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Tagging is now conducted by digital photography - something which participants can be actively involved with.

"Thank you so much for an amazing first week in Mahe I cannot begin to tell you how fabulous it was. It far exceeded our expectations I still feel very emotional about the experience with the whale sharks it was totally amazing!  I must say your presence really made the trip your calm and fun approach to the group and the trip made the whole experience really special. We acknowledge and appreciate the efforts everyone made to enable us to see these amazing creatures, it was something we will never forget.

Our second week was also wonderful. The initial taxi ride to the hotel was incredible I never realised a vehicle could get up such steep bendy roads in fact I am sure some dont!!!!  We hired bikes went on a Catamaran trip to 3 islands which all involved nature walks to see beautiful birds and wildlife- they were all amazing. We went to Anse Lazio twice and just chilled out. We never got to La Digue as we decided it would give a reason to have to return at some point in the future.

If you have any clients that would like to talk to someone about the whale shark trip we would be happy to do that for you- we would certainly recommend it to anyone."

D & J Pentin, York

"10 years ago I opened David Doubilet's book, 'Water, Light and Time' where the almighty whale shark was first revealed to me! I had absolutely no idea that I would eventually come face to face with one whale shark, let alone six individuals in just five days!!
 
The Aqua-Firma Whale Shark Experience is at the top of my list of best ever underwater encounters and I have had a fair share. This experience is very important to me as, not only were we having a lot of fun with the largest fish in the sea, we were given a great insight into whale shark conversation and knowing that our participation supports a valuable monitoring program of these fantastic creatures is wonderful.
 
On our last day a curious young whale shark swam with us for 2.5 hours. The scientists have never had such a long encounter before and our group was unbelievably lucky to be part of this.
 
We met many other fascinating species diving on the Seychelles reefs including Hawksbill turtles, Devil Scorpionfish, Leaf fish, Mobular rays, Eagle rays, Octopus, Whitetip reef sharks, shoals of Yellow Stripped Snapper, Moray eels, Oriental Sweetlips and friendly Circular Batfish. You can expect azure blue water, scenic granite rock formations, swaying soft corals with the array of marine life.
 
Our week in the Seychelles was extremely well organised incorporating a busy daily schedule of diving, snorkelling, evening talks, microlighting and dinner in a variety of beachside restaurants. All in all, immensely fun and very sociable!"

C Hall , London

"Kim and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the Seychelles - we thought that Aqua-Firma organized everything wonderfully. The island hopping in the first week has fabulous and we had a marvelous stay on Bird Island, followed by Praslin and then Le Dicq. All our transfers were well organized and your local representatives were friendly and helpful. The second week on Mahe was the highlight thanks to some wonderful trips out with the Whale Sharks. On every trip we saw whale sharks which was amazing after many years of scuba diving and no sightings. The trips were well organized and informative and we both enjoyed the information provided by both yourself and David. We would both happily recommend Aqua-Firma to our friends and family and are now firm believers that eco-tourism is the only responsible way to travel.

Thanks again for organizing what was for us a trip of a lifetime. We hope to holiday with Aqua-Firma again in the future - Antarctica sounds amazing!

Kim & Sally Harbut, Jersey

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Snorkelling with 3 whale sharks who were unperturbed about us being there. Sharing the holiday with our daughter.
For my husband the microlight flight was amazing.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take sea sickness tablets!!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
The holiday brings tourists to the seychelles due to the whale sharks. The fact that the sharks are protected there & research is happening makes people very aware of minimising impact

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
A fantastic,well organised and inspirational holiday. Aquafirma provided a very flexible, personal and professional  service

5. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
***** I am reborn! Simply the best holiday I have ever been on.

Angie Sams

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
When a whale shark swam towards me and glided gently beneath me, so I looked in awe at this wonderful creature until I was gently shoved aside by someone trying to measure its length.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Go for it!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
The dive staff were local and the rules of engagement with the whale sharks was careful to avoid risk to the sharks.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent and thanks to Charlotte for being a wonderful guide and social event organiser.

Jan Topley

"We would be delighted to give you a few quotes from our "experience" as it was not just our honeymoon but also the best holiday we have ever had, (and we've had one or two!!!). Our "moments d'exception" would be the first whaleshark we ever saw (awesome), the last snorkelling trip with the three or four whalesharks -you can only keep your eyes on so much fish at one time. Lisa loved her microlight flight, and I saw my first manta. We loved our candlelit dinner on the beach at Cerf Island, and the whole ambiance of L'Archipel on Praslin. We would unreservedly recommend both Cerf Island Resort and L'Archipel to anyone - they were brill!

As somebody mentioned, (Peter or Sandy?), "Carlsberg doesn't do diving experiences but if it did the Aqua Firma experience would be pretty close"! Thank you and Andy for both making it so special for all of us."

Phil and Lisa Morris

Click Here to return to Seychelles Whale Shark Research & Conservation experience page