In Cenderawasih Bay, in West Papua, Indonesia, fishermen set out for days on hand-made floating platforms called bagans. At night, they turn on lights to attract squid and baitfish, and lower nets from their bagans—also attracting whale sharks to the smell and commotion. Bagan fishermen have long believed that whale sharks bring good luck and feed them bits of baitfish. Today, the luck comes to them in the form of marine tourism, as people travel to Cenderawasih Bay for up-close encounters with these gentle giants. Photographer Pete Oxford visited the bay, and returned with these photos, recently published in the online magazine bioGraphic.
Whale Sharks as Good Luck Charms
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Read moreA whale shark (Rhincodon typus) cruises beneath the surface, its outline bathed in refracted light, in Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, Indonesia. #
Pete Oxford / bioGraphic -
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Read moreA young fisherman, without mask, snorkel, or flippers jumps in with a whale shark as the behemoth passes by his bagan. #
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Read moreBagan fishermen have long considered whale sharks to be good luck charms, and keep them around by regularly tossing fish scraps into the water. #
Pete Oxford / bioGraphic -
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Read moreA pair of whale sharks gulp huge mouthfuls of fishy water streaming off the bagan. #
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Read moreA scientist runs a portable tag reader along the side of a whale shark in search of a PIT tag. These tags, placed under the skin of the sharks, enable researchers to track the movements of individuals over the course of their lifetimes. #
Pete Oxford / bioGraphic -
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Read moreA whale shark cruises just under the surface of Cenderawasih Bay. #
Pete Oxford / bioGraphic -
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Read moreGolden trevallies (Gnathanodon speciosus) swim at the base of a whale shark’s dorsal fin. #
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Read moreA whale shark surfaces beneath the Indonesian sailboat, the Damai, which served as the photographer’s home based while in Cenderawasih Bay. #
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Read moreJuvenile golden trevallies ride in the slipstream in front of the whale shark’s mouth, seemingly piloting the giant through the water. #
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Read moreWhale sharks are the world’s largest fish with confirmed measurements of more than 12 meters (40 feet) long and more than 18 metric tons. They are the largest non-whale species on the planet. #
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Read moreA whale shark opens its mouth under the stream of fishy water that spills over the side of the fishermen’s bagan. #
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Read moreA free-diver swims alongside a whale shark in Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia. #
Pete Oxford / bioGraphic
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