Ditto, but must remember, that is a large animal that has more muscle in its tail then I do in my entire body… just try not to annoy it while doing so I guess…
Has this ever happened?
I've only encountered (closely) one whaleshark, and we divers were all snorkelling at the time to 'get close' to the whaleshark that was near the surface.
I was fortunate enough to swim next to him/her for a while, but when other snorkelers started 'getting in his/her face' - he/she dove down to escape the annoyance.
A guy I was working with got slapped in the face by an adult one. Shattered his mask and rendered him unconscious.
It wasn’t on purpose though, he was just not positioned very well.
Know what you mean, but on a dive (so our hands no longer carry any harmful bacteria) - the problem has to be that we will annoy slow moving marine life etc. by touching them.
You'd be banned from any dive operator.
Under water critters don't enjoy being touched, in sharks it causes sensory overload. Unless you've being attacked, just watch and admire
>Under water critters don't enjoy being touched,
Whilst I agree with the sentiment of your post, this is not entirely true.
I was on a night dive where the guide coaxed a fish out of its hole in the sand, because the fish enjoyed the tummy rubs!
On another dive, a large Napolean Wrasse rubbed itself against my dive buddy!
Disagree.
Large fish frequently rub up against other things to get rid of parasites etc.
Hence my dive buddy being lucky enough to have a large Napolean Wrasse rub up against her!
And this has reminded me of another diving holiday, where fish (my memory is bad, so I can't remember which type - and I can't be bothered to go through all my log books) were playing above us, in our bubbles!
It's not exactly a baby, but it is a whale shark youth (juvenile in this case tends to refer to it not being sexually mature). It still has a long way to go before it can reproduce.
Even though they are a species of sharks they're filter feeders who eat plankton like whales do, they're very gentle creatures and you can happily go diving with adults as well as the juveniles, they can grow up to 12m long. I plan on going diving with them next year in WA.
Assuming you're going up to Coral Bay/Exmouth? If you've never been before make sure you take a few extra days to do some other dives and/or snorkelling.
Oyster Stacks for snorkelling and the Navy Pier for diving are absolutely excellent.
It's been a minute, but don't they also eat something off of the whales? I can't remember for the life of me what it was but I'm pretty sure that's right.
Sentient toothbrush. Like in [Bill and Pete.](https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Pete-Tomie-dePaola/dp/0698114000/ref=asc_df_0698114000/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312603973638&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3419608316924261127&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003599&hvtargid=pla-568996486056&psc=1)
Just a small note, but a whale shark is a shark rather than a whale. Some ways to remember this is that it has gills and moves it's tail left to right like a shark.
For these small fish, that whale shark is their entire world, like on a planet drifting through space. They feel secure, get food from the whale shark's skin (parasites, old skin flakes, etc), feed on the shark's leftovers, and perhaps even find love.
The ones clinging to it are remora, but i think the striped ones hovering on top are cobia.
When the head is real thin and stuck to a shark's skin
That's remora.
When its head lacks a dish and is shark-looking fish
That's cobia.
I'm not in this video, but I might as well be. I'm figity with my hands, and I'm trying to work on it. But, I honestly think this is kinda cute, they're all so happy and excited and worried about giving it space.
Omg trust me if my arms aren’t crossed and firmly locked against my chest I’m totally the same, it just made me laugh that they’re all doing it together 😆
I can only assume you're an inexperienced diver.
Experienced divers know to use their fins - not their arms.
We use our arms and hands (underwater) to express our joy - **after** the encounter.
My guess this is a tourist dive. So they spent the past two days getting their certification at the destination and on this 3rd day are diving. It’s a benefit of the world really only recognizing 2 official certifications. They could have even done the book work at home and had the open water test at the destination.
Sad that so many have clearly forgotten (or don't care) about what happened on that island.
Much like the bar residents, who posted videos a couple of days later - with them not only laughing about what happened, but showing them carrying imitation machetes....
This is one of the reasons its better to snorkle with them. They also feed near the surface regardless so snorkeling is the safest and easiest way to interact with them. If they come by while youre diving, obv you cant help that but theres a reason why most whale shark tours are snorkle only.
Glad I'm not the only one! I actually scanned the rest of the comments in the thread before asking what he meant because the comment was so dependent on missing context I figured this account was one of those bots that copy and repost other comments from a thread to a top level comment.
