After breakfast we got the boat ready so we could head out to sea. We made sure to lay out all our equipment in the front of the boat, that way we would be faster to enter the water, once we would spot a whale shark. Our outlook post was on the top of the roof, from where we enjoyed our ride to the outer reef. Along the way, we were greeted by a school of happy dolphins and a few curious sea turtles. Out we took our logs, as we were to log all fauna & sea life, which we encounter, as well as any vessels we come across, both with the exact GPS location. Once we reached the outer reef, it now was all down to business. We slowly cruised along the whole reef, all our eyes scanning the waters relentlessly for any shadow of a whale shark to appear. This is where you really learn to be patient. Part of the research program is, to study the behavior of the whale sharks and their migration patterns. They can dive up to 3482 meters and it is believed, that they come not only to the surface to feed on the plankton, but also to warm up their bodies. So when Katie saw a shadow, she screamed “whale shark” and stomped with her feet on the roof of the ships cabin. This was the signal for the captain to immediately stall the vessel. While Katie kept her fingers pointed in the direction of the whale shark we others all rushed to our gear and cameras, just like during a fire alarm; all equipped we then jumped ship, not knowing what is expecting us below. Once in the water, our task were to take ID-shots with our cameras, so we could later identify the whale shark, check if he is already in our data bank or if it is a new specie, was he once insured by any boat and what other distinguished features he has. Exact GPS location, swimming direction, relaxing or feeding, sluggish or vital, male or female, size and what exact temperature of the water we found at the exact location of the encounter, as well as what weather and wind pattern, all important data to log. It was such an amazing moment for me to finally encounter my first whale shark. My dream finally came true. We swam up to 45 minutes with these graceful giants and once we returned to the boat, we all had big smiles on our faces. It was now back to the outlook on the roof until the next whale shark alarm! On the third day we had an amazing five whale shark encounters…and there will be many more to come…just bliss! It is very special for me to be part of such a research and preservation program for the good of these beautiful and majestic ocean animals. What an adventure…I dreamt it since 1999, I now planned it and I am finally living my dream….diving with the whale sharks…life is good!