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Brenna Quigley Volunteers with Whale Sharks

Wednesday, 27 January 2010

Brenna Quigley Whale Sharks Maldives Whal Shark Research Program Ella

Imagine that you�re standing on top of a boat with a small group of people who are all staring intently and silently at the water around them. Suddenly someone screams, �Shark! Shark!� and the mad frenzy that you associate with the word begins. However, before you can completely register how to react, everyone starts haphazardly leaping off the boat, headed straight for the 25 foot long shadow in the water at full speed�and before you know it, you�re in the water with them.

Welcome to the three most wonderful weeks of my life. When I signed up to join the Maldives Whale Shark Research Program I knew I was going to be jumping in the ocean with the world�s largest fish, but what I didn�t know was that I was about to fall in love. His name is Loui, he is about 4.4 meters long, he has spots about as bright as the stars in the sky, and yes, he is a whale shark! But it wasn�t just Loui that I fell in love with. It was Uri and Ella, Fernando and Morgan, and each and every one of the 64 encounters that I had with these amazing animals.

Through an amazing streak of luck I found out about the MWSRP when Adam Harman, one of the cofounders of the charity, emailed Dive Into Your Imagination about his very cool scientist friend Richard Rees, the other cofounder and registered Maldivian whale shark expert. Adam insisted that Richard be featured on our Cool Scientists You Should Know page! (To learn more about MWSRP as well as Adam and Richard, look out for their upcoming interviews on our Cool Scientists page, as well as all of the other amazing people who work to keep our oceans beautiful).

You can see Whale Sharks in Who Lives in the Sea and Visions of the Sea

The Maldives are a republic of Islands off of the coast of India. The Maldives is currently suffering from environmental threats such as rising sea-levels. It is also one of the only places in the world where there is a consistent enough population of whale sharks to be studied. However, India is a long way away, and on my first day out on the water I found myself both exhausted and exhilarated. I had no idea how I was going to feel while swimming with a fish that huge. I was also incredibly nervous about how I was going to be able hold my breath in order to free dive when I spent half the time out of the water either hyperventilating from nerves, or stifling a yawn. But when the time came for me to jump in the water there was no way I was about to yawn. I remember standing on the edge of the boat, fins and mask on, shiny new underwater camera in hand, and thinking, �there�s no going back now.� The next thing I knew there was a huge shape appearing through the water ahead of me, and I was swimming right towards it. But from the moment that he came into focus, I was instantly calmed. His name was Morgan, named after one of the original researchers on the project. As I watched Whale Shark Maldives

him swim, and every shark I saw after that, I couldn�t help but be amazed at how graceful and calm his movements were. It didn�t matter if anything else was going on around me, all I saw was this one beautiful creature. After perfectly adapting millions of years ago, he is still perfectly content. With one soft swish of his massive tail, the shark glided ahead of me, dove into the deep water, and vanished right before my eyes.

As time went on I saw more and more sharks, and I was most Brenna Quigley Whale Sharks Maldives

surprised to see each of their distinct personalities. Some of them were evasive, some of them were playful, and some of them couldn�t have cared less if they were being followed by a handful of snorkelers. I could tell countless (well, actually I could tell exactly 64) stories about my amazing encounters, but the truth is there isn�t a picture or a word that could describe what it was like to have the opportunity to live my dream.

To top this amazing experience off, rivaling the respect that I have gained for these sharks is the respect that I gained for the people who have devoted their lives to studying and protecting them. The team is made up of Richard Rees, Adam Harman, Ben Fothergil, and Rachel Bott. While I was there I also had the opportunity to meet Dr. Brent Stewart, a tagging expert who collaborates with the team. Richard is a marine biologist who began studying the Maldivian whale sharks about four years ago. Adam joined the team shortly thereafter, and has taken responsibility of the business aspects associated with the charity. Ben and Rachel are both marine biologist who also volunteer 5 months of their time to their good friends, the sharks of course.

What started off as a few scientists studying a relatively unknown population of whale sharks is quickly becoming a much bigger cause. On June 5th 2009, Parliament announced the largest Marine Protected Area in the Maldives, FenMaaDhiguRan. The goal of the MPA is to protect and preserve this whale shark hot spot by protecting the ecosystem of the area and all of the species that rely on it. In addition to this, the MWSRP has also fallen in love with the Maldivian people, and have recently taken on various community development projects. I�m not sure if there is really anything that these guys can�t do at this point, and I can�t even explain how much I look up to them, not only for the research they are doing, but as truly wonderful people.

Please remember that as with all wildlife, there are rules to interacting with Whale Sharks. One should never touch them, especially near their eyes, and should never spook them. These animals need our protection so we should all treat them with respect. The Maldives Whale Shark Research Program is working hard to protect them and they appreciate all of the support they can get, from donations, to volunteers like myself.

I�m back home now, my tan is fading, and I�m quickly getting lost in all of my schoolwork. But luckily I�ve been finding myself back in the water�my dreams have been filled with oceans and boats, and always with whale sharks. I�m praying these dreams will never end.

View a Flickr Album of Whale Sharks from Galapagos and other Galapagos animals here.

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