WHALE OF A SHARK

Posted on April 16, 2008

imagine a great day of diving. The cooler is full of fish, The kids have had a great time. Your on your way back in and you spy something, you just cant tell what it is. Then it happens,  in front of you is a 35-40′ Whale Shark.  Sound to good to be true. Thats what happend to Captain Fernando Bueno and friends some 15 miles off St. Pete. Beach.

It stayed with us for quite a while, said Bueno. We all had a chance to swim with this bohemoth of a fish, And he was just a baby!

Whale sharks are not all that common in area waters. Biologists with the Florida marine research institute report that whale sharks reach length’s to 45 feet and can weigh up to 15 tons. Fortunately, they’re completely non-aggressive. They eat plankton, squid, shrimp and tiny fish by straining them through gill rakers. The species is thought to live up to 150 years. Obviously , this is one of the best times of the year to dive