In this video, a group of four whale sharks (the largest fish in the ocean) is busy eating up the fish scrap generously thrown at them by the crew of an Indonesian fishing platform known as "bagan". The white particles in the water are actually tiny shrimps: they are both the favourite food of the huge (but toothless sharks) and the ingredient of a local delicacy called "sambal terasi". The fishermen trap the tiny shrimps in large nets and then throw some of their daily catch at the whale sharks: the animals are seen as a good omen rather than a competitor. A conservation project in the protected bay has so far identified 99 whale sharks in the area. As they are a sight to behold due to their size (three to 10 meters in their juvenile stage) and elusiveness, a local committee has been set up to organize and regulate the visits by eager snorkelers.

The large population of whale sharks in Saleh Bay, Indonesia, is currently estimated to be the second-largest known aggregation on the planet. While the practice of fish feeding/baiting is the subject of ongoing controversies, the choice of the fishermen to respect the gentle giants certainly keep them from being slaughtered for their fins, an expensive and sought-after treat on the tables of Chinese people the world over. This video, shot on August 20, 2023, documents that no harm is done to the fishes who enthusiastically feast on the free lunch, totally oblivious of the human presence. The feeding only takes place for two weeks during the new moon: the bagan are not operative during the full moon.

The video has been shot by myself on a GoPro 7 at 4k.

This video has not been shared with any other licensing agencies nor any social network.

About the author: born in 1970 in northern Italy, graduated in Economics in 1996, Lorenzo started traveling soon afterwards working onboard cruise ships (three years) and as scuba diving guide (three years off resort, three more year off scuba diving board - aka "live aboards"); graduated in Interpreting and translation (English and Spanish) in 2013, set off again with the goal of recording cool stuff below and above the water. Compulsive reader and amateur writer.
About my 2023 trip to Indonesia: after a few years of absence, the return to a country widely regarded as a diver's dream is proving as magical as ever - coral, fishes, wrecks, sharks, manta rays and mola-molas (sunfish) are all generously served seasonally in these blessed waters.