Ningaloo Dreams.

This photo was taken out the back of the Ningaloo Reef where around 400 different Whale Sharks are seen every year between March and August. They can we told apart by their unique set of spots and strips that they are covered in working as the Whaleshark finger print. They are filter feeders and spend their whole life swimming around feeding on tiny things in the water like Plankton (specks seen in this photo), Krill and fish eggs the biggest things they are know to eat are Sardines and Anchovies. On this day the Whaleshark I was swimming with was actively feeding which means opening his mouth as wide as he can into this big circle shape and sucking in as much food as possible. Trapping his food in his gill rakers (mesh inside the gills) and expelling the water through his gills while swallowing the food. This is a behavior we don't see very often, they are usually seen passively feeding with their mouths just slightly agape. I love the way the sun light mixed with the surface of the water has created these patterns on his back showing the true art that is in nature.