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On the 16th February 2003, the high speed vessel La Creole limped back to Mahé for repairs after a
collision with a Whale shark near Praslin. According to Travel Services Seychelles
(TSS) who operate La
Creole, the vessel was replacing Cat Cocos, the regular ferry service between Mahé and
Praslin, which
was undergoing routine maintenance.
The boat suffered slight damage (a hole approximately four inches in diameter in its fibreglass hull)
and was temporarily taken out of service for repairs, suspending the regular boat service between Mahé
and Praslin.
In an interview with Seychelles Nation, Mr Hugh Hoareau of TSS Marine Services said “we were travelling
quite fast and were due to arrive on Praslin in 15 minutes when the coxswain noticed three whale sharks
in our course. He swerved and successfully avoided them but apparently there was a fourth fish below the
water surface”.
Passengers on board, including Mr Hoareau, commented that it felt “as though we had beached”. None of
the 20 passengers on board sustained any injuries.
The whale shark however, wasn’t so lucky. Mr Hoareau said that there was blood in the water behind the
vessel and that the partly submerged 8m shark was seen swimming way. The blood appeared to be flowing
from a wound on its back. The extent of injuries sustained by the whale shark is unclear. The 3 other
sharks were unaffected by the incident and continued to swim at the surface.
This is the first ever reported collision incident between a vessel and a whale shark in Seychelles.
However, Seychelles cannot claim fame for this isolated incidence as there are a number of reports
dating back to 1932 of similar occurrence in the north western Indian Ocean region. In fact, according
to E.W Grudger (1938), more whale sharks have been rammed by steamers in the Red Sea region than in any
other part of the world. |
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| A young
whale shark showing fin damage (not through the
collision reported in this article!) |
Grudger believed that the frequency of such incidents were indicative of the sharks habits and
behaviour. Being the largest fish, it has no enemies and seems to be unafraid of large vessels. In fact,
whale sharks have been observed swimming so closely to vessels, that people have suggested they were
inspecting them. They get caught on the bow either because they lie inert in the path of the approaching
ship, or because they swim across the path so slowly that they are caught. The sharks that survive such
encounters bear distinctive and often extensive scars.
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