Maldives Promotion House – Starting in May and running for two months, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has announced a new twice-weekly excursion for its guests.  Called ‘Whale Sharks – Snorkelling with the Scientists’, the excursion consists of a three-hour snorkelling trip led by marine biologists from the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP).

Priced at USD 200 per person, these excursions offer guests an unrivalled chance to see and swim with whale sharks and learn more about these incredible creatures from the experts.

During the excursion, the scientists will share information about the life of these little-known fish and offer insights into the habits and behaviours of whale sharks.  Profits from the package will go to the MWSRP, which is a registered charity in the United Kingdom conducting valuable research into whale sharks.

While whale shark snorkelling excursions are available at the resort all year round, the snorkelling with scientists excursions will run twice yearly: in May and June, and again when the researchers from the MWSRP team return to Conrad Maldives in November to continue their research for four more months.

Found in the Maldives all year, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a massive filter-feeding shark and, being the largest fish in the world, is one of the country’s wildlife ‘must sees’.   Very little is known about the whale shark, which is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list and classified as ‘vulnerable to extinction’. The MWSRP’s research is aimed at filling these knowledge gaps, enabling the effective conservation of this species in the future.

Sightings, video and whale shark information will be regularly updated on the resort’s facebook page: www.facebook.com/ConradMaldivesRangaliIsland.  More information about MWSRP is on the charity’s website: http://maldiveswhalesharkresearch.org