Whale Shark on the 4th in Panama City

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PatMyGreen

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Location
Panama City Beach, Florida, United States
So we had just another typical Saturday charter:wink: and after we dove the USS Strength I motored over to Span 12 and sent my DM in to tie in. About 15 seconds later I noticed the sheer profusion of life in the clear flat water water, plainly visible down to the span itself.... which from the surface is pretty good. In fact I was just about to comment to the others how great the vis looked when I noticed the spots...... Why were there spots in the water..... OH MY GOD!!!! "Whale Shark! Expletive Whale Shark, No expleitive there is a whale shark!!!!"

At this point people are diving off the bow with masks only and wetsuits half on, when the DM (Tommy) gives the tugs to signal we are made fast to the span I also grab a spare set of gear and hit the water. Tommy was immersed in the bait cloud and had no idea why there was noone else on the boat when he surfaced to give his conditions report/ predive brief.

Video on YouTube

Also there were several large cobia swimming with it...
Best of all I have proof!

Yep, just another Saturday at Panama City Dive Charters:wink::D
 

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excellent!!
 
Great that you saw a whale shark! :)

Too bad you had to touch and harass it. :(
 
Guys I understand your concerns about "harassing" the whale shark. It approached the divers and continuously circled the span not altering its behavior in the least while any of the divers (myself included) were in the water. The boat was at anchor and when it swam off after 30 minutes we did not follow.

I assure you a creature that large and powerful is quite capable of out distancing a scuba diver if it was made uncomfortable. While this was my first time in the water with a whale shark, I hate watching the dolphin tours hound our little mammalian friends and nothing like that was going on here.
 
Guys I understand your concerns about "harassing" the whale shark. It approached the divers and continuously circled the span not altering its behavior in the least while any of the divers (myself included) were in the water. The boat was at anchor and when it swam off after 30 minutes we did not follow.

I assure you a creature that large and powerful is quite capable of out distancing a scuba diver if it was made uncomfortable. While this was my first time in the water with a whale shark, I hate watching the dolphin tours hound our little mammalian friends and nothing like that was going on here.

Pat, you do not have to explain yourself to anybody. They are not worthy.
 
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