Diani Beach has a huge
potential to become one of the
best Whale Shark tourist
destination in the world.
It is one of the few places
in the world, where one can set
out in the morning to swim with
Whale Shark the biggest fish in
the ocean and then have a 30
minutes drive to track the
biggest land animal the
elephant in the afternoon. This is the new subject of talk and focus in Diani- The Waa Whale Shark Sanctuary. This is
the brainchild of Volker Bassen,
founder of the East African Whale
Shark Trust (EAWST). Established in
2005 the EAWST was formed after
recognizing the need to protect
whale sharks off the Kenyan
coast.
The Waa Whale Shark
Sanctuary is located between
Mombasa and Diani and was chosen
for it’s unique location. It is sectioned off
by a thick net that measures 2,000
meters by 600 meters. The
sanctuary is located in a natural
bay where many whale sharks have
been spotted throughout the
years. The sanctuary is unique in
many ways. It is the world’s largest
whale shark enclosure, 100 times
the size of the world’s largest
Whale Shark Aquarium in Georgia/
USA that currently holds 4 whale
sharks. The sanctuary will also
serve as the first rescue and
rehabilitation center for injured
marine animals in Africa.
Bassen says that whale sharks
were increasingly endangered in East
African waters, where their liver oil
is used to seal fishing boats against
rot. In February 2008, a reported 42 whale sharks were killed off Pate Island in just that month.
The animals are the world's largest
fish, growing up to 30ft and
weighing more than 20 tonnes.
Although they are sharks, they are
entirely docile and feed only on
plankton that they harvest with their
wide mouths.
Volker Bassen, a dive instructor who
runs a Whale Shark Trust says next month, Kenya could become
home to the world’s largest whale
shark enclosure if the East African
Whale Shark Trust (EAWST)
succeeds in opening the Waa
Whale Shark Sanctuary .
The plans for the Sanctuary began
three years ago and now depend
on the environmental impact
assessment, conducted by the
National Environment
Management Authority.
Visitors will pay around $100 per
person to enter the park where
they will have a three hour marine
awareness lecture, followed by one
hour swimming with whale sharks.
The enclosure will hold two whale
sharks at a time. Then, when
whale sharks in the wild are
migrating closer to the coast–
which happens twice a year,
typically between September and
October and again in February or
March–the whale sharks will be
released and replaced with two
new ones. This is part of their
effort to ensure that the animals
don’t spend their whole lives in
captivity. “If you ever have a chance to swim
with whale sharks, you will never
forget the magical experience,” Basser
said. “You will become an
ambassador for the protection of
these majestic animals for the rest
of your life.”
Hopefully, if all goes well, by November, the sanctuary will be up and running and open to tourists.Now isn't that something worth the wait?
YouTube Video On Waa Whale Shark Sanctuary
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