The Whale Shark

By Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra, explorer and documentarian

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"Many times, what matters is not how we live things, but the things that happen inside us when we live them." — Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra, explorer and documentarian

The Whale Shark — Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra

The whale shark is an animal that will never cease to amaze me. I remember the first time I saw one of these animals. When I was very young, my father introduced us to a man named Alberto Friccione, a very kind man but passionately in love with nature. Everyone was very excited and enthusiastic about swimming with this enormous animal; I, honestly, felt scared. I couldn't quite understand why they found it interesting to jump into the water with a shark. What I knew about sharks back then was that they ate things. There was a terrible reputation around them; the movies always portrayed them as great killers. And in my innocence, I couldn't tell a whale shark from any other shark. The word "shark" filled me with fear.

As we boarded the boat that would take us close to this animal, I began to understand that this wasn't just any shark; rather, beyond being a shark, it was actually the largest fish in the ocean, and it didn't have the sharp, dangerous teeth of other sharks.

I heard them tell us that this animal filtered its food and was very gentle, a calm and peaceful animal. I felt a bit of peace, although the unknown still made me wary and a little nervous.

I was about to witness a being that would change the way I saw the ocean, to live an experience that would change me forever, that would make me fall deeply in love with the ocean and its waters.

We got ready, adjusting our fins, putting on our masks, snorkels, and life vests. I remember we were the only boat at that site. Those were different times; mass tourism hadn't yet found interest in this kind of experience. It's a shame that nowadays this has already changed and the respect for the activity has been lost.

Amid the discomfort of being geared up aboard the boat, the excitement and the nerves grew. Everything seemed to speed up; my heart was beating fast, the white foam of the water splashed around us, and the boat advanced at a moderate speed, while in the distance we watched the land grow farther and pass by as we moved forward. It was a not-entirely-sunny day, which made the coolness and the temperature of the water create an atmosphere that was not quite warm but not cold either. And when the biggest wave splashed and the white foam landed on my mask, someone shouted, agitated and thrilled: There it is! In that moment, time disappeared, things moved very quickly, and right away the next instruction was: get in the water! So, without making much noise and following the instructions we'd been given beforehand, we cautiously entered the water.

The moment I put my head in the water and opened my eyes, searching the depths to see the enormous whale shark, something happened that I didn't expect. An enormous Giant Manta swam swiftly toward the spot where I was floating and, just before touching me, turned a backflip, showing me its black-and-white patterns. I was stunned because I didn't know what that animal was, and it looked nothing like the whale shark everyone was talking about. A few seconds later, the giant manta disappeared, and at my side passed the thing we'd most been waiting for. An enormous silhouette flooded my entire vision, a rough black texture with white spots filled my whole field of view, and swimming peacefully but swiftly, the giant passed by my side. I could feel its presence mark me forever. What was happening in my mind and before my eyes, I couldn't comprehend; as much as they had explained everything about this animal beforehand, reality surpassed any explanation. It was like watching a train pass by my side, an animal of a magnitude that exceeded my imagination. And which, far from wanting to eat me, simply passed by my side.

Dream patterns — Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra

I came out of the water thrilled, wanting more, without understanding what I had seen, without understanding why no one mentioned the giant manta, which to me was a spectacle just as important as — or more important than — having seen the whale shark. Everyone was shouting, laughing, and celebrating. The excitement and joy filled all time and space. And when I least expected it, they shouted again: now! Into the water again! And on that second jump, I saw a huge white circle approaching me. The great whale shark was coming head-on, with its mouth open and everything around it full of fish, swimming with agility and speed while the giant swam at the same pace but calmly. I could easily have been sucked into that mouth; I was only a child, a little one amazed by such an experience.

That day, everything changed in how I saw the ocean. I knew there was more; I knew there was so much we still hadn't seen.

I understood that even though we expected one thing, the ocean gave us that and much more.

And although these memories live in my head, they're still a little blurry, but every time I try to remember, a feeling of peace and calm comes over me. It was a moment that burst open my doubt and curiosity about the marine world.

This story is important not for what I learned, but rather for the curiosity it awakened in me.

The giant's tail — Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra

I'll tell you more about these animals later… I'll tell you about the magnificent Dance of the Ocean.

"Many times, what matters is not how we live things, but the things that happen inside us when we live them." — Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra