Swimming With Giants: How Whale Shark Conservation, Research, and Tourism Intersect
- Madi in the Wild
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
If you’re like many of us ocean lovers, you have likely written “swimming with Whale Sharks” on your bucket list at one point or another. I know I did. This past August, I slipped into the water and suddenly found myself beside one. A living, 30-foot shark, gliding just a few feet away. Something about their overwhelming size, paired with their gentle nature, gives them a majesty few animals can match. Observing their bright spot pattern drift through the water in the light is a beautiful sight you will never forget.
Table of Contents
Photo courtesy of Rafael de la Parra
Meet Rafael de la Parra
Despite their popularity, whale sharks remain one of the ocean’s great mysteries. Their vast ranges and complex migration patterns make them incredibly difficult to study. For more than 25 years, whale shark researcher Rafael de la Parra has dedicated his life to changing that.
Based in Cancun, Rafael leads the non-profit organization, Ch'ooj Ajauil, which focuses on marine animal research and conservation, with a particular emphasis on sharks, manta rays, and dolphins.
His work is not only essential for understanding whale sharks, but also for revealing how ocean ecosystems are connected across entire basins, knowledge that becomes increasingly important as ocean temperatures and currents continue to change.
Spot Patterns, Citizen Science, and Individual Sharks
Part of Rafael's work involves identifying patterns of whale shark spots to pinpoint individuals and track their locations. Much like human fingerprints, each whale shark’s pattern is unique. To date, his team has documented over 7,000 whale shark encounters and identified thousands of individual sharks.
And here’s the best part: Anyone willing to jump into the water with these gentle giants can be involved. Recreational swimmers and eco-tourists contribute photographs to identification databases, allowing scientists to track individual sharks across seasons and even years.
This blend of tourism and research turns awe into data, and data into protection. More on this soon!
Following Whale Sharks Across the Ocean
Identifying individual whale sharks is just the beginning. Rafael dives—literally and figuratively—into understanding the global movement of whale sharks. Through a federal scientific permit issued by SEMARNAT, he is authorized to attach satellite tags to whale sharks in Mexican waters.
Each time a tagged shark comes close enough to the surface, the tag sends Rafael a signal, revealing part of its journey.
Milo was the first shark Rafael tagged with a real-time satellite device back in 2017, and since then, has been a world traveler. In just a few years, Milo’s path stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Bahamas, Cuba, and even across the Atlantic toward Europe, a journey scientists would never have guessed without satellite data. In 2020, Milo spent two weeks near Massachusetts, coinciding with an anomalous warm current.
Years later, Rafael encountered Milo again and replaced a damaged tag, continuing the story of a shark scientists and the public alike had come to know.
Stories like Milo’s help researchers identify migration corridors, feeding hotspots, and how climate-driven changes may be reshaping whale shark movements across the ocean.
But before researchers can uncover stories like Milo’s, they must first overcome one major challenge: how do you tag one of the world’s largest fish… while it’s still swimming?
How Scientists Tag a Whale Shark
The process of tagging one of the largest fish in the ocean is as challenging as it sounds. Because whale sharks are federally protected and cannot be restrained, Rafael must work alongside them as they swim freely. Using established, peer-reviewed tagging methods approved under his federal permit, he enters the water equipped with scuba gear and a specialized underwater drill.
First, Rafael, equipped with scuba gear and an underwater drill, dives into the water alongside the free-swimming shark. The satellite tag is attached to the shark’s dorsal fin using small, biocompatible bolts designed to minimize tissue impact. “Sometimes it takes multiple visits with an individual shark to attach the satellite tag fully”, he explains. Since 2017, he has deployed nearly 55 tags, an incredible accomplishment given the difficulty of working with unrestrained animals.
While researchers cannot directly measure discomfort, observed behavior suggests minimal impact. Rafael notes that whale sharks usually continue gliding calmly as he works. Once in place, the tags act like high-tech earrings, sending satellite signals whenever the shark surfaces.
Satellite devices allow researchers to track sharks' movements over long distances in remote areas, providing information on where sharks go when they are not aggregating. Depending on the setting, the tag batteries can last up to 3 years before needing to be removed or replaced.
Milo’s journey is only one piece of a much larger puzzle. Each new tag Rafael deploys adds another clue to how whale sharks navigate the world’s oceans, revealing migration corridors, feeding hotspots, and even how warming currents may be shifting their paths.
