By Capt. Bill D’Antuono
Whale sharks are typically something of a SCUBA divers dream. Divers go to great lengths and spend thousands of dollars to travel across the world in search of these elusive beasts. Well, did you know that Naples has an annual migration of whale sharks? On my charters we saw four whale sharks in eight days and another boat has seen three, bringing the total to seven.
Swimming with whale sharks is incredible and something that a small percentage of humans get to experience. The first sighting was on one of the Air Force towers about 60 miles offshore. We were searching for cobia and immediately upon descending, the gentle giant was hanging out under the boat. We got the opportunity to swim with it for almost an hour. A week later we went to a nearby shipwreck call the Baja California and were greeted by two on one dive. We noticed from our videos that the first shark had a chunk of tail missing as did one of the whale sharks on the wreck. We have determined it was the same whale shark and have forwarded our findings to researchers.
Whaleshark sightings are rare, but also somewhat common here. They seem to appear in early summer and mid-fall months. This year I have personally seen a total of six offshore of Naples. So, don’t ever let anyone tell you the diving out of Naples is no good! Tell them what you are reading here and if need be, call me and book a trip. Of course, we have been landing quality fish as well! Lots of black groupers, cobias, and African pompanos have all made it into the cooler. Please check out Offshore Naples on Instagram or Facebook for videos of the whale sharks!
Capt. Bill is a dive master at SCUBAdventures in Naples, in 2013 his efforts
helped to lift a 50 year ban on spearfishing in Collier County waters, he is the
founder of the Naples Spearfishing League and is available as a local spearfishing
guide. You can contact Bill at naplesspearfishingleague@gmail.com –www.spearfishingnaplesFL.com or visit him at SCUBAdventures.