Swim With Sharks in 360 Degrees

We head over to Mexico, known for its beaches and water-based activities, for our next dive with the sharks. Here we get to meet the biggest fish in the ocean, the whale shark, a rare species thought to migrate extremely long distances.

Small fish often hitch a ride alongside whale sharks. Although it may seem counterintuitive, the fish aren’t in any real danger since whale sharks mostly feed on plankton. In Mexico, manta rays like to keep company with the sharks, too.

Whale sharks are rare creatures and are listed as “vulnerable to extinction” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. A better understanding of their biology and ecology is needed to help this threatened species.

A cage dive with a hungry great white shark is a bucket list item that many may never experience. We’ve come to the cold waters of Port Lincoln in South Australia to meet this ocean giant in its natural habitat, behind the safety of steel bars.

Great whites are the largest predatory fish on Earth. They have rows of over 300 sharp teeth, and an exceptional sense of smell that can detect even a tiny amount of blood up to roughly 5 kilometers away.

Great whites have earned a fearsome reputation, which isn’t completely fair. These naturally curious sharks aren’t preying on humans, they’re biting to investigate something unfamiliar to them, using their teeth like we use our hands.

Great whites are listed as “vulnerable to extinction” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Females reproduce once every two to three years, so it takes a long time to add members to a decreasing population.

One of the easiest places to encounter a shark in the wild is Sydney. There are over 60 recorded species of shark in the waters around this major city, including the grey nurse shark, the world’s most menacing looking yet harmless shark. 

Although grey nurse sharks are rather large and have rows and rows of razor sharp teeth, they’re not considered dangerous to humans—they’re rather docile. They breed in the waters close to Sydney and provide a thrill to scuba divers.

The numbers of grey nurse sharks dwindled to near extinction in recent years, and in 1984 they were the first shark species in the world to be granted protected status. 

For the grey nurse shark, survival of the fittest begins even before birth. The strongest embryo in the womb eats all of their siblings so that only one (well-fed) baby shark is born.

Tubbataha, in the Philippines, was only discovered by scuba divers as recently as the 1970s. Because of its remote location, there are fewer fishermen and the fish life is abundant as a result, with 14 species of shark to be found.

The huge diversity of sharks and other marine life at Tubbataha led to the park being declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site in 1993.

In this image you can see some whitetip reef sharks cruising along the reef looking for prey. This species of shark is timid and not a danger to humans, but they are curious and likely to investigate scuba divers.

The healthy coral reef seen here means that there are plenty of small reef fish to be found, which in turn attracts the bigger fish and sharks, leading to a balanced ecosystem.