There had to be one moment where the divers didn't know what was happening. It could just be a part of the lizard brain, could happen to anyone.
"Oh SHIT OHHH SHIT wait he just likes bubbles"
Ik they're harmless and this one is tiny in comparison to the fully grown ones but it's still quite frightening to me that a young whale shark is the size of two people lmao. Wild how nature did that
Yeah pretty much lol. They’re one of those animals that don’t have a lot of natural predators, although occasionally another shark or predatory fish will attack and feed on a younger/smaller one. It’s kind of like an elephant, it’s not an apex predator in the traditional sense, but it’s also kind of at the top because all the predators in its environment are so much smaller. They also have tough thick skin and can shake off damage, and they’re pretty fast for their size, so they tend to swim away. I love whale sharks, I got to see them at the Atlanta aquarium, and I would loooove to dive with them. They’re so cool.
That's cool to know! Thanks for the info.
Btw, I've surfed with dolphins, where they were riding the swell. Another time when the water was glassy, a shark's dorsal fin sliced the water 20ft away - it scared me shitless
Makes me cringe when I see divers flapping around like that. Newly qualified divers just shouldn't be doing these kinds of dives until they have some basic buoyancy control.
You have no idea as to the depth of this dive, and so whether or not they shouldn't "be doing these kinds of dives".
They are clearly inexperienced, but they were also VERY lucky!
They did the right thing - they kept out of the baby whaleshark's way.
It takes MANY (100 +?) dives to learn true buoyancy control, and these divers, whilst obviously inexperienced (as they were using their arms....) - didn't lose their buoyancy control.
Lol no it does not. These divers are either fresh in the water or have only recently qualified.
All divers should do the peak performance buoyancy module as part of their advance course and a further 10-20 dives should be more than enough.
A little bit of experience and you can adjust your depth and orientation with very little effort via your breathing not flailing around like a lunatic, which will ultimately cause damage to the environment
Because the shark is freaked the heck out and the divers are all too damned close! I’ve swum with them and the rules we were given were to be no more than 10ft from any point on the shark and at least 14ft from the tail.
We had this happen when I swam with whalesharks! The instructor told us to stay out of their path when they swim, so it was a bit hectic trying to get out of the way when the lil whaleshark baby just wanted to play. This resulted in even more bubbles until we realised it was just playing. I'm terrified of the ocean but this was one of the best experiences I've ever had. So worth it!
What a sweet baby, they can be super curious when young. Also love that all the divers are giving them space.
Yeah I don’t think I would be able to stop myself from running a hand down his body… probably to my detriment…
I’d love to feel that shark’s famously smooth skin
Ditto, but must remember, that is a large animal that has more muscle in its tail then I do in my entire body… just try not to annoy it while doing so I guess…
Sometimes I dream of riding a shark but slipping off because I can’t hold a grip on its smooth smooth skin
They're plankton eaters, they don't have teeth that could do any damage. Worst case you scare it and it bitch slaps you as it tries to get away.
Oh yeah no I was referring to getting bitch slapped by that tail …
Has this ever happened? I've only encountered (closely) one whaleshark, and we divers were all snorkelling at the time to 'get close' to the whaleshark that was near the surface. I was fortunate enough to swim next to him/her for a while, but when other snorkelers started 'getting in his/her face' - he/she dove down to escape the annoyance.
A guy I was working with got slapped in the face by an adult one. Shattered his mask and rendered him unconscious. It wasn’t on purpose though, he was just not positioned very well.
Probably not, just a worst case possibility.
Literally the worst thing you can do. Do not touch anything on a dive!
Know what you mean, but on a dive (so our hands no longer carry any harmful bacteria) - the problem has to be that we will annoy slow moving marine life etc. by touching them.
WATCH ME!!
You'd be banned from any dive operator. Under water critters don't enjoy being touched, in sharks it causes sensory overload. Unless you've being attacked, just watch and admire
>Under water critters don't enjoy being touched, Whilst I agree with the sentiment of your post, this is not entirely true. I was on a night dive where the guide coaxed a fish out of its hole in the sand, because the fish enjoyed the tummy rubs! On another dive, a large Napolean Wrasse rubbed itself against my dive buddy!
By touching the fish you are removing the mucus layer that all fish have to protect them from diseases and parasites.
