Stradbroke Whale Shark A Long Way From Home

January 30, 2008

Release from: Ursula Heger
Courier Mail (Australia)

A juvenile whale shark spotted off North Stradbroke Island may be the first sighting of the giant marine creature in the area for 30 years.

Dive operator Ken Holzheimer said he and his diving team spotted the friendly whale shark while they were diving in the protected Flat Rock area.

"It was Sunday morning about 7am, we had left the beach about 6am," he said.

"The whale was visible the whole dive, within touching distance."

Mr Holzheimer, who has been operating for 39 years, said the 5-6m whale shark was the first he had seen since the early '70s.

"We used to get them in the late '60s and early '70s but we haven't seen one since," he said.

Diver Paul Sorensen said he at first mistook the whale shark for a tiger shark. "One of the divers pointed out in the deep sea area, and we saw these two fins.

"At first I assumed it was a tiger shark because you don't expect to see whale sharks this side of Australia.

"She saw us and came over and circled around us but was just having a look at us."

The lead scientist for the Manta Ray and Whale Shark Research Centre, Simon Pierce, said the sighting was unusual, as whale sharks on the east coast usually fed only in the Coral Sea.

"There are a few places in the world where you can quite consistently see them, but it is only generally in the Coral Sea that you can consistently see them on the east coast. It is quite unusual to see them down this far – she is probably just wandering, not migrating."

Mr Pierce said the shark was probably aged in her mid 20s. The species can live to more than 100.