I edited this image to bring out the personality of my favorite whale shark from this year’s feeding season just north of Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Whale sharks are the largest, non mammalian vertebrates on our planet. In addition to their enormous size, they have big and definitive personalities just like we do.

While factors such as weather, water conditions, and the availability of their food supply impact their behavior, whale sharks nevertheless demonstrate distinctive and consistent character traits. They have different levels awareness, preferable speeds of swimming and styles of feeding, and variable tolerance of other whale sharks. There appears to be a pecking order within their group, not simply determined by size. Some show an affinity for humans while others are wary and avoid interaction.

This particular female was absolutely magnificent. She was calm, alert, patient with humans, and prone to bottle feeding, which is a feeding technique where the whale shark assumes a vertical position in the water column to suction food at the surface. I swam eye-to-eye with her on three consecutive days, and each time we swam together she would eventually slow her pace and fall into the bottle-feeding position.

She would loll in that relaxed pose for several minutes gently opening and closing her mouth, even when there weren’t many eggs floating in her proximity. It was as though she was taking a break from the ongoing process of satisfying her appetite. I felt incredibly blessed to have earned her trust as I noticed that when groups of boisterous snorkelers appeared she would gently arch her back and elegantly swim away.

When I mentioned the unique personalities of whale sharks to the in-water guide as we were bobbing on the surface waiting for the sharks to appear, he smiled knowingly. The dynamic of our guide-to-client relationship instantly shifted and the language barrier between us dissolved. We seemed to share a kindred understanding and appreciation of the whale sharks, and he went from being tentative about directing me to approach the giant fish to actively inviting me to engage with them.

Every year a plethora of whale sharks travel during the summer months to the warm water of the Caribbean Sea near the Yucatan Peninsula to feed on Bonita eggs. There the whale sharks follow the food supply each day, skimming the surface of the water to gather thousands of tiny eggs into their cavernous mouths. At times there can be over 100 whale sharks simultaneously feeding at the surface in a relatively small area.

The eco-tourism industry in Mexico has capitalized on this phenomenon and there are now multiple operators offering half-day boat trips to put snorkelers in the water with the large, docile filter-feeders. As with any industry there are better and more conscious operators who prioritize the well-being of the marine life, and there are those whose primary motivation is monetary gain.

The group that I travel with collaborates with operators who are advocates for marine conservation and who treat the whale sharks with utmost respect. I believe that this spirit of integrity and respect is felt by the marine life and enables deeper, longer-lasting and more intimate encounters. This has been my consistent observation having participated in the activity over the past five whale shark seasons.

It has been my experience that the marine animals we interact with are extremely sensitive to us, our energy, and our intentions. They respond to us similarly to how we respond to people whose intentions we can sense or feel. We gravitate towards those we like and intuitively trust, and who make us feel safe, uplifted, and appreciated simply for who we are without an underlying agenda. We tend to avoid people who don’t make us feel good, for whatever reason. It’s an instantaneous instinctual response, beyond the realm of conscious logic or reason.

Since I am highly sensitive to the energetic essence of people, animals, and my surrounding environment, this kind of instinctual response makes total sense to me. In the context of swimming with marine animals it has been fascinating to observe how they behave and interact with me and others, based on our intentions in the moment.

To demonstrate my appreciation for marine life I make a conscious effort to infuse our interactions with the intentions of reverence and respect. I recognize that we have an opportunity to a share a sacred connection, if only for a fleeting moment. By sacred I don’t mean ‘heavy’, instead the encounters are typically fun, joyous, and light-hearted. I use our time together to emanate as much love and appreciation as I possibly can, directly from my heart to theirs.

I believe the expression of loving reverence is the least we can do for the fellow inhabitants of our planet who are so completely at the mercy of our often destructive human activities. If you have a moment and are willing to do so, please hold a positive thought towards this remarkable whale shark and her companions. They feel and appreciate our positive intentions, even from afar.

Thank you for your support!

With Adventure Quest X and SeaLegacy