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NARRATOR >> Every year, between roughly late March and July,
the biggest fish on the planet make an appearance just off the northwestern coast of Western Australia,
in Ningaloo Reef, Australia's longest fringing barrier reef.
The whale sharks seen here tend to be between four and twelve metres long
and arrive following the annual coral spawning,
feeding on plankton and other tiny invertebrates.
And although they're often spotted swimming with their mouths open,
this filter feeder is definitely not interested in snacking on humans,
and licensed operators in Exmouth and Coral Bay run tours
that allow visitors a golden opportunity to swim with these gentle giants.
KARA >> We're getting ready to swim with whale sharks this morning,
and everyone I've seen is so excited.
NARRATOR >> A tender takes us from Tantabiddi boat ramp to 17m Draw Card,
one of Exmouth-based Three Islands Whale Shark Dive's two vessels.
When all 20 passengers are aboard,
we cruise south along the arid backdrop of Cape Range National Park.
Ningaloo is a local Aboriginal word for a point of high land jutting into the sea,
and from this vantage, much of the coastline appears to do just that.
Before commencing our search for Ningaloo's famous visitors,
we have a chance for a peaceful snorkel on the inner reef,
viewing some of Ningaloo's 500+ species of fish
and 200+ species of coral.
With wet hair and salty skin,
we dig into morning tea during a whale shark interaction briefing.
ELLECE >> We don't restrict the normal movement or natural behaviour
of our whale shark today.
Everyone on board made a conscious decision
to come out into his natural environment
and just observe him doing his daily activities.
So that's what we're going to do.
We're not going to impede on his natural path
or affect him in any manner at all.
And the way we're going to achieve this
is by swimming where the little divers are on the diagram.
NARRATOR >> Soon after the briefing, a spotter plane locates our first whale shark.
A crewmember enters the water;
she signals, and the first group of snorkelers follows her.
While they swim with the shark - remaining on the surface as diving isn't permitted -
our group prepares for our turn.
And within five minutes, we, too, are in the water.
With hearts racing, we witness our first spotted beauty -
a magnificent, six-metre, tagged juvenile male -
and begin swimming alongside him.
So everyone has a decent view,
we space ourselves around the shark,
sticking to the recommended distances and staying out of his path.
And while this swim is probably one of the most memorable moments of our lives,
the shark doesn't even seem to know we're there.
When our guide tells us to stop swimming, we regroup.
But this incredible adventure isn't over.
While the other group has another turn,
we have just enough time to clamber back on-board and grab a quick drink,
then we're back in the water, watching, mesmerised, as the same behemoth approaches.
Several of us attempt to take photos as we swim;
however, even those without underwater cameras will go home with photos.
A staff photographer joins us in the water,
and we'll all receive a photo CD of today's escapades.
And so we continue for about an hour and a half,
swimming repeatedly until the shark dives far below,
resting briefly back on the boat while the spotter plane locates another, seven-metre shark,
and then swimming repeatedly again.
We do discover that whale sharks aren't particularly well versed in the interaction guidelines.
Possibly mistaking the bubbles our fins are creating with food,
the shark continually turns towards us,
making avoiding his path and adhering to the recommended swimming distances quite challenging at times.
After a final snorkel with some significantly smaller fish,
our whale shark journey is over.
KARA >> Well, that was just awesome.
We saw two whale sharks - one six metre, one seven metre -
everybody left happy, one was interactive,
and it was just a fantastic day out and really a flawless operation, I'd say.
So, second time for me, and I imagine one of these days I'm going to be back.