Swimming with whale sharks

Our day begins at sunrise. We are 13 adventurers on a trip with Natural Habitat Adventures to swim with whale sharks, the world’s largest fish. Anticipation is high as we are anxious to get started on our excursion.

Whale sharks are 5 time my length.

Our group had arrived on the tiny fishing island of Holbox (pronounced Ol-bosh) by ferry the day before. Situated off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, this laid-back village has quiet beaches but no paved roads. Transportation is by golf cart, substitute for a traditional taxi.

Larry rides from the ferry to our hotel via taxi.

On our way

Golf carts shuttle us the short distance from our hotel to the main dock of Holbox where we board two boats that will take us 20 miles out to sea. The ride will take about two hours and pass through the Gulf of Mexico into the Caribbean Sea. Around 8:00 a.m. we stop and consume breakfast sandwiches and juice on the boat to fortify us for the rest of the trip.

I'm forming the l in Holbox sign at the beach where we board our boat.

It’s a warm, sunny day in August--ideal conditions for locating whale sharks. Soon we arrive at an area where plankton, food for the sharks, are plentiful and near the surface. Dozens of whale sharks have gathered here to feed. Everyone is ecstatic since this means that opportunities to spot and then follow sharks in the water is great.

However, we are not alone. Many other boats have gathered in the same location. The tourist industry has recognized the economic value of tourists swimming with the sharks over fishing for them and reducing their numbers. The sharks are now protected in their native environment.

We go out to sea in search of whale sharks.

Everyone is eager to jump in the water, but that’s not how it happens. Regulations apply, so boats take turns allowing their guests into the water to avoid overcrowding.

Ready to swim

The process goes like this: Whoever is going into the water next sits on the edge of the boat, ready and fully outfitted with snorkel, mask, and fins until the guide spots a shark fin nearby above water and determines which way it is swimming. Quickly he orders “Go,” and you plunge into the water while trying to follow the guide who is swimming to in front of the shark.

Fins above water indicate where the whale sharks are.

We learn that when we hit the water it’s best to look up to see where the shark’s fin is rather than turning face down as for usual snorkeling. Otherwise, you might not know the direction the shark is swimming—and your turn is over very quickly if the shark swims out of view or decides to dive deeper.

Once in the water it’s quite a thrill to realize you are just a few feet—sometimes just inches—away from these magnificent creatures. Watching their bulky dot-patterned bodies maneuver so smoothly in the water is simply amazing.

Magnificent creatures!

Despite their size, whale sharks are gentle creatures. But close encounters are discouraged because the sharks are so large they could knock a person silly if there was a collision, and they have really big mouths!

It’s possible to try to swim to where a shark is, but you’re not likely to catch up or get a good look, so following the guide’s lead is important. Despite their length—up to 40 feet—the sharks swim fast. I quickly realized there would be no photography to record this adventure for posterity!

The first time Larry and I go we get caught in a tangle of thick yellow seaweed that obstructs our views. I go again, and this time is simply awesome—a close-up look at two sharks during the hectic—and tiring--few minutes of bobbing face down in ocean waves.

Larry and me scoping out the swimming whale sharks.

The next day we follow the same process, with each person getting two or three turns to be in the water. On one of our turns the shark swims extremely close to the boat just as Larry and I jump in the water. His movements are unpredictable, and I find myself literally staring into his mouth while frantically paddling to move away. I see his large tail flipping back and forth and just imagine the slap I might get if I’m in his path. I’m a minnow against the broad body of this giant fish!

Swim close but don't get in the way!

My last swim is the very best. With the guide showing me the way, I swim alongside the graceful whale shark for what seems like a long time but is probably only a few minutes.  I try to soak in every aspect of the magical experience—the shimmer of its skin in sunlight, the swish of its body turning in the water, and the thrill of interacting closely with one of nature’s special creatures in its home environment.

 Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier and free sources.

Best way to view polar bears in the wild

Magnificent polar bears at Churchill, Canada

Just inches from my feet, two shiny black eyes stare up at me through the metal mesh floor of our Polar Rover. A bear cub lifts his button nose as if to check out the scent of my heavily padded boots. I’m furiously taking pictures, camera in burst mode, in hopes of capturing a few good shots of this incredible moment.

A cub peaks up from the outside grate of our Polar Rover,
 right where I'm standing.

