whale shark

Whale Sharks are easily recognized by their immense size and a two-tone pattern of light spots and lines on a base coloration ranging from gunmetal grey to black to dusky blue, mocha brown, or bronze upper surface and a white underbelly.

The whale shark has a broad, blunt head; three prominent ridges running transverse along its body. It's enormous mouth is located at the front of the head, and can be opened wide to filter large amounts of water for small fish, squid, crustaceans, and other plankton organisms. The Whale Shark is ovoviviparous and gives birth to live young measuring approximately 70cm in length. The Whale Shark is not only the largest shark species, it also has the largest litter size of all sharks.

Very little is known about the habits of the Whale Shark. Sub adults may live in small groups, but these are seen only very rarely. Adults are usually solitary and nothing is known about the way these giants find each other, or how and where their mating occurs.

Whale Sharks are on many peoples "must do" list and in spite of their general scarcity, encounters with these gentle giants can be had off Sodwana Bay annually between October and April due to their natural migratory patterns.Globally, Whale Sharks also appear often around the Seychelles, Similan Islands (Thailand), Christmas Island, Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia), India, Sri Lanka, Belize, Mexico, Kenya and Mozambique.

Physical Characteristics

The largest shark, which was accurately measured at 12,18 meters (40 feet, 7 inches) in length and weighing a hefty 11 metric tons by fishermen who netted a specimen off the coast of Bombay in 1983 and has been less accurately reported in other instances at 18 meters (60 feet).  Whale Sharks are estimated to be approximately 70 cm at birth.  Very little information exists of juveniles measuring less than 3 m in length as the majority of encounters occur with animals between 3 - 8m.

Epidermis

The skin of an adult whale shark may attain a thickness of over 100mm, limiting its possible predators to great white sharks, tiger sharks and orcas, and although none have been observed attacking a whale shark, some individuals show scars and bite marks from apex predators. Scientists call the contrasting coloration of a dark upper surface and light lower surface counter shading, a trait indispensable for stealth and protection. Another possibility is that these pigment patterns could be an adaptation for radiation shielding, important in a species that may spend a significant proportion of time in surface waters possibly exposed to high levels of ultraviolet radiation.

Eyes

Whale Sharks eyes are situated in front of the pectoral fins and gill slits where the polka dotted, dark upper surface joins the snowy underbelly, and two rounded recessed orifices on either side of the head.  The larger of the orifices houses an unblinking eye the size of a golf ball.  The eyes show no expression other than the wide-eyed stare of a large black pupil that swivels to follow any activity going on around it.  

If an object approaches the eye too directly the eyeball swivels backward into the cavity and a tough flap of skin slides forward to cover the opening to the vulnerable sensory organ.  
Once the shark perceives that the threat has passed, the skin flap retracts and the eye returns to its wide-open stare.  
Other shark species posses a similar shielding eyelid (called a nictitating membrane) which slides forward to protect the eye, but the whale shark’s sight protection adaptation is unique and is as yet unclassified.

Spiracle

A slightly smaller opening spaced back from the eye and ahead of the gill slits marks the site of the spiracle chamber.  The spiracle functions as a vestigial first gill slit, allowing water to be taken in and oxygen extracted, whereupon the oxygenated blood is pumped directly to the eye and the brain via a separate blood vessel.  

More commonly associated with sedentary, demersal sharks, sawfish, guitarfish and stingrays. The spiracle in this non-bottom-dwelling shark was one of the criteria that led taxonomists to make the whale shark the sole representative of the family Rhincodontidae in the Orectolobiformes order (an order comprised of nurse, zebra and carpet sharks.)  Whale sharks and other Rhincodontidae also have five gill slits, two dorsal fins, a single anal fin and a mouth termination in front of the eyes.

Mouth

The mouth extends across the width of the flat, blunt snout and ends well before the eyes.  
A mouth running the width of a whale shark’s head can reach tremendous proportions: the 12,18m specimen’s head measured 1,36m across, in the slack repose of death; alive and in the process of feeding, it can possibly extend two or three times that width.

Smell

Like bottom-dwelling sharks, the whale shark has twin nasal slits and sensory barbells (a trait it shares with the nurse shark) in front of its blunt snout on the upper surface above the mouth.  

