Beginner Indonesia
Cenderawasih Bay
One of the few places in the world where the whale shark is resident and approaches on its own
Almost everywhere else, seeing a whale shark is a matter of luck and season. Here, it's a matter of approaching a fishing platform in the morning: the animals live in the bay year-round, and it's they who come up to the boat.
In this profile, you'll find out why this bay has a resident whale shark population, what the fishing platforms that make it possible are, what ethical questions that relationship raises, what else the bay offers, when to go, and what level you need.
It's one of the few documented places where the whale shark isn't seasonal but resident, and a case that forces you to think about where the line falls between observing wildlife and shaping its behavior.
Geography and access
Cenderawasih Bay is an enormous bay in northern West Papua, at the eastern tip of Indonesia, protected as a marine national park and one of the country's largest.
Its geological isolation is notable: the bay has long been relatively separated from the Pacific's main currents, which has produced a high degree of endemism and a reef community distinct from the rest of the archipelago.
Wooden fishing platforms operate in its waters: floating structures with nets lowered at night with lights to attract small fish. Whale sharks learned long ago to approach them.
What happens is that the animals approach the nets looking for the small fish that escape, and the fishermen tolerate them because they traditionally consider them a sign of good luck. That's how the interaction that defines the destination today was born.
Access is exclusively by liveaboard, with long crossings from ports in Papua, and only during the fleet's operating season.
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