THE HUNT: SHARKS OF THE NINGALOO REEF
“You are with good friends, and you are healthy. What more do you need to be happy? What does it take to make this the best day of your life?”
Early Morning
It’s six o’clock in the morning when the alarm goes off, just like every other day. And just like every other day, I press snooze. I drift back into limbo, thinking of all the places I’ve been in the last six months and the incredible creatures I’ve been lucky enough to see in the wild. The Amazon Basin. The Norwegian fjords. The South African Karoo. Freshwater dolphins, sea lions, humpback whales.
The alarm goes off again. Today I wake up in Australia, and I’m already late. My friends are waiting.
Despite yesterday’s bleak forecast, we decided to give it a go anyway. I pick up Ele, and we gather at Albert’s place. We secure the boat trailer, load up the gear, and hit the road.
The ocean is calling once again.
A small but capable boat, just enough to take us to the outer reef, where powerful ocean currents bring nutrients from the depths, fueling the food chain. We have no idea we’re about to witness that chain in action.
We set sail with a simple goal: to spend good quality time at sea, share some laughs, stay out of the sun, and swim in the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean. That’s it. Everything else is a bonus. You are alive, at sea. You are with good friends, and you are healthy. What more do you need to be happy?
What does it take to make this the best day of your life?
IMAGE ABOVE: A sea turtle swimming in the clear waters of the Ningaloo Reef.
© Federico Facchin
The Ningaloo Reef
When I was a kid, I saw a documentary about the remote town of Exmouth, rising from the colorful corals of the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. I have been dreaming about this place for as long as I can remember. Finally, I can call Exmouth home, and now the Ningaloo Reef is my office.
We launch the boat from the jetty and immediately get a good feeling about the day ahead. For once, the forecast is wrong. Glassy seas, calm winds, beautiful weather. Even a sea turtle surfaces next to us.
It all happens very quickly. Time flies when you are having a good time, and before we know it, we are a few miles from shore, following the birds. I learned this trick in Iceland when I was working as a whale-watching guide. Seabirds always gather around food, and if they are feeding from above, something bigger is lurking below.
Bingo! There it is. A huge flock of birds dive-bombing and screaming above the surface. If you couldn’t see it, you would definitely hear it. We gear up and slip into the unknown waters below.
IMAGE LEFT: Baitfish gather in great numbers to confuse their predators.
© Federico Facchin
IMAGE CENTER: Safety comes in number.
© Federico Facchin
IMAGE RIGHT: Seabirds diving underwater to grab a bite.
© Federico Facchin
The Bait Ball
As soon as I put my head underwater, I realize something special is about to unfold right in front of me. During the Arctic winter, I worked as a guide for orca snorkeling expeditions in Norway. Orcas are incredible and unpredictable animals, but what I’ve learned is that if you stay close to the bait ball, stay close to the food, they will come to you.
What I see now is something I’ve only ever watched in the most prestigious documentaries. Never would I have hoped to witness this with my own eyes. Hundreds of thousands of bait fish swirl in tight circles, a defensive strategy meant to confuse predators.
Like an oasis in the desert, a bait ball attracts bigger, hungry fish—tunas, giant trevallies, barracudas, and, of course, sharks. Dozens of them. No cage-diving, no wildlife feeding, nothing you can buy. Just a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the ocean.
Trying to capture such a chaotic scene isn’t easy. It starts slowly, but before you know it, more sharks join the frenzy, and it’s impossible to decide where to point the camera. Perhaps the strangest thing about it all is the surreal silence that surrounds this brutal hunt.
“We saw this massive flock of birds and I pointed the boat in that direction. Fede and Albert quickly grabbed their cameras and with no hesitation despite the shark’s fins skimming the surface, they jumped in! I was so excited to see sharks so close to our little boat and at the same time, I was so focused on the guys. I know they are experts and confident in the water, but with nature you cannot joke. As the skipper of the day, I felt the responsibility on me, and I was constantly checking on them. I could only see the surface and I did not know what was going on underwater. Seeing the sharks breaching right next to their snorkels was not reassuring, but I could see the guys constantly turning their heads around to keep an eye on everything.
When they got back on board to change the camera’s batteries, they were so thrilled they could barely speak! They both asked me repeatedly if I wanted to go and despite one side of me wanting to dive into this amazing blue world, my gut feeling told me that I was not ready yet.
I am super proud of my friends and happy for this wonderful day we spent together.”
Elena Gialdi
M.Sc. Marine Biology
“It is all about being on the right place at the right time, and we were there!
I have been living for a couple years here on the Ningaloo coast and sometimes you get to see what it looks like a bait ball from the surface, then you gently slide into the water and swim towards it, but either the bait ball has moved or there is no big fish around. But this time was different. The bait ball was big and compact. All the tiny bait fish stayed close to the surface, pushed by the predators. At a point, it literally surrounded our boat on the look for help.
Then the fun time started and after a couple of hours, both Fede and I run out of space in our memory cards.
I shared the footage with some locals, and they said they had never seen anything like this around here! It absolutely was the best experience I ever had in the ocean so far.”
Albert Sasplugas
B.Sc. Marine Biology
IMAGE ABOVE: Elena Gialdi keeping an eye both on the boat and on what is happening under the sea surface.
© Federico Facchin
Evolutionary Success
I have always considered sharks dumb creatures. Don’t get me wrong; they are faultless machines and magnificent predators, perfectly adapted to be on top of the food chain. The earliest fossil evidence of the shark’s ancestors dates back over 450 million years ago (that is before there were even trees on the prehistoric continents), but since then, they haven’t evolved much. They represent an outstanding evolutionary success. But I have always seen sharks as powerful animals, relying on their raw power, biting whatever they can without much thinking or strategy. Yet here they are, taking turns and coordinating their attacks into the bait ball right in front of my eyes, in a way that left me almost disoriented, definitely speechless.