In sharks, the nasal openings do not lead to the mouth nor do they play any part in respiration, their purpose is to augment the shark's sense of smell, enabling it to detect prey without relying on sight.  

The majority of other shark species have a ventrally located mouth and an elongated snout, which provides a greater surface area for the receptors of the ampullae of lorenzini - the sensory organs which detect weak electronic fields and provide sharks with sensory information when their vision is hampered.  

Placed, far forward and extending over the mouth, the whale sharks barbells augment the ampullae of lorenzini and signal the location of prey, guiding the whale shark's mouth towards its reward.

Teeth

Some scientists believe the whale shark's teeth to be vestigial.  Their function has not been observed, but it seems probable that they are used in processing larger food items, such as small tuna and mackerel that are occasionally captured but are too large to pass through the whale shark's gullet.

tabin wildlife reserve

learn more about sipadan

this is some of our video when we doing dive at sipadan. i post this video because just in cast maybe some of you want to try it there at sipadan. so in other words this video can help you all guys or girls to discover first before you all want to dive... but for me i courage u all guys to try it because it was fun and enjoying. try it before you old.

this are video when we dive at sipadan

Attraction place to dive at Sipadan Island resort

Like every islands, like Layang-Layang Island, Mantanani islands and so on, there have its own attraction place to dive. Same also with Sipadan Island, Sipadan Island also have its own attraction place to dive. That is why Sipadan Island also known as a Dive Centre Resort. As we look at the map, that is the attraction place for tourist to come for diving. Each point that have been shown at the map, have its own unique and there have lot aquatic life you might see for example like a group of barracuda, turtle and many lots.

Barracuda Point

There may be no guarantees in diving, but let’s just say there is every chance that you can find yourself in the middle of a swirling vortex of chevron or blacktail barracuda at this north coast site, one of the most treasured spots at Sipadan Island.

Normally divers roll in to the top of the wall here, at a depth of about 10 metres. There may be some current but that means there is lots of food which duly brings in tons of fish - schooling bannerfish and redtooth triggerfish are prevalent in large numbers. Grey reef sharks are always patrolling the perimeter here and hunting for lunch, and great barracuda and dogtooth tuna are frequent visitors to this part of the island too.

Cruise along the wall dropping down as far as you wish, and keep an eye out for a herd of bumphead parrotfish and turtles in every nook and cranny. Eventually the wall will level out into a sloping plateau, where the barracudas often congregate. Here you can also find Napoleon wrasse and yellow-margin triggerfish. A word of caution though, don't venture too deep to the north of this site as the currents can get very strong and sweep you downwards, out and away from the island.

Even without the barracudas this would be a most colorful and entertaining dive. But just when this thought flashes through your mind, you may be engulfed in a tornado of barracudas – several thousand strong and more than the eye can take in. A superb moment in an outstanding dive. It is little wonder that visitors who come for scuba diving in Sipadan Island, will leave with so many “Barracuda Point” entries in their log-books. You should have one too.

Barracuda Point Reef Basics: Wall then valley
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 20 - 30m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Can be choppy
Water Temperature: 26 - 30°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving Season: All year round
Distance: 12 km (25 minutes) south from Mabul and 10 km (18 mins) southwest from Kapalai
Access: Mabul and Kapalai dive resorts

The Drop Off

The Drop Off is in many ways the signature dive of Sipadan Island. When Sipadan had resorts stationed on it, this site was a mere stroll off the beach where a 600 metre drop would welcome you to the underwater world.

The diving site is widely regarded as the best beach dive in the world. The photographs of Pulau Sipadan always include schools of fish (jacks / trevallies or barracudas) circling above the diver and you may think that this is purely for the benefit of the promotional literature. However within 5 minutes of entering the water you are likely to see several hundred jacks circling overhead and a squadron of bumpheaded parrotfish charging around. These can prove a serious distraction from the ubiquitous whitetip sharks, grey reef sharks and green turtles.

The wall itself has a wide variety of coral and sponges and although there is an astonishing line-up of large fish around, you will find the Drop-Off to also be a great night diving spot as every nook and cranny in the walls is worth investigating for crabs, shrimp and various other nocturnal sub-aquatic wonders.

