Whale Shark visits Lady Elliot Island
Whale Shark (Rhinchodon typus) A 5 metre Whale Shark was spotted off the Lighthouse at Lady Elliot Island on Wednesday 8th February. Ryan Jeffery from our Dive Team was able to capture these amazing images! The largest fish in the sea, possibly growing up to 18m in length. Whale sharks are very gentle filter feeders, roaming the ocean looking for high concentrations of zooplankton. They also eat smaller fish like sardines. Even though their mouths are so huge, their throats can only swallow something as big as a tuna. They have been known to travel thousands of kilometres and are more common in Western Australia. They will tolerate divers and snorkellers nearby, but this one seemed quite shy.
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