testmeat photoblog

i took this shot an hour or so after i'd been swimming with whale sharks of the coast off holbox in mexico a couple of years ago. before i embarked on the trip i was told that no one was allowed to wear any sunscreen as the chemicals would be damaging to the animals. it might not be clear from this photo, but the sun was blazing hot that day so my skin certainly suffered at the expense of the whale sharks, which is of course the way it should be. having scuba dived quite a few times in the past i had an idea in my head of how it might be to encounter this animal underwater, unfortunately the reality didn't quite live up to it. there were quite a few different boats of tourists who were all searching for the animal, and once they spotted one there was a coordinated approach which meant two people at a time would jump in the water as the shark swam past. it was amazing to be so close to the largest shark i've ever seen, but the moment was so brief and fleeting. technically i can tick this off my bucket list, but i'm very keen to get up close to another, preferably with more time to savour the moment.

here's the original