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Blogged by Simon on October 05, 2011 11:34am | Last updated by Simon on October 07, 2011 10:56am |

Sharing With Sharks

National Geographic runs a story this month on a special Whale Shark encounter in Indonesia. Photographer Michael Aw captured the giants close to the surface, interacting with local fishermen.

The giant fish is hard to study in part because it is hard to find and track. By tagging individual specimens, scientists have learned that whale sharks can log thousands of miles in years-long trips. But they sometimes disappear for weeks, diving more than a mile down and resting in the chilly deep for a spell. No one has ever found mating or birthing grounds. Whale sharks are ordinarily loners. But not in one corner of Indonesia.

"Suddenly he just jumped in!" says photographer Michael Aw. Sarmin Tangadji, the Papua police officer who escorted the photographic team to where the sharks congregate, "was so excited to see them up close." Aw shares that excitement when it comes to diving with a dozen whale sharks: "You are sandwiched in, sharks ahead and behind, but you want to be there," he says. "They make eye contact with you and then charge by. It blows your mind." The photographs on these pages, shot some eight miles off the province of Papua, reveal a group of sharks that call on fishermen each day, zipping by one another, looking for handouts near the surface, and nosing the nets—a rare instance when the generally docile fish act, well, like the rest of the sharks.

All Photos are copyright Michael Aw. Read the full story by Jennifer S. Holland in the the October issue of National Geographic, which is out on newsstands now.

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  1. Murat
    on November 4th, 2011
    1

    Wonderful photos…

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