The Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, is famous for its rich sea life with several species of both rays and whales migrating through. The port of La Paz is famous for its whale sharks and the opportunity for people to swim with them. The whale shark is the largest fish species living today, and they can get up to almost 13 meters long. While it is a shark they are filter feeders, meaning they eat plankton – they suck in through their enormous mouth. In the port of La Paz the ship organized a tour for us to swim with these amazing creatures.
La Paz – Feeding Time
A small boat picked us up at the pier and we had a 30 minute ride to get to where the whale sharks were. During the boat ride we got all the gear we needed to get in the water, as well as some explanations. When the boat stopped we were told that half the group would get ready to go in the water. As we were getting ready we saw this massive black shadow moving just underneath the surface, which increased the excitement of the group.
LA Paz – A refreshing boat ride
La PAz – LA Paz – Looking for the whale sharks
La Paz – Looking for the whale sharks I must admit that getting in the water after just having seen this big shadow swim past was both and exiting and scary experience. As we got into the water and saw under the surface, we got a proper look at a juvenile whale shark. It is huge! It was swimming along ever so peacefully with cleaner fish attached to it. We followed the whale shark for a while until it sped up and we fell behind. We also spotted a few stone fish on the ocean floor, before the team on the boat called us back.
La Paz – Me and my new friend
After a little rest on the boat we caught up with the whale shark again and got in the water. This time we were a lot closer, and the whale shark swam slower. This time we managed to follow the whale shark from 20 minutes. At one point we were following it close to the back fin when the whale shark suddenly turned and started swimming toward us. Safe to say we all started swimming backwards as fast as we could.
La Paz – Our guide and the whale shark
The boat ride back to the ship was filled with excitement over having swam with one of the most amazing ocean creatures.
La Paz – Such an amazing creature
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