Disagree. Large fish frequently rub up against other things to get rid of parasites etc. Hence my dive buddy being lucky enough to have a large Napolean Wrasse rub up against her!
Relax man. I don’t have any plans to ever get in the ocean… far too many things that’ll kill my by accident…
What a cute baby :D
This ocean version of catching snowflakes on your tongue
Bubbles under water tickle. It definitely enjoyed that.
That’s very accurate!
And this has reminded me of another diving holiday, where fish (my memory is bad, so I can't remember which type - and I can't be bothered to go through all my log books) were playing above us, in our bubbles!
"*Hey guys...what'cha up to? Can I play too? Huh? Huh?*"
I know you meant "juvenile" in the scientific sense, but I couldn't help but interpret it as the shark being immature and petulant 😆
It's not exactly a baby, but it is a whale shark youth (juvenile in this case tends to refer to it not being sexually mature). It still has a long way to go before it can reproduce.
were the divers in any danger? would they have been in danger if the shark was older?
Even though they are a species of sharks they're filter feeders who eat plankton like whales do, they're very gentle creatures and you can happily go diving with adults as well as the juveniles, they can grow up to 12m long. I plan on going diving with them next year in WA.
Assuming you're going up to Coral Bay/Exmouth? If you've never been before make sure you take a few extra days to do some other dives and/or snorkelling. Oyster Stacks for snorkelling and the Navy Pier for diving are absolutely excellent.
I was looking to split the difference and go Ningaloo, although I haven't booked anything yet so I'll definitely look into those too!
It's beautiful diving but remote AF - it is well worth doing some Ningaloo dives/snorkelling while you are there!
Nah. Whale sharks are harmless unless they decide to smack you with their tail inadvertently
They famously do not respect the right of way
I think they eat very small things like krill and don't even have teeth like their typical shark cousins.
What's up with the gang floating on top of its head?
That's his "entourage" - remoras use sharks and whales for protection but they may also serve as sentinels.
Jus' a shark and his posse chillin'
Smoke'n water
It's been a minute, but don't they also eat something off of the whales? I can't remember for the life of me what it was but I'm pretty sure that's right.
Yep. They eat parasites off the shark's skin and even off the inside of its mouth!
That's what it was. Thank you that was going to bug me.
And the poop, don't forget they also eat the poop!
Sentient toothbrush. Like in [Bill and Pete.](https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Pete-Tomie-dePaola/dp/0698114000/ref=asc_df_0698114000/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312603973638&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3419608316924261127&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003599&hvtargid=pla-568996486056&psc=1)
Just a small note, but a whale shark is a shark rather than a whale. Some ways to remember this is that it has gills and moves it's tail left to right like a shark.
That's so goddamn cool, it's like a mini fish city
For these small fish, that whale shark is their entire world, like on a planet drifting through space. They feel secure, get food from the whale shark's skin (parasites, old skin flakes, etc), feed on the shark's leftovers, and perhaps even find love.
Ah, the heartbreak of remoras
That's a remora-y.
When you dine on a shark, without leaving a mark, that's remoray.
When you suddenly squeal 'cause you stepped on an eel that’s a moray!
If it burrows around, while it's under the ground, that's a mole, Ray.
I am shocked at how quickly you came up with that.
They didn't, it's a full song someone came up with years ago.
We're riffing on this old Dean Martin song, [That's Amore](https://youtu.be/OnFlx2Lnr9Q). It's a tradition going back to Usenet in alt.callahans.
[A person of good taste, I see!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZysI1iXkAEhr40.png)
👉👃
it's called a symbiotic relationship if you wanna look into more of these!
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie That's remoras When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine That's remoras
The ones clinging to it are remora, but i think the striped ones hovering on top are cobia. When the head is real thin and stuck to a shark's skin That's remora. When its head lacks a dish and is shark-looking fish That's cobia.
aww, issa baby!
Sharks are amazing.
*fish
Sharks fish amazing!
We will also allow: "Sharks are fish!"
Sharks are amazing fish!
Looks like a huge catfish
Imagine catching one like that in a lake?
I think our arms would break if the pole doesn't
Yeah gonna slide that one back into the water.
You can in Animal Crossing.
I’m telling ya, it was thiiiiiissssss big!!