The Drop Off Reef Basics: Wall dive
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 15 - 30m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Can be choppy
Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving Season: All year round
Distance: 12 km (25 minutes) south from Mabul and 10 km (18 mins) southwest from Kapalai
Access: Mabul and Kapalai dive resorts

Midreef

Lazily decend to your required depth down the vertical wall that forms Sipadan Midreef, then just drift along with the current, whichever way it takes you - north or south. Once you begin your dive, it won't belong before you come across this sites most discernable guests - dozens of large green turtles, by now very habituated to inquisitive divers.

Drifting along the wall you'll soon be kept busy inspecting the dominant soft corals, navy knotted sea fans and orange gorgonian fans that hang from the ledges. Pygmy gobies and whip gobies are in abundance here. Forster's hawk fish are often seen hanging out, resting motionless on the small sponges. 5-lined cardinal fish and harlequin sweet lips move furtively under the many ledges and overhangs. Sulu fang blennies, known only to northern Borneo and the Sulu Archipelago, form aggregations among the gorgonians.

As with nearly all the Sipadan dive sites, Midreef can have quite strong currents, with an added tendency to push you upwards too. This occurs most often in the presence of cold water thermo clines rising from the depths. The trade-off though is that the adverse conditions bring with them higher densities of fish life. Large schools of Moorish idols, red tooth triggerfish, unicorn fish and banner fish race along the wall. Smaller schools of round batfish pass by and Napoleon wrasse are regular visitors to this part of Borneo too.

The 6 meter hard coral flats that top the reef make an ideal safety stop. Small hardy stubbly table corals, and porites corals dominate here, and these form the staple diet for packs of bump head parrotfish, sometimes 40 or so strong. Moving like a herd of African buffalo, munching their way through the dense bush, these largest of all parrotfish are a terrific sight and safety stops often become very long here!

Midreef Reef Basics: Wall dive
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 10 - 25m
Currents: Moderate - strong
Surface Conditions: Can be choppy
Water Temperature: 26 - 30°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving Season: All year round
Distance: 13 km (26 minutes) south from Mabul and 11 km (19 mins) southwest from Kapalai
Access: Mabul and Kapalai dive resorts

Actually there have lot of best place to dive at sipadan island. what i just explain here is also part of the best place to dive. if you want to know more about the other place, here i will put a map where it can help you where is that place located:

why diving at sipadan

No other spot on the surface of this planet has more marine life than Sipadan. This oceanic island rises as a pristine coral mount from the floor of the Sulawesi Sea to give awesome 2000 foot wall dives, just 50 feet from the shore. Lying five degrees north of the equator off the mainland of Borneo; Sipadan Island is covered with a luxuriant, untouched rain forest surrounded by pristine sandy beaches.

What makes diving at Sipadan so special? First of all, its geographical position: Sipadan Island is in the center of the richest marine habitat in the world, the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin. More than 3000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in these ecosystems.

Sipadan is well known for its unusually large numbers of green and hawks bill turtles which gather there to mate and nest. It is not unusual for a diver to see more than 20 turtles on each dive at Sipadan Island. Another unique feature is the "Turtle Tomb", underwater limestone cave with a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers that contain many skeletal remains of turtles that became disoriented and then drowned.

Barracuda Point is where a diver may experience the thrill of swimming amidst schooling barracuda and big-eye trivially, which gather in thousands forming spectacular tornado-like formations. With the possibility of seeing pelagic such as mantas, eagle rays and hammerhead sharks, each dive at Sipadan is a highly anticipated event.

The macro life at Sipadan is equally mesmerizing; garden eels, leaf scorpion fish, mantis shrimps, fire gobies and various pipefish are guaranteed at various dive sites. Sipadan also boasts a rich variety of corals; both soft and hard, among these Dendronephyta in delicate pastel colors and feather stars of all shades and hues. The most popular dive spot to view these at Sipadan Island is the Coral Gardens.

The diversity of the abundance of marine life found at Sipadan gives it the reputation of being one of the best dive locations in the world.