abyss maldives whale shark night

in some secret spots of the maldives, the whale sharks have been attracted at night by the lights of many generations of fishermen. basically, the krill and small fish is attracted like a magnet to the light source and the whale shark is attracted to the krill. it's as simple as that. for the fishermen the whale shark is rather an annoyance -- as bear witness the scars on these animals. for the ocean lover, such spots provide a unique opportunity to enjoy close-up encounters with these gentle giants. we were privileged to be visited by two whale sharks (7-8 meters males) and spent about six hours in and around the water that night. the images speak for some of these moments...
(shot with a Canon EOS5DMkII in a Seacam housing with a 15mm Canon Fisheye)
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Un reportage de Phil Simha