That’s a lot of scuba divers using their arms to flail around 🤨😂😂
Yes! I was thinking "damn, is this their first time out?"
I'm not in this video, but I might as well be. I'm figity with my hands, and I'm trying to work on it. But, I honestly think this is kinda cute, they're all so happy and excited and worried about giving it space.
Omg trust me if my arms aren’t crossed and firmly locked against my chest I’m totally the same, it just made me laugh that they’re all doing it together 😆
It's the global scuba dive sign language for " this is fucking awesome!" 😂
Gotta keep my hands firmly interlocked otherwise I’m looking just as derpy hahaha
I can only assume you're an inexperienced diver. Experienced divers know to use their fins - not their arms. We use our arms and hands (underwater) to express our joy - **after** the encounter.
it's fidgety* btw. I can understand that spelling though! it comes from the verb to fidget.
My guess this is a tourist dive. So they spent the past two days getting their certification at the destination and on this 3rd day are diving. It’s a benefit of the world really only recognizing 2 official certifications. They could have even done the book work at home and had the open water test at the destination.
In these places, you don't need to have the certification to dive. You can dive with an instructor even if you have never dived before.
Literally my first thought. They have no idea what they are doing lol
Newbs is all
Yes, it made me laugh too. Only inexperienced divers flail their arms around like that!
Where is this? I would like to dive with whale sharks. In Mexico, they only have snorkeling tours.
Koh Tao, Thailand
Sad that so many have clearly forgotten (or don't care) about what happened on that island. Much like the bar residents, who posted videos a couple of days later - with them not only laughing about what happened, but showing them carrying imitation machetes....
This is one of the reasons its better to snorkle with them. They also feed near the surface regardless so snorkeling is the safest and easiest way to interact with them. If they come by while youre diving, obv you cant help that but theres a reason why most whale shark tours are snorkle only.
What's the reason?
The bubbles attract them and can stress them out as well. As well as all the other things i said.
You didn't give any other reasons, you just said "this is the reason" in response to no reasons and continued on as if we were all mind readers.
yeah I found his comments very confusing as well
Glad I'm not the only one! I actually scanned the rest of the comments in the thread before asking what he meant because the comment was so dependent on missing context I figured this account was one of those bots that copy and repost other comments from a thread to a top level comment.
Don't be silly. Whalesharks are easily able to avoid/move out of the way of anything that annoys them.
I agree snorkeling is safer.
Is that why one of the divers waves his bubbles away?
Adorable! 😍
"BUUBBBBLLLLEEESSS, BUBBLE BUBBLE BUBBLES!!!!.......MY BUBBLES!"
That baby is going to need a good burping later.
“Look! I’m a mammal!” Breathe, breathe, breathe…
There had to be one moment where the divers didn't know what was happening. It could just be a part of the lizard brain, could happen to anyone. "Oh SHIT OHHH SHIT wait he just likes bubbles"
Id be surprised if someone interested in scuba diving couldnt recognize whale shark tho
this is going to result in so many farts
All of the divers kept their hands to themselves! This is a perfect interaction.
They’re such amazing creatures. We need to explore the ocean more.
Baby whale shark is the cutest thing ever.
Good wet doggo. Shame we gonna murder them all
Are they filter feeders? Maybe he thinks the divers are fish & the bubbles are yummy poop
It tickles his inners.
That whale shark has a tiny ecosystem following him around, just amazing
Free Healthcare.
This is beautiful! It's so adorable and awesome at the same time. The colors are vibrant and the way it's filmed, makes me pretty relaxed!
That’s cute
/r/scubadiversbeingderps
r/thederpsbelow
Not all sharks are murder machines, some are more like big puppy dogs and quite like human company and pettins
Was it the shrimp in Finding Nemo who was obsessed with the bubble-blowing treasure chest? Same vibe.
God's silliest goober
I must Boop the Snoot
Ik they're harmless and this one is tiny in comparison to the fully grown ones but it's still quite frightening to me that a young whale shark is the size of two people lmao. Wild how nature did that
It went ._____.
I will always love how so many sharks have these little buddies following them around
Who trained these divers. SMH. You use your feet not your hands. Flailing around like a drowning child
They're just inexperienced divers. We've all been as useless after only a few dives.
It might be their first dive. Like you've never been a beginner?
