Top photographers and experts reveal their most incredible underwater encounters

By James Fair

Published: Thursday, 01 February 2024 at 10:39 AM


Where to see whale sharks: Western Australia

The expert: Brad Norman is a marine biologist who has been studying whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef since 1994.

“Jumping off a boat into crystal-blue oceanic water 50m deep is thrilling enough, but knowing that you’re plunging into the path of the world’s biggest shark – up to perhaps 15m long – really sends your heart into overdrive.

At least 10,000 tourists do this every year at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, which is a World Heritage site.

There are more than 20 locations worldwide where you can swim with whale sharks, but Ningaloo is perhaps the best site of all; it’s certainly the most famous.

I often relive my first time: as I snorkel languidly at the surface, a creature as big as a bus powers towards me. The shark slides effortlessly past, seemingly unconcerned by my presence.

A giant shark, I say to myself, is within 5m of me – and there is no cage between us. Marine encounters truly don’t get much better.”

Top tip

When you enter the water and first see the shark, swim out to the side and stay at least 5m away. Try not to splash.

Where to see hammerhead sharks: Red Sea, Sudan

The expert: Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch is a photographer and the author of three books on sharks.

“Beyond the reef, out in the current, the hammerheads gather in schools. They are most likely to be seen on an early morning dive, but here, off Sanganeb Atoll in the Sudanese Red Sea, you must wait for them to come to you.

I plunge through the thermocline and down to the colder water that the hammerheads prefer. The current is strong, so I work against it with biting fin strokes while controlling my breathing.

I gaze into the crepuscular emptiness then clang my knife against my air tank a few times. The shimmer of a distant ghost appears through the haze; then several others materialise, followed by many more solidifying forms.

A school of scalloped hammerhead sharks populates the liquid half-light, their beautifully ugly, flattened heads jerking from side to side.

In a few thrilling seconds, their primitive curiosity is satisfied – I am inedible – and they turn as one to return to a gloom I cannot enter.”

Top tip

Wherever you go, expert local knowledge is vital, as are good diving skills.

Where to see sealions: Galápagos islands, Ecuador