Whale Shark 2-Tank Dive

Directly east of Placencia at Gladden Spit, over 25 species of fish gather to spawn during the full moon periods in the springtime. A large snapper referred to as black or cubera snapper gather to spawn as well. It is the spawn from this particular snapper that the whale sharks come here to feed on. This is the only site in the world where you can witness large schools of courting snapper and whale sharks while diving. These gentle giants swim from the deep blue up over a wall’s edge that tops at about 150 feet. Here is where the massive schools of snapper stretch across the top of this deep wall occasionally spiraling up to 60 and 80 feet. This is a blue water dive with the bottom far below you and sometimes not visible at all. Whale sharks can be observed below swimming amongst the schooling snappers, and will come up the water column all the way to the surface sifting the water as they feed on the spawn. Seeing a whale shark on every dive is not a guarantee, so it’s advisable to book a couple of days for this dive. One thing is for sure, you’ll witness an incredible sight as you may also see schools of other fish like horse eye jacks, cervalle jacks, mutton and dog snappers also gathering in huge schools to spawn. Other sightings that are quite common are bull sharks, dolphin, turtles, mantas, and the occasional game fish like wahoos and kings. This is indeed an incredible spawning event! We expect the seasonal visitation of whale sharks during the months of March to June in the days following the full moon. However, full moon periods during the months of April, May are the best. The time of the month that the full moon falls on can determine whether March or June can render good sightings. If the moon falls late in the month, then the March full moon period can be considered for sightings. If the moon falls early on the month, then the June full moon period can be considered for sightings in that event. The ideal time of the moon for these tours is for about a 5-day period, starting on the third day following the full moon day on these months. This dive is a 2-tank dive, and snorkelers have two snorkel sessions. What is sometimes a long surface interval, is spent on the inside of the barrier reef in a lovely, calm patch reef area where all can enjoy snorkeling. Experience level for snorkelers and divers is recommended at intermediate to advanced. Its just about an hour and fifteen minute boat ride to Gladden Spit from Placencia, and one should be prepared to spend the whole day on this amazing trip.