We arrived in Bonaire at 5:30 am and after checking in we went through orientation and did our check-out dive. Our first real dive of the trip was a 2:00 boat dive to Petries Pillar which our DM opted to do as a drift dive due to currents. About half way through the dive we were at 50' and I looked back and saw what looked like a black school bus swimming parallel to our group and gaining fast. It took a moment to realize that I was seeing a whale shark. It just glided past us about 15' away effortlessly. Our DM has been diving here for eight years and neither he nor anyone in the dive op had ever seen one before today.
Whale shark in Bonaire!!!
- Thread starter rye_a
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keesmon
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Gotta love the ocean huh?
darook
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Congrats on such a rare sighting! Now you are really spoiled. Have a great time on island. 4 more months for me.
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It's all in the timing! ............That and good fortune. The dive gods have blessed your trip.
Get out of the jar!
Get out of the jar!
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Outstanding...anyone get a straight on shot of the left side? Please report it to Ecocean if they did.
ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library
ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library
DiverVince
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Rye..My suggestion...Quick...Go out and buy a lottery ticket before your luck runs out! You were very lucky.
i am a little (crazy) jealous of your sighting!! Ive been in Bonaire for the last 8 months I havent seen anything eso amazing yet.. this week there was also a manta ray spotted a couple times and several large logger heads. The turtles are moving in for nesting season, but i think the other big critters are moving in for the large numbers of bait fish around the island at the moment! The are so many under our dock right now, and the tarpos, jack etc are going crazy for them all day...
Congrats on your sighting, and heres to hoping your good luck sprinkles around the island!!
Congrats on your sighting, and heres to hoping your good luck sprinkles around the island!!
Congrats! what an experience, huh?
In 5 maybe 6 years of visiting Bonaire and nearly 175 dives in those waters, I have never seen any truly Large marine life. A couple from our local here, did post pics of a whale Shark they saw on Bonaire a few years back, but yours is the first recent sighting that I have heard of.
Now you have one special memory from Bonaire that will make everyone else quite jealous!
In 5 maybe 6 years of visiting Bonaire and nearly 175 dives in those waters, I have never seen any truly Large marine life. A couple from our local here, did post pics of a whale Shark they saw on Bonaire a few years back, but yours is the first recent sighting that I have heard of.
Now you have one special memory from Bonaire that will make everyone else quite jealous!
We have just finished 11 days diving in Bonaire (last dive this morning)
In the first five days we were here, we saw 4 manta rays. This was at Calabas:
As well as that one, we saw one at Bari Reef, one at 1000 Steps and another at Jeff Davis Memorial. I also have pictures of the one at Jeff Davis but the one at Bari was too far away and we were not quick enough with our cameras at 1000 Steps.
I have stopped telling people because it sounds too unbelievable!
In the first five days we were here, we saw 4 manta rays. This was at Calabas:
As well as that one, we saw one at Bari Reef, one at 1000 Steps and another at Jeff Davis Memorial. I also have pictures of the one at Jeff Davis but the one at Bari was too far away and we were not quick enough with our cameras at 1000 Steps.
I have stopped telling people because it sounds too unbelievable!
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