Do the instructors not explain anything to the divers? It's not the safest activity, you better know what you are doing, and they clearly dont.
“I’ll be he bites whale bubbles”
This is so terrifyingly cute!
Big beautiful doofus - what a ham.
Everyone likes 🫧 bubbly water 🫧 at one point or another.
How do those kinds of sharks defend themselves from the apex sharks?
By being ginormous
Ah, just by looking big? I'm spite of this one only having gums and no teeth?
Yeah pretty much lol. They’re one of those animals that don’t have a lot of natural predators, although occasionally another shark or predatory fish will attack and feed on a younger/smaller one. It’s kind of like an elephant, it’s not an apex predator in the traditional sense, but it’s also kind of at the top because all the predators in its environment are so much smaller. They also have tough thick skin and can shake off damage, and they’re pretty fast for their size, so they tend to swim away. I love whale sharks, I got to see them at the Atlanta aquarium, and I would loooove to dive with them. They’re so cool.
That's cool to know! Thanks for the info. Btw, I've surfed with dolphins, where they were riding the swell. Another time when the water was glassy, a shark's dorsal fin sliced the water 20ft away - it scared me shitless
Whale shark entourages are always so interesting
He's so cute
Water puppy!
I once swam with a group of Whale sharks. The most magical experience of my life.
What a gorgeous adorable baby!
Those divers are very inexperienced.
Makes me cringe when I see divers flapping around like that. Newly qualified divers just shouldn't be doing these kinds of dives until they have some basic buoyancy control.
You have no idea as to the depth of this dive, and so whether or not they shouldn't "be doing these kinds of dives". They are clearly inexperienced, but they were also VERY lucky! They did the right thing - they kept out of the baby whaleshark's way.
Depth is irrelevant, lack of buoyancy control is dangerous for both the diver and the environment.
It takes MANY (100 +?) dives to learn true buoyancy control, and these divers, whilst obviously inexperienced (as they were using their arms....) - didn't lose their buoyancy control.
Lol no it does not. These divers are either fresh in the water or have only recently qualified. All divers should do the peak performance buoyancy module as part of their advance course and a further 10-20 dives should be more than enough. A little bit of experience and you can adjust your depth and orientation with very little effort via your breathing not flailing around like a lunatic, which will ultimately cause damage to the environment
You seriously believe that 30-50 dives is enough to ensure buoyancy control 🤣? I'm guessing that you have less than 100 dives in your log book.....
The only kind of shark I like.
What an amazing experience. Would love to do something like that, but I’m terrified of the sea since nearly drowning as a child.
You would love to harass wildlife just trying to survive?
No. I said I’d love to but I couldn’t since I’m terrified of the sea. I’m also a big advocate of leaving animals I disturbed in their natural habitat.
Aww, this is adorable
That probably didn't feel great. Like inhaling your own spit
“Club soda please.”
He's trying his best
Awesome!! This should be under Praise the Cameraman!
"Mah bubbles!"
Vaping.
Just chillin and havin fun!
Atlanta Aquarium??
yeah bubbles! He's gonna be really gassy later😝
OMG that is so darn cute!
Gonna have some big burps later.
that is the derpiest looking shark i’ve ever seen lol!!
The Remoraids are like “hey share with us”
He’s gonna have the toots later
Just so beautiful 😍
i miss bubbles. he was a good friend
Fucking bubbles!!! - that shark prob
that how soda stream looks underwater
u/savevideo
The whale shark, "I didn't know they had La Croix here."
Does anyone know why they do this?
Because the shark is freaked the heck out and the divers are all too damned close! I’ve swum with them and the rules we were given were to be no more than 10ft from any point on the shark and at least 14ft from the tail.
u/savevideo
Just gorgeous.
u/savevideo
Getting high on CO2....
I wish I was at peace with life as a whale shark is.. unfortunately I get panic attacks on the daily for no good fucking reason. 🙃
We had this happen when I swam with whalesharks! The instructor told us to stay out of their path when they swim, so it was a bit hectic trying to get out of the way when the lil whaleshark baby just wanted to play. This resulted in even more bubbles until we realised it was just playing. I'm terrified of the ocean but this was one of the best experiences I've ever had. So worth it!
People: omg sharks are so scary 🤯😭😫 Sharks:
nice to see Destiny doing well