that we were there to see them. For a few hours, this part of the ocean became a portal into another world, allowing us a brief but inspiring peek inside.
The sharks may have travelled for thousands of kilometres to be in the same place at the same time, and it was only good fortune that we were there to see them. For a few hours, this part of the ocean became a portal into another world, allowing us a brief but inspiring peek inside.
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