When it comes to nature, you never stop learning, do you?
The water during this season has a pleasant temperature of 27–30°C. Good enough to swim without a wetsuit, but together with the weight belt and the long fins, after an hour of swimming right in the middle of the most hectic hunt I have ever witnessed, cramps are biting my legs, and I start to become fatigued.
But Poseidon is not done yet; he has another surprise for us.
IMAGE ABOVE: Sharks feeding from below, while seabird are taking their share from the air.
© Federico Facchin
GALLERY ABOVE: Sharks feeding and pushing the bait ball to the surface where seabirds are waiting for their turns.
© Federico Facchin
A Gift from Poseidon
Literally out of the blue, here it comes, joining the “buffet.” It’s big, it’s slow, it’s hungry. It’s a whale shark, and it’s beautiful!
With its friendly face and fashionable dotted suit, this gentle giant has become a symbol of Exmouth, with many people traveling every year to this remote corner of Australia to see them in their natural environment. They are extremely common in the Ningaloo, but finding one feeding on a bait ball is not common at all.
IMAGE ABOVE: Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) emerging from the bait ball.
© Federico Facchin
Once again, theory and practice do not match.
I have always read that whale sharks are filter feeders and that they cruise the oceans looking for plankton. Here in the Ningaloo Reef, we had two coral spawning events in the last couple of weeks, and that is exactly what they are looking for! It is a juvenile, just about six meters long, but they can grow twice as large. A young whale shark like this can eat up to 45 pounds (about 20 kg) of plankton every day.
The whale shark, the biggest fish in the world, starts taking its bites, fully engulfed in the thousands of fish, then popping out on the other side of the bait ball. It then turns around like a jumbo jet and goes for it again, and again, and again.
And for the second time in a few hours, the ocean proved me wrong, and I had to quickly update my knowledge of these animals as well.
The salt water washed away the tears of emotion, not only for the epic encounter but for the long journey as a marine biologist, diver, and photographer that brought me to the right place at the right time. Swimming with this gentle giant has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I must say I have never been particularly interested in sharks in general (I am more of a whale guy), but this encounter might have changed that.
IMAGE LEFT: Size comparison between a juvenile Whale shark and a Dusky shark.
© Federico Facchin
IMAGE RIGHT: The Whale shark disappears into the bait ball.
© Federico Facchin
GALLERY ABOVE: The Whale shark slowly approaches the bait ball to grab a mouthful of fish before coming out on the other side.
© Federico Facchin
With the massive whale shark present, all other predators, including bull sharks, seemed to keep their distance, content to queue behind it. However, after about an hour, as the bait ball diminished and the whale shark disappeared into the deep blue from which it came, the hustle and bustle resumed, with every predator eager to seize as much as possible.
At day’s end, when the flock of birds had dispersed, the bait ball had shrunk to the size of a watermelon, and the last sharks had vanished into the blue, we returned to the boat. But not before diving one last time, descending 10 meters beneath the surface to capture one more photo of the survivors being attacked by the remaining tunas.
IMAGE ABOVE: Tunas feeding on what is left of the bait ball.
© Federico Facchin
"Are Sharks Dangerous?"
If you live in Exmouth, snorkeling in coral reefs and swimming in the ocean is as common as going for a hike in the Italian Dolomites. But when we get home and show the raw footage to our friends, their expressions make us realize that we witnessed something special, something unique.
One question stood out above the rest: “Aren’t you scared? Isn’t it dangerous?” I personally never felt in danger while swimming next to this magnificent creature, but then again, I am not a shark expert, and perhaps it was a bit bold to simply jump in.
The truth is, the sharks seemed more afraid of us than we were of them. Every time one approached to check us out, it quickly turned away, seemingly wary of the human intruders—and for good reason.
According to the latest data, humans kill around 100 million sharks per year. That is about 190 sharks per minute, while in 2022, there were only 57 confirmed shark-related incidents worldwide. Yet despite these numbers, most people remain afraid of sharks.
As apex predators, sharks play a crucial role in regulating the entire oceanic food chain, from pelagic species to grazers, all the way down to algae. Their presence has a massive impact on the entire ecosystem. Yes, some species can be dangerous, and they deserve our respect, but as I always like to say, the ocean would be far more dangerous without sharks.
Federico Facchin
26-03-2023
Exmouth, Western Australia
IMAGE ABOVE: The Whale shark is the biggest fish on Earth.
© Federico Facchin
Watch the trailer
Prints
Tired of the urban landscape? Longing for adventure, or simply seeking a deeper connection with the natural world?
Decorate your space with a stunning nature and wildlife print from Federico Facchin’s collection, a selection of images captured across the globe, from the Arctic to the tropics, above and below the waterline.
Explore the collections and find the perfect piece for your home. We offer fine art prints on aluminum panels, glossy paper, and nature-inspired items like mugs, bags, and other unique pieces.
Any image featured in this article can be printed. Contact us with custom requests or inquiries if you don’t see it in the collection.
We ship worldwide!
Newsletter
Join our newsletter family for exciting content, special promotions, and behind-the-scenes stories. Subscribe now, and who knows, you might get an email from me once in a blue moon (if you’re lucky). I plan to send monthly updates, but let’s be honest, I’m a bit out of touch with reality. Rest assured, when I do send one, it’ll be something special.
Catch you on the flip side!
(Double-check spam folder after subscription)
