Imagine coming face to face with the biggest fish in the sea – the whale shark. That’s just what happened to a group of lucky passengers with Great Adventures in a very rare encounter while they were seated in the semi-submarine at Moore Reef. This vision was captured by one of the lucky passengers. The whale shark, estimated to be 4 - 5 metres in length swam up close and alongside the semi-sub window as excited passengers looked on in awe. Quicksilver Group Environment and Compliance Manager Doug Baird said. “For what is the world’s largest fish, we really do know very little about them and their behaviour here on the east coast of Australia.” More often associated with the northern waters of Western Australia, whale shark encounters on the Great Barrier Reef are quite sporadic. This sighting is of great interest to researchers who have been working to identify a potential whale shark aggregation site in the far north regions of the Reef. As the largest fish in the sea reaching lengths of over 12 metres, whale sharks are docile fish feeding mostly on plankton, crab larvae and jellyfish, which they scoop up with their colossal gaping mouths while swimming close to the water’s surface. They are listed as a vulnerable species and prior to the mid 1980s there were less than 350 confirmed reports of whale sharks world-wide. Researchers are able to identify individuals from photographs by analysing the patterns of markings on their bodies - a bit like fingerprints.

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Here we are rigging a reef line while underway. We had swapped the laminate main sail out for the Dacron main sail before leaving the dock, because it was quite windy and the Dacron sail is more robust. But we didn't rig the second reef line properly and had to pull it out in order to raise the sail. So here we are sailing under the first reef, while I climbed onto the boom to re-rig the second reef. I’m wearing a climbing harness attached to the spinnaker halyard for safety. Disclaimer: - This content is offered solely for your education and entertainment. - There are no warranties, expressed or implicit, about any content or its fitness for a particular purpose. - There are risks of injury, death, drunkenness, and financial hardship involved in sailing. - The skipper is always responsible for the safety of their vessel and crew. - Sailing Tips is not responsible or liable in any way for anything that happens on or anywhere near your boat or any boat that we are not in command of. #shorts #fast #sailing #rigging #reef #lines #reefing #mainsail #howtosail #learntosail #sailingtips

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Watch me risk it all as I take a huge jump down a steep snowbank and almost land in the raging river below...

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