{"id":22584,"date":"2022-11-25T10:30:24","date_gmt":"2022-11-25T09:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=824"},"modified":"2022-11-28T09:37:08","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T08:37:08","slug":"10-most-incredible-marine-life-experiences","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/10-most-incredible-marine-life-experiences\/","title":{"rendered":"10 most incredible marine life experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By James Fair\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 25 November 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Where to see whale sharks: Western Australia<\/h2>\n

The expert:<\/strong> Brad Norman is a marine biologist who has been studying whale sharks<\/a> at Ningaloo Reef since 1994.<\/p>\n

\u201cJumping off a boat into crystal-blue oceanic water 50m deep is thrilling enough, but knowing that you\u2019re plunging into the path of the world\u2019s biggest shark \u2013 up to perhaps 15m long \u2013 really sends your heart into overdrive.<\/p>\n

At least 10,000 tourists do this every year at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, which is a World Heritage site.<\/p>\n

There are more than 20 locations worldwide where you can swim with whale sharks, but Ningaloo is perhaps the best site of all; it\u2019s certainly the most famous.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A giant shark, I say to myself, is within 5m of me \u2013 and there is no cage between us. Marine encounters truly don\u2019t get much better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top tip<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Where to see hammerhead sharks: Red Sea, Sudan<\/h2>\n

The expert:<\/strong> Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch is a photographer and the author of three books on sharks.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond the reef, out in the current, the hammerheads<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A school of scalloped hammerhead sharks populates the liquid half-light, their beautifully ugly, flattened heads jerking from side to side.<\/p>\n

In a few thrilling seconds, their primitive curiosity is satisfied \u2013 I am inedible \u2013 and they turn as one to return to a gloom I cannot enter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top tip<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wherever you go, expert local knowledge is vital, as are good diving skills.<\/p>\n

Where to see sealions: Gal\u00e1pagos islands, Ecuador<\/h2>\n