One of the fairly unique things about Mafia Island is the sheer number of fish that are frequently associated with the whale sharks.
There’s a whale shark in there… somewhere…
The sharks, and the small fish, are all chasing the same prey: small (~1 cm) sergestid shrimps. When the shrimp move inshore over summer, the sharks and the fish follow them in. Predatory fishes, such as cobia and mackerel, join the migration.
I guess it makes sense for the smaller fish to ‘team up’ with the sharks for the protection. I doubt the sharks get much out of the deal – after all, these small fishes are direct competitors – but it does look really cool.
Here’s some shots of a single shark we saw this week. I changed the photos to black and white because vis was a bit crap I am an artist. Also because Steve showed me one of his shots in B&W, and it looked great, so I immediately stole his idea.
UPDATE: Here’s a video from Chris Rohner! Check out his Facebook page.