Diving with the Whales of Belize

By Rachel Graham

Pople are now realising that through tourism whale sharks are worth more alive than they are dead and so countries such as the Maldives, Honduras, the Philippines and more recently India have passed laws to protect them. But even tourism can potentially harm whale sharks by disturbing or harassing them. However, if tours are provided by people who are well educated about the
needs of whale sharks this should not be a problem.In Belize whale shark tour guides undergo just such training.

Whale shark tour regulations.

Whale sharks are curious, relatively slow moving, docile creatures. At Gladden Spit, also known as The Elbow, they will readily approach boats, snorkelers and divers if they feel unthreatened. To ensure that whale sharks are not harmed by tourism or boating activities we ask you to observe the following guidelines:

Tour guides & boatmen
· All whale shark tour guides must hold a valid whale
shark tour-guide license
· Only 8 snorkelers per snorkel guide
· Only 8 divers per divemaster
· All boats should approach whale sharks at idle
speed or no more than 2 knots/hour,
· Boats should remain at least 15m (50ft) away
from the animal(s)
· Do not block the whale shark’s path with the
boat.
· Discharge your passengers 15m (50ft) from the
whale shark
· To avoid harassing sharks and to maximize
safety for snorkelers and divers, tour boats
should remain 60m (200ft) away from each
other if there are snorkelers/divers in the water
· When the whale shark(s) has gone, have all snorkelers/divers at the surface return to the boat immediately
· When divers and snorkelers have returned to the boat, leave the area promptly so that other tour groups have access to the whale shark(s)
· No whale shark tours will be permitted from one hour before sunset until the following day.

Snorkelers & divers
· Make sure to get a whale shark interaction briefing from your licensed tour guide
· Do not touch, ride or chase after a whale shark
· Remain at least 3m (10ft) away from the shark
· Do not block the whale shark’s path
· When your tour guide tells you to leave the water, please pay attention and get in the boat as quickly as you can.
· Most importantly RELAX and let the whale shark approach you, it’s only curious!
Please be considerate...
By adhering to these simple guidelines you will have the best chance of seeing and interacting with a whale shark .

To find out more about the project please visit the project web page at: www.york.ac.uk/environment/darwin . You can help us unravel the whale shark mystery! When you encounter a whale shark, please note time, date and location, estimated size (in feet or meters), any scars, tag color and number, and the tour operator you were out with and email to rtg@btl.net . Your help is greatly appreciated!

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