Through the tracking platform, you can follow along to see where the tagged whale sharks have been and where they are heading.
Find that link here
Aggregations, Unknown Adults, and Open-Ocean Mysteries
Whale sharks aggregate in areas around the world, from the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern United States to Australia, with some aggregations hosting dozens to hundreds of individuals (Milles et al., 2025).
These aggregation sites primarily host juvenile Whale Sharks, leaving scientists to wonder about the migration routes and habitats of mature Whale Sharks (Milles et al., 2025). This is where Rafael's work becomes essential.
It is hypothesized that whale sharks seek out significant spawning events to filter-feed, but without data, this hypothesis cannot be entirely confirmed. Rafael shared that “According to our colleagues, whale sharks spend only about a 30% of their time on the surface. Therefore, we have a big question about their behavior and feeding habits underneath.” Satellite tracking data provide rare insights into where adult sharks travel once they enter the open ocean and how they may respond to changing environmental conditions.
Citizen science- how can readers participate:
Rafael’s work depends on collaboration, not just with scientists, but with everyday ocean enthusiasts.
If swimming with whale sharks is on your bucket list, you can do so responsibly while directly supporting conservation. Participants who swim with whale sharks through licensed operators working with Rafael’s organization can contribute photographs of spot patterns, helping identify new individuals and track returning sharks over time. I swam with whale sharks through Choo'j Ajauil and Katie Adamson Conservation Fund, and I highly recommend them to you!
These sightings are fed into scientific databases and models, which reveal where whale sharks travel, feed, and migrate, essential knowledge for protecting them in the wild.
Find the whale shark photo database here.
If you’re there on a tagging day, you may even follow the same shark you swam with for years afterward, watching its migration unfold in real time. It’s a perfect example of how citizen science and long-term data collection can strengthen conservation without ever disturbing wildlife.
👉 Want to learn how to swim with whale sharks ethically and responsibly? Check out my post here
Federal Protection
So, how does all this research lead to better protections for whale sharks? In Mexico, Whale sharks are federally protected through two agencies: The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and CONANP (National Commission of Natural Protected Areas)
Researchers like Rafael must obtain scientific permits through SEMARNAT before tagging whale sharks or conducting in-water research. The same codes of conduct govern when, where, and how people are allowed to swim with whale sharks.
Nonprofits such as Choo'j Ajauil operate independently of federal agencies, relying on collaborations, ecotourism, and grants. Together, scientists, communities, and government agencies form a system in which research informs protection, and protection enables meaningful, ethical encounters.
Closing Reflections
Launching off the boat into the clear blue water to be greeted by a spotted, gentle giant was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. Swimming beside these graceful beings, everything else fades away. You cannot help but wonder where this seemingly simple creature goes when it disappears into the deep and how much of its story we have yet to understand. It is humbling, a reminder that the world is so much bigger than we are. It also shows us what’s possible when curiosity turns into care.
If you ever have the chance to swim with a whale shark, take the leap, but do it responsibly, and become part of the story that helps protect them. Experiences like this are what drive conservation forward, connecting awe with action.
Learn More & Take Action for Whale Shark Conservation
💙Donate to Ch'ooj Ajauil: https://www.choojajauil.org.mx/donate/
🎥 Watch Rafaels' interview here:
🌍 Follow tagged whale sharks: https://ghritracking.org
📖 Read my How to Swim with Whale Sharks Ethically post here:
📷Submit your whale shark photos here: https://whaleshark.org.au/whale-shark-id/
✈️ Travel with Katie Adamson Conservation Fund here: https://www.katieadamsonconservationfund.org/
Check Out My Whale Shark Packing List & Reef Safe Sunscreen Guides
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Rafael de la Parra and the team at Choo’ja Ajauil for their guidance, generosity, and unwavering dedication to researching and protecting whale sharks. This post would not have been possible without their insight and commitment to conservation.
Thank you to the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund for making this connection possible and for their continued involvement and support of Choo’ja Ajauil’s work.
Works Cited
Milles HM, Hoffmayer ER, de la Parra-Venegas R, et al. (2025).Characterizing seasonal whale shark habitat in the western North Atlantic. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 766:91–106.https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14906
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