Peter couldn’t get back into the boat fast enough. We all gawped at the fin. Yep, this was definitely not a manta.
The skipper angled the boat towards it and I saw the telltale white spots.
“A whale shark!” I gasped.
This time I didn’t hesitate. I dragged my mask over my face, threw myself over the side, and finned as fast as I could. Within seconds I found myself confronting a majestic, seven-meter whale shark. An involuntary squeal of excitement bubbled in my throat. This was unbelievable. I lifted my arm out of the water and gave a vigorous thumbs-up, to tell my family I was watching a real, live whale shark at that very moment. Then I let my limbs dangle, to revel in the experience.
The shark appeared oblivious of me. Its eyes were at the widest part of its body, just behind the mouth, reminding me (just me?) of Sid the Sloth, in the Ice Age films. The immense, flat head tapered to a typical, dangerous-looking shark tail. But whale sharks are benign, naive, serene beings. I stretched my hand towards its ridged back as it drifted past me, and stopped just short of touching it. I’m not sure why I didn’t. Out of respect, because it didn’t seem right to touch a wild animal? Or because I felt that it would somehow diminish the experience? Perhaps for both reasons.
We spent about fifteen minutes with that shark. Frank and the kids also took the plunge, Luca fighting to breathe through the snorkel, Saba struggling to keep pace. But their shining eyes spoke volumes.
Too soon it was time for us to return to Zorritos: sunburnt, salt-encrusted, and profoundly moved.
Now, I’ll be honest with you: I hesitated to write this story. The experience was so memorable because I hadn't been made to feel like a tourist, one among many on an organised tour, all vying for a fleeting glimpse of these magnificent creatures. Instead, we had them to ourselves, and a part of me, selfishly, wants to keep it that way. I fear that by sharing this account I will be helping to promote manta ray and whale shark tourism in northern Peru. Wildlife tourism, if poorly managed, can become more than a disappointing,
68 - SEVENSEAS