The Whale Sharks of La Paz - El Duque Adventure Series

The water is calm and you see a dark shape emerging out of the blue, the water ripples as a fin breaks the surface and you get your first glimpse of a whale shark. It continues to swim slowly at the surface and you are mesmerized by the smooth undulations of its body and its hypnotic pattern of spots and stripes. 

You slip into the water and wait for it to come a little closer before you swim alongside, you look in its eye and feel a sense of awe as this gentle giant accepts you as it swimming companion. You swim with it for a while before allowing it to glide away into the distance.

Whale Sharks of La Paz

Whale Sharks are an important part of the ecology, culture and economy in La Paz. They are a magnificent creature that deserves to be respected and appreciated. It is a bucket list activity for many people when they come and visit La Paz, but there are few things to be aware of when you chose to do the activity.

New regulations are designed to help protect the species and educate visitors. All operators that offer tours to see the whale sharks must have special certifications to show that they have agreed to respect the rules for interactions with these creatures. Boats have trained guides and captains.

One of the regulations restricts the number of boats allowed to visit the whale shark area at one time – this means that on a busy day you may have to wait on the boat or at the beach for quite a while before being given permission to enter the area. Whilst this may seem frustrating to you, bring a Frisbee to play on the beach or enjoy watching the tranquil scenery around El Mogote in La Paz.

No operator can guarantee a time slot as it is based on a first come, first served basis at the government check in point. This regulation is to ensure that the whale sharks do not get overwhelmed by boats and people which may interfere with their behavioral patterns. The number of people allowed in the water with the whale shark is also limited to 1 guide and 5 guests at a time. 

For this reason, it is our preference to go with small groups so that you will have more opportunities to see and swim with the shark. I also like to go first thing in the morning as hopefully the wait list is shorter and the water is often calmer.

The whale sharks that we tend to see in La Paz are predominantly juveniles who spend the winter months feeding on plankton that accumulates in the bay after being brought in from deeper water by consistent northerly winds.

The males have shown a high fidelity rate with many returning year after year and becoming well known to guides and captains in the local area. Unfortunately in the 2016/17 season, about 2/3 of whale sharks seen in the area had some sort of damage therefore the initiative to create safer working practices was necessary and regulations became much stricter.

So what is a whale shark? 

A whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean - it is part of the shark family as, like all sharks it is composed of cartilage and not bone. It is called a 'whale' shark due to its great size. It has other special characteristics that place it in the fish not mammal family.

It has gills just behind its head.

These are used to take oxygen out of the water and into the animals blood and pass to back the carbon dioxide so that it can be taken away by the water. What do mammals like you and me use to breathe? Our lungs – whale sharks have gills not lungs for breathing. This means that they do not need to come to the surface for air. 

Tip: When looking for the whale shark, we are looking for a shadow in the water and perhaps a fin tip breaking the surface. Try to go on a calm, sunny day as they are easier to find! It is not like whale watching where you are looking for a spout or the animal breaching.

The way that they swim.

A fish’s tail moves from side to side whereas a mammal moves up and down. 

Mammals give live birth and their young feed on milk.

Whale sharks are an ovoviviparous species, this means that they give birth to live young, but they show a different method of internal nourishment than associated with mammals such as humans.

The embryo’s initial development occurs within an egg. It gains nutrients from the yolk however the embryo emerges from the egg whilst still inside of the mother. Once it is out of the egg, it receives nourishment from special glands until it is ready to be born. This is also seen in other sharks species, such as great whites and basking sharks. When the pups are born, they are on their own.

How big do whale sharks get?

As adults they can reach an average size of 12 meters, sometimes larger. In La Paz, there is a very special area for seeing juvenile whale sharks. These ‘juveniles’ are still 3-7 meters on average – so perhaps as long as the boat that you go out in!

What do whale sharks eat?

So these whale sharks eat plankton; this makes them a gentle giant who is not interested in eating you! Whale sharks have a large mouth at the front of their body and they open this up to take in water and the plankton in it.

Plankton gets trapped on their gill rakers – special adaptions they have around their gills so that they can get the nutrients. They do have teeth – 1000’s of them! But they are not used in food consumption and only a relic feature from the past. For this reason they are not interested in us humans and we can enjoy their presence in a safe manner. 

To see one swimming toward you with their mouth open wide is a truly surreal experience and a safe way to say you have been swimming in shark infested water.

Hopefully any fear or hesitancy you had to interact with these glorious animals has disappeared. A one on one experience with an animal of this magnitude is life changing. When will you jump in the water and swim along side a whale shark?

El Duque Adventures specializes in personalized private group tours. If you would like to go on a whale shark adventure, visit www.elduqueadventures.com for more info.