In the first of his ten incarnations, Vishnu took the form of Matsya (a fish) to save primeval man from the deluge that consumed the world. He is depicted as half fish and half God. When I saw the whale sharks I thought of Vishnu in his Matsya Avatar.

Whale sharks are known as Tuki in the Philippines. They are listed as endangered species. Today we left at 3am to watch the whale sharks in Oslob. It was so dark, and we reached at 5am. The feeding happens between first light and early afternoon. There were lines and lines of people wanting to see these mighty creatures.

It was amazing as everyone stood patiently in a line and then eight persons go in a rowboat. There are thirty boats at a time. It is only thirty minutes in the sea and the whale shark feeding ends at 11am. When one sits in the boat, it is like being involved in a group meditation. The boats were in a circle, a little distance away from the beach. There were four persons in the middle in small canoes throwing food for them.

They were throwing shrimp and sometimes small fish. Bits of fish and these creatures would come close to the boat, with their mouths open. One whale shark was just near the feeding boat. He would not leave the side of the little canoe and his mouth was open. The sharks come in anticipation for the treats. There is no frenzy.

Warriors saving the environment

The whale sharks represent wisdom, longevity, balance, living in harmony with nature and connection to the divine.

One just feels the divine presence as these big fish come out. One can see them in the water and what one sees most is their open mouth.

Dear ones, it is such an endearing sight to see these creatures and it makes one think how important it is to protect the oceans and planet earth. We should look upon ourselves as warriors saving the environment.

Aim Hrim Klim
Picture of Matsya Avatar by unknown author, public domain.
Picture of whale shark by Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0