- CAPTAIN'S LOG / Asia
- 22 July 2020
Whale of a time
A truly out-of-this-world experience, snorkelling with whale sharks in Raja Ampat is one that just has to be seen to be believed.
THERE WAS A PLAYFUL glint in Arief’s eyes as the speedboat tender left M/Y Latitude in the distance on the final day of our month-long cruising adventure.
“Watch this,” he said smiling. “I am going to give our young guests the snorkelling experience of a lifetime,” beamed our Asia Pacific Superyachts Indonesia guide.
The guests referred to were friends of the vessel owners, two 12-year old girls, a 15-year old boy, and the adults – all city slickers who had spent most of their time in the Middle East, far away for the aquatic paradise of Raja Ampat.
Arief knew of a secret spot and with this in mind, he insisted the tenders tracker and chart plotter were turned off and the only directions given the boat crew were made with hand gestures and non-verbal cues.
After 30 minutes hurtling along on glass out sea conditions, we were all starting to get a little sceptical of the secret spot. Then, just as the tender tight-turned past one of the many limestone monolith pinnacles that showcase the area, opening before us was a large, flat, calm expanse of ocean that looked out toward what we presumed was open sea.
“My friends swim in this area,” Arief explained. “Now, let’s get all geared up for snorkelling.”
The captive audience duly complied, excitedly exclaiming, “What lives here, Arief?”
“What you are going to see today kids, is the biggest fish in the ocean. The whale shark.”
I don’t know whose faces dropped from excitement to panic the quickest, the children or the adults. “What? We are not swimming with sharks, Arief, and not with any as big as whales,” exclaimed the kids.
Arief smiled and said, “Don’t worry kids, whale sharks are wonderful, gentle creatures with no teeth. They pose no danger to you at all.”
The adults, looking sheepish, also seemed well assured when given this information. Arief then gave a very thorough briefing of the protocols when snorkelling with whale sharks, explaining the key points that are not to touch or crowd these magnificent creatures.
Within 20 minutes of arriving at the location, one of these majestic creatures suddenly came into view, surfacing right next to the tender. “Let’s go guys!” cried Arief and before we knew it he was in the water. The teenage boy and the girls dutifully followed him in, with the adults, somewhat less enthused, behind them.
The thing about whale sharks up close is they can never be described accurately. The pure size and grace in the water and their colouration are all mind-blowing. The one in view seemed to know exactly where our snorkelers were at all times and stayed far enough away to keep them all at ease, but close enough so the underwater viewing spectacle had to be seen to be believed.
We ended up staying in the sea for over an hour as the beautiful creature glided through the water around us, mouth open like a huge pool vacuum cleaner, sucking in by the gallon the nutrient-rich waters of Raja Ampat.
Afterwards, as we were all in the tender speeding back to the mother ship, the chatter from everyone, especially the kids, was at a crescendo above the sounds of the high-powered engines.
All were in agreement, this was by far the most amazing snorkel trip they had ever experienced.
Arief sat smiling contently to himself on the back deck, knowing his job for the day was done – a job he loved and one that garnered splendid results. It will be hard for him to find something for his guests tomorrow that can reach these heights, but knowing Arief as we do, I am sure he will come up with something.
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