This is a great new dive site for whale sharks which is very accessible from Puerto Princesa, the provincial capital of Palawan. The whale sharks can be found there at any time of the year but their presence there is much less predictable than at Donsol. A great variety of feeding behaviour can be observed and they are often feeding in association with skipjack tuna and seabirds, which makes locating them very easy. The water visibility is generally excellent.
Facts about Honda Bay
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Duncan MurrellPair of whale sharks feeding Honda Bay, Palawan. There were four others feeding with skipjack tuna on small shoaling fish less than a mile offshore.
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Duncan MurrellI took this photo seconds after jumping off the boat in Honda Bay. The whale sharks in Honda bay can often be seen feeding at the surface and are relatively easy to approach. The small fish are not the prey species but often associated with them.
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Duncan MurrellWhale shark feeding on bait ball at the surface, Honda Bay, Palawan. Honda bay is a great location for observing a variety of feeding behaviour. This one is my favourite because they are completely stationary and easy to approach.
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Duncan MurrellI am intrigued by the amazing reflections of whale sharks sub-surface. When it's calm I make a point of tilting my housing upwards. I love the partial distortion of this one combined with a swimmer to give a sense of size and motion.
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Duncan MurrellWhale shark being followed by a shoal of red fish avoiding being eaten. A large shoal of these fish were sheltering beneath our boat to escape from the whale shark. Honda Bay, Palawan.
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Duncan MurrellI've been trying to get some good over/under photos of the whale sharks in Honda Bay, Palawan for a long time, and have managed quite a few in this last year. I've been going on this boat since the first trip nearly ten years ago.
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Duncan MurrellThere was a large shoal of small red fish evading a whale shark by hiding beneath our boat in Honda Bay, Palawan. Sometimes they gathered around us to seek protection. When they did break free from the boat they followed the whale shark.
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Duncan MurrellWhale sharks with their striking markings in the right lighting are ideal for b&w images.
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Duncan MurrellThis was one of my most amazing whale shark experiences with a shoal of red fish hanging around our boat for more than hour trying to evade this whale shark, but it eventually had its fill.
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Duncan MurrellIt's not that often that you see more than one whale shark in close proximity in Honda Bay, Palawan, and when you do you have to react very quickly to get them in the same frame. I was pleased to get two aspects of whale sharks in this photo.
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Duncan MurrellBig fish - little fish. It's always so fascinating to see the community of fish that whale sharks attract. This was an unusual sighting of a small shoal of fish that stayed close to the tail in full motion.