Rhincodon typus (Smith, 1825)
Whaleshark, 1700cm

When the largest species of shark in the world is seen at Kwaj, it is usually from boats fishing well offshore. The photos below are courtesy of Joe Coleman, who took them from a boat about a half mile out from North Pass near Roi-Namur. However, these sharks do occasionally venture into the lagoon. Some years ago, a group of divers returning from a shipwreck dive in a 16-foot Boston Whaler boat came across a whale shark "much longer than the boat" at the surface not far from Kwajalein Harbor. One of the divers leaned over the side to get his Nikonos camera below the surface and took a number of photos. It was clearly a whaleshark.

Created 1 October 2013
Updated 18 November 2013

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