Swimming with whale sharks!!!

I had an amazing day swimming wth whale sharks in the La Paz Bay!  Diane and I went off on a boat tour looking for whale sharks and we were not disappointed.  We saw three very large ones and had the added bonus of observing sting rays at close range too since they feed on krill at the same time! With the hand (literally) of Arthur, the guide, I snorkeled near the whale sharks and are they ever big...the lenght of a pick up truck....and they suck the krill on the surface of the water with an oval-shaped mouth.  We also met a cool guy named, John from LA who took some great pictures!  It was a bit scary to be next to such large animals but they just ignored us and gulped up the krill....when you swim near them the krill hits your body like mosquitos hitting a moving car!!!  The rays feed near the whale sharks so it was wonderfull to see them swooping around with their shiny metalic under-wings...they are so graceful.  It was also interesting to note that the whale sharks have 3-4 other fish with fins a bit like wings that are constantly grooming them. On the boat ride back we saw three dolphins who played around the boat and followed us for awhile. What an experience!!!!

After that, Diane and I went of snokeling in a nearby coral reef and saw such beautiful fish.  In the La Paz area, all you have to do to swim in a coral reef is go to a nearby beach, walk out the the rocky point and jump in, there is so much to see. We finished off this magical day by going for my final visit to Tecolote Beach to enjoy a special drink while watching the tide come in.  We drove back home in the large vintage car as the sun set...I will never forget that day as long as I live!

What a beautiful animal1

Feeding time for whale shark and ray!

Here I am looking at the beast!

Our captain on the boat.

We all sat for over an hour enjoying the show...this is John taking some great pictures.

A ray swimming right over a whale shark.

A view of the underside of the ray's "wings".

That is one big whale shark...I was just mustering the courage for another close up look.

What a perfect end to an amazing day!

Digging for clams gets me a sting from a ray!

This is our clam stash....it was worth the pain in my foot!

Soaking in hot water admiring the clams.

Right after the sting...a bit painful, I must say!

View of the mangrove trees near the beach.

I'm cured!

On a lovely Saturday, I headed off with friends to my favorite beach, Bahia Balandra.  This was my last chance to go to this beach before heading home and I enjoyed the day....watching the tide go out and chatting with my friends Pam, Rob and Benjamin.  We got the idea to go digging for clams and it was hard work...it was a lot of walking and not a lot of clams until the end.  We dug up about 10 altogether and were happily walking back when I was stung by a ray. Ouch!  It really hurt and boy did it bleed!  I limped back to the beach where my Mexican friend, Benjamin, boiled water and soaked my sore foot. The ray sting is painful but not deadly and it is really an enzyme that is injected into your foot...the hot water dillutes the toxins.  I had a few asprins, a stiff drink offered by some neighbours on the beach and I was good as new in 45 minutes thanks to the help of my friend!