Richelieu Rock
Similan Islands & Khao Lak, Thailand
Schools of chevron barracuda overhead while tigertail seahorses, harlequin shrimps and ghost pipefish hide in fields of soft coral.
- Advanced
- Wall
- Whale sharks
Where to dive with whale sharks
46 destinations where whale sharks are documented by published sources, with the months to go when we know them.
When to go
Dark: peak season. Light: regularly seen.
| Destination | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Leyte (Sogod Bay)Peak Nov–May | ||||||||||||
| MaldivesPeak Jun–Nov | ||||||||||||
| Ningaloo ReefPeak Mar–Aug | ||||||||||||
| Cancún & Isla MujeresPeak May–Sep | ||||||||||||
| Koh TaoPeak Mar–May, Sep–Oct | ||||||||||||
| GalápagosPeak Jul–Oct | ||||||||||||
| BelizePeak Mar–Jun | ||||||||||||
| UtilaPeak Mar–Apr, Aug–Sep | ||||||||||||
| Kona (Big Island)All year | ||||||||||||
| Sodwana BayAll year | ||||||||||||
| TofoAll year | ||||||||||||
| WakatobiAll year | ||||||||||||
| Cocos IslandJun–Nov | ||||||||||||
| Roatán & Bay IslandsMar–May, Aug–Oct | ||||||||||||
| Sharm El Sheikh & Ras MohammedMay–Sep | ||||||||||||
| Bohol & PanglaoMar–Jun | ||||||||||||
| PondicherryMay–Aug | ||||||||||||
| Poor Knights IslandsDec–Mar | ||||||||||||
| Socorro (Revillagigedo)Nov–Dec, Apr–May | ||||||||||||
| AzoresJul–Sep | ||||||||||||
| El NidoDec–Feb | ||||||||||||
| Phuket & Koh LantaFeb–Apr | ||||||||||||
| Similan Islands & Khao LakFeb–Apr | ||||||||||||
| KomodoOct–Nov | ||||||||||||
| Marsa Alam & the BrothersApr–May |
Also documented here
Sources confirm them, but don't say in which months.
- Andaman Islands (Havelock & Neil), India
- Bali & Nusa Penida, Indonesia
- Bonaire
- Dahab, Egypt
- Dumaguete, Dauin & Apo Island, Philippines
- Gili Islands, Indonesia
- Great Barrier Reef (Cairns & Port Douglas), Australia
- Koh Samui & Koh Phangan, Thailand
- Mactan (Cebu), Philippines
- Maui, United States
- Moalboal, Philippines
- Netrani Island (Murudeshwar), India
- Nha Trang, Vietnam
- Okinawa & Yonaguni, Japan
- Palau
- Romblon, Philippines
- Sipadan & Semporna, Malaysia
- Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami), United States
- Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna), Sri Lanka
- SS Yongala (Townsville), Australia
- Tubbataha, Philippines
Dive sites known for whale sharks
Chumphon Pinnacle
Koh Tao, Thailand
Granite pinnacle 12 km northwest of Koh Tao, the site where Black Turtle Dive logs its most whale shark sightings, amid huge schools of trevally and snapper.
- Advanced
- Pinnacle
- Whale sharks
Blue Corner (Palau)
Palau
Hook in above the wall and watch resident grey and whitetip reef sharks, tuna and barracuda work the current.
- Experienced
- Wall
- Whale sharks
Darwin's Arch (Darwin's Towers)
Galápagos, Ecuador
Wall drift beside the pillars of the arch that collapsed in May 2021, with large numbers of hammerheads, silky and Galápagos sharks.
- Experienced
- Drift
- Whale sharks
Panagsama Sardine Run (House Reef)
Moalboal, Philippines
A sardine ball that spreads from 2 to about 15 m off Panagsama Beach, hunted by mackerels and tuna, with a thresher shark if you are lucky.
- Open Water
- Wall
- Whale sharks
Moray Garden
Dahab, Egypt
Walk-in shore dive where holes and cracks hide morays, nudibranchs and scorpionfish, with a school of yellowtail barracuda at 7 m.
- Open Water
- Reef
- Whale sharks
Crystal Bay
Bali & Nusa Penida, Indonesia
One of the few places to see Mola Mola being cleaned, from July to November, above hard and soft coral gardens.
- Advanced
- Reef
- Whale sharks
Roca Partida
Socorro (Revillagigedo), Mexico
A split-rock pinnacle where whitetip reef sharks pack into crevices while silky and Galapagos sharks cruise the blue.
- Advanced
- Wall
- Whale sharks
Hin Daeng
Phuket & Koh Lanta, Thailand
One of Thailand's top sites for whale sharks and manta rays, with a wall at the south end dropping to about 70 m.
- Experienced
- Wall
- Whale sharks
Cavern
down to 25 m
Hin Yippon (Koh Yippon)
Koh Samui & Koh Phangan, Thailand
Rocky islet at the north tip of Ang Thong Marine Park with an open cave crossing the island, soft-coral gardens and whale shark sightings.
- Advanced
- Whale sharks
Drift
down to 28 m
Manta Reef
Tofo, Mozambique
Tofo's signature deep reef: a gentle north-south drift through an amphitheatre of pinnacles shrouded in fish.
- Advanced
- Whale sharks
Wall
down to 40 m
Kasai Wall
Moalboal, Philippines
Wall off Tuble with big hard corals, canyons and small caves, plenty of nudibranchs, razorfish, squid and whale shark sightings.
- Open Water
- Whale sharks
Photo credits
- Richelieu Rock dive site, Similan / Surin, Mr.CMBurns, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pink anemonefish at Chumphon Pinnacle, Koh Tao, yeowatzup, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Blue Corner (Palau) dive site, Palau, Matt Kieffer from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- The two pillars left after the collapse of Darwin's Arch, 2024, Scopoli, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sardine school over the reef at Panagsama, Moalboal, Iampjanz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Moray Garden Dahab dive site, Dahab, Egypt, Yvesb, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Crystal Bay dive site, Bali / Nusa Penida, Magul, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Roca Partida dive site, Socorro, Raphaelgatti, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Spotfin lionfish at Hin Daeng, (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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