Whale sharks in Mafia Island

 

Looming below...

The first time I went to Mafia (Trip I) I had an amazing time swimming with the whale sharks. They had not been the primary motivation for the trip so I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. However, the weather during my previous trip was generally rainy and cloudy and my other half did not travel with me and as a result I was looking forward to another trip.

Overall the whale shark viewing experience in Mafia Island is very well run. We were out on the water by 730am and there were not very many boats. At the peak I think there were probably five total boats with each carrying around six people. I think there some level of communication and coordination between the lodges in an effort to consolidate all the guests into fewer boats. I was also surprised at how few people actually swam alongside the whale sharks. Our guides dropped us in perfect position but many people seemed to be either weak swimmers or unfamiliar with the snorkel gear. As a result they still would have gotten an intimate view when the whale sharks passed but I think swimming alongside them is ideal. I was not complaining as I in the end had the whale sharks nearly all to myself!

We were lucky to see a few individuals, including one very large one around. There were some views in rather murky water while other sightings were in shallower water with better visibility. Our guys did an awesome job of dropping us in the path of the whale sharks and we even had some nice views of them coming to the top of the water to feed. It's such a nice activity though we were really lucky to have such great sightings.