Swimming with whale sharks is an exciting and rewarding experience. These huge yet gentle giants visit Ningaloo Marine Park, off the north-west coast of Western Australia, between March and July each year. Their seasonal visits have led to the development of an increasingly popular, ecotourism industry.
Parks and Wildlife is responsible for protecting and managing whale sharks in Western Australian waters.
Visitors wanting to swim with whale sharks in Ningaloo Marine Park have increased in number from just 1,000 in 1993 to over 27,000 in 2016.
The department has therefore introduced a licensing system to manage commercial operations within Ningaloo Marine Park and reduce disturbance to whale sharks.
Only operators licensed by the department are permitted to conduct commercial tours with whale sharks.
Two interaction protocols have also been developed in conjunction with tour operators, applying to people swimming with whale sharks, and vessels (both private and commercial) operating in the vicinity of a whale shark.
Interaction protocols
To ensure you have a safe, enjoyable experience, and to prevent the animals from being harmed or disturbed, you must follow the interaction protocol when interacting with whale sharks.
Approach zone
An approach zone of 250 metres radius applies around any whale shark.
Only one vessel at a time may operate within the zone for a maximum of 90 minutes and at a speed of six knots or less.
The first vessel within that zone is considered to be ‘in contact’. A second vessel to arrive must keep a distance of 250 metres from the shark. Any other vessels must be 400 metres from the shark.
Vessel operators in the approach zone:
must not approach closer than 30 metres to a shark
should approach from ahead of the shark’s direction of travel when dropping swimmers into the water
must display both whale shark (commercial vessels only) and dive flags when swimmers are in the water.
Commercial tour operators operate under similar requirements to other vessels but specific licence conditions also apply to their operation.
restrict the normal movement or behaviour of the shark
approach closer than three metres from the head or body and four metres from the tail
use flash photography or cameras on extension poles
use motorised propulsion aids
exceed more than 10 people in the water at any one time
A Closed Season Notice published under the Wildlife Conservation Act sets out rules for the protection of whale sharks, which must be followed by both commercial and private vessels when they are within the "exclusive contact zone".
Reducing disturbance
Whale sharks can be disturbed by uncontrolled snorkelling and vessel activities, and may display avoidance behaviours such as banking, diving, eye rolling and changing speed or direction in response to swimmers and boats.
Generally, the best way to enjoy a whale shark experience is to participate in a tour with experienced and trained whale shark tour operators, who are able to locate the sharks and correctly apply the code of conduct. This will give you a greater chance to:
view the whale shark clearly and for longer
minimise disturbance to the whale shark
see whale sharks behaving normally in their natural environment - the essence of the ecotour experience.
