Sunday morning began early. My CLU mate, and I had signed up for a whale shark sightseeing trip. A the Fish Market pier, our boat took us further west into the Gulf of Tadjoura where whale sharks swim in shallow bays feeding on plankton. The season for viewing them ends in late January so there was a sense of urgency in hoping to see one. From the mother ship, a smaller group of 10 jumped into a skiff from which we searched for the tell-tale signs of a whale shark - a fin out of the water or a large dark shadow in the water. Our group got lucky and everyone bailed out of the boat with their snorkel gear and swam out to the whale shark. It was truly an awesome sight! We found another one, but this one started diving down so we didn't have much contact time. However, on our third spotting, the whale shark never left shallow water and showed an intense curiosity for us snorkelers and the skiff. Luckily, Mike Sullivan, brought along a "waterproof" camera that took digital photos and they are excellent proof of what fun trip this was.
The skiffs headed back to the mother ship where we had a french bread sandwich for lunch and then it was time for some snorkeling on a coral reef. I was able to swim with a sea turtle, hold a sea cucumber, and spot a sting ray hiding on the coral reef floor.
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