Whale Sharks : The giant swimmer at Cendrawasih bay

For those of you who was a big fan of diving or snorkeling sports , seeing nudibranchs, manta rays, or sea horses, perhaps it was an ussually things. But how it feels when you dive in a place surrounded by marine animals with huge and large like as inter-city buses and the weight can reach 15 tons? surely this is something most extraordinary ! Obviously the next question for you is: Where is the marine animals of that size be? even if there, what the animal's name? Hmmm ...., maybe you feel this is something that so impossible, you may think. However, we argue that they are EXISTS!

Large-bodied marine animals, it still can be encountered in the waters of Indonesia, precisely in Paradise Bay, Papua. These animals are commonly called Whale Sharks, though still the same family as the famous White Shark fish with known for the ferocity, the whale shark is a benign fish. The whale shark, known by the Latin name Rhincodon typus, is a plankton-eating shark which is the largest fish species. This shark is the only member of its genus Rhincodon and its family, Rhincodontidae (called Rhinodontes before 1984), which belongs to the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. This shark, found in tropical and warm oceans, lives in the open sea with a lifespan of about 70 years. The species originated about 60 million years ago. Its presence in Indonesia and can be found all year in Paradise Bay National Park area, especially in the waters Kwatisore, Nabire, Papua.

Cenderawasih Bay Marine National Park - known locally in Papua as the Taman Teluk Cenderawasih, this huge park comprises 20 individual islands and a spectacular coastline, which stretches roughly 500 km / 311 miles. At more than 14,000 square kilometers (approx 5,400 square miles) - the Cenderawasih Bay Marine National Park is the biggest of its kind in Indonesia and offers a superb choice of scuba diving, trekking and bird watching. Nabire and Cenderawasih National Park reefs offers whale sharks and dugongs, dolphins seahorses (not just pygmies), nudibranchs, several ornate ghost pipefish, frogfish cephalopods and tiger shrimp.

You can find a bunch of Whale shark in Cendrawasih bay , which is the largest fish in the world. Its length can reach 14 meters and weigh 15 tons. Average size is about 7.6 m even though this does not include the Pope. Whale sharks are solitary animals, so it is very rare if Whale Shark founded in a large community. Whale Shark can live near the coast or offshore. Whale sharks spend more of his life near the water surface. It is closely related to they food like plankton and other tiny organisms that reside on the surface. Whale Shark has a wide distribution and live in hot waters at latitudes ± 30-40 degrees (the Equator). The Whale sharks main food are castle fish and plankton . Unlike the other sharks with sharp teeth, the Whale shark was only finely toothed at the tip of the lips. She suck and intake the sea water to capture small fish as she foods .

Despite its size, the whale shark does not pose significant danger to humans. Although massive, whale sharks are docile fish and sometimes allow swimmers to catch a ride. Whale sharks are actually quite gentle and can play with divers. Divers and snorkellers can swim with this giant fish without risk, apart from unintentional blows from the shark’s large tail fin. Its better to snorkeling rather than diving , because some of dive research said , the whale sharks do not like the bubbles very much. For you who had a braver soul, do not just observe, but go swimming with the whaleshark which can reach tens of meters in length and reached 14 tons weight , and can live until 150 year, is an amazing sensation. Mingling among the great pleasure with the fear due to the direct side by side with the world's largest shark. Dare to try??