We’re in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada—1,000 miles north of Winnipeg--on a polar bear expedition, hunting with our eyes and our cameras. It’s polar bear season, a six-week period during October and November when hundreds of polar bears migrate to this area on their way to Hudson Bay. When the sea freezes over, seal-hunting season begins.  After fasting during spring and summer, bears are ready to hunt (and eat) seals to fatten up before they again enter a period of living off their fat reserves.

Mother and cub walk over the slushy ice of Hudson Bay, not yet
frozen over.

Why Hudson Bay?

Hudson Bay is the first place that gets iced over each fall. Located in the middle of the North American continent, this region has no coastal waters to moderate temperatures. Also, the Churchill River, which drains from the Rocky Mountains, flows into Hudson Bay. Being fresh water, it freezes at a slightly higher temperature than salt water.  Aided by strong counter-clockwise currents, the bay can freeze very quickly forming prime hunting grounds for bears-in-waiting.

Journey to the Far North

We’re traveling with Natural Habitat, a leading tour company that partners with World Wildlife Fund to offer a variety of 6- and 7-day environmentally responsible wildlife excursions. While this is my favorite adventure tour company (we have gone on numerous adventures with them), other tour companies also provide similar itineraries in Churchill.

We overnight in Winnipeg where we are issued right-sized parkas and snow boots. These are snuggly warm and comfortable, eliminating the need to cram-pack or carry bulky items while traveling.

 An informative dinner introduces us to our guide, Drew Hamilton, whose photos and commentary whet our appetites even more for the experiences we’re about to have. Because no roads go into Churchill, the following morning a charter flight whisks us to the outpost town of 800 residents. The other option would have been a 52-hour train ride.

Bears are curious. This one checks out the 6-foot tires
on the specially-built Polar Rover.

Polar Bear Capital of the World

Although more than 14,000 visitors are expected during the peak season, the number of vehicles allowed each day on the government-owned 26-by-7-mile tundra region where polar bears congregate is highly regulated.  With only 16 people in our group, everyone has a comfortable window seat from which to observe the bears and take photos. On the back of the specially-built Polar Rover is an elevated outside observation deck. This is where I come face-to-feet with the bear cub.

Adventure in the tundra

Our first tundra excursion starts shortly before sunset. In the dimming light we soon cross paths with a polar bear family—mom and two cubs about eight or nine months old—that we watch slosh through semi-frozen puddles and muddied snow. We see tracks of an Arctic fox but no sign of the elusive camouflaged animal.

Male bears practice sparring skills that may be needed later. 

At dusk we come upon a group of three male bears. One is sleeping and uninterested in bear society, but the other two put on an amazing show of sparring, bear form of play-fighting. Raring up on hind legs, they nip at each other with open mouths, exposing long sharp incisors that could do plenty of damage under other circumstances.  Pushing and shoving each other with their huge paws in a pseudo-wrestling match, these enormous animals practice skills they may need later.

Sunset is a fiery feast of red hues.

Just before nightfall, streaks of scarlet red, orange, and yellow spread upon the clouds turning the horizon into a fiery blaze. Reflections on not-yet-frozen pools and dazzling snow-tipped vistas broken occasionally by scrubby reddish willows or brown boulders reveal a splendor unique to tundra landscapes.

Our first full day on the tundra yields about 20 bear sightings, with an equal number the following day, and more on our evening excursion—all observed from the comfort of our Polar Rover bus.  Male bears enchant onlookers with their sparring antics, mama bears keep watchful eyes on wandering cubs, and one male bear shows dominance by approaching another bear in a way that causes it to retreat.  Numerous bears sleep or stroll across thin ice, while others meander close to the Rover, poking around and climbing on the six-foot tires to check out their surroundings.

Polar bears are fascinating to observe in the wild.

Bears in the wild

Viewing these magnificent animals in their natural habitat is an incredible experience, but we’re constantly reminded that they are wild creatures. On the tundra we never leave the Polar Rover. Signs throughout town, where we stay in a basic but comfortable hotel, warn locals and visitors that this is bear territory. If an unruly bear wanders into town, it is captured and held for several days before being helicoptered back to the tundra.

Push comes to shove in good-natured fun.

Almost half the world’s population of polar bears (estimated numbers range up to 40,000) lives in northern Canada. Warmer temperatures from climate change may affect their natural habitat as ice starts to form later, allowing less time for bears to hunt and build up stores of fat. In the U.S. polar bears have been considered threatened since 2008, although they’re not endangered.

If you're craving a nature adventure that's extraordinarily inspiring, I suggest an expedition to Churchill to view polar bears in the wild.

A version of this story first appeared in NowU in 2014.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier