See a whale shark in the wild

“We arrived shortly before 9AM and there were only 3 other small tour boats in the area. Right away we could see some of the whale sharks feasting away at the surface, their white and grey bodies standing out against the deep blue sea. The whale sharks didn’t seem to mind the boats circling and people jumping in to swim next to them as they swallowed up gallons of sea water and food. Each boat can have up to 10 people, and only 2 at a time can be in the water with each whale shark. When it was our turn, the guide had us put on our snorkels, fins, and life jackets before screaming “LEFT SIDE!” indicating which side of the boat to hop off of into the ocean where an oncoming whale shark would greet us. That first moment when I hopped into the water and saw this gigantic animal gracefully swimming towards me was insane. It’s a moment where you feel so small and immediately appreciate everything around you – especially the the privilege that is being able to swim alongside one of these beautiful animals. The smallest whale shark we saw was probably about 15 ft long, but the biggest guy was probably at least 35 ft in length! The peaceful giants effortlessly glided through the ocean water as people hopped in one by one, savoring each minute they had to swim alongside them.”