20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
It's raining people!

While scuba diving in Tubbataha -a Unesco World Heritage Site, a baby whale shark came upon us from out of the blue. By the way, even though it is technically a shark, it is a plankton eater... a veggie-saurus. It was truly an endearing moment, as he seemed quite fond of the black rubber coated divers blowing bubbles everywhere. In fact I think he enjoyed the bubble bath because it might knock off some of those nasty parasites. This was without a doubt one of the coolest moments I've experienced underwater -especially with a creature this large. I think as more sites are "protected" around the world underwater from fishing, there will be more ticklish moments like this for more humans to experience. There is nothing like looking into the eye of the beast only to realize it is smiling with you and a bond of trust occurs with a glance.

Photo Detail
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Tubbataha, Philippines
Camera: NIKON D500
Copyright: © Susan Meldonian