Meet our Newest Resident: The Whale Shark

NEW: Kisawa guests are exclusively invited to join a new Whale Shark Ocean Safari, an operational whale shark monitoring expedition within the greater Bazaruto Seascape. The experience provides a rare behind-the-scenes insight into authentic marine science and the conservation work dedicated to understanding and protecting these remarkable animals.

Since September 2025, the team at Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies (BCSS) has documented an unprecedented series of whale shark sightings in the greater Bazaruto Seascape – the first recorded by their research programme in more than eight years, raising the interest of scientists across the globe. As the planet’s largest fish and one of its most endangered, these gentle & calm individuals provide a new & unique window into the region’s changing seascape.

“If a whale shark is encountered and conditions permit, you will have the opportunity to join the team in the water, to collect underwater photo-identification images, using each shark’s unique spot pattern as a natural fingerprint“, Dr Mario Lebrato, Chief Scientist, BCSS.

If photo-identification images are successfully collected, BCSS will process them following the survey. Should your whale shark be matched to an individual already recorded in the global database – or prove to be a newly documented individual – we will be delighted to share the results with you after your visit, allowing you to remain connected to the scientific story of the whale shark you helped document.

Read more about our newest BCSS x Kisawa ocean adventure – and see how your day on a Whale Shark Ocean Safari unfolds.

(Check out the BCSS team in careful action here).