Gladden Spit is a promontory on the barrier reef off Placencia, where the reef turns a corner and drops into deep water. For most of the year it's simply a good dive site. In spring, it becomes one of the more reliable places in the Caribbean to see whale sharks, and the reason is fish sex.
Snapper first, sharks second
In the weeks around the spring full moons, large schools of cubera and dog snapper gather at the spit to spawn. They release clouds of eggs and sperm into the water late in the afternoon. Whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea and filter feeders, come to feed on the spawn.
That's why the dates matter. The best days run from just before the full moon to about ten days after it, roughly from March to June, and most consistently in April and May.
What a whale shark day is like
You leave Placencia by boat in the late morning and run out to the spit. The water here is open and deep: this is a blue-water swim or dive, not a reef snorkel, and you should be comfortable swimming without a floor beneath you. The boat waits, the guide watches the surface, and when a shark is spotted you slide in quietly and keep your distance.
Rules apply at the spit, including limits on the number of boats and swimmers, how close you may get, and no touching. Operators must be licensed. These rules are why the encounter still exists, so we follow them to the letter.
And if they don't come?
Some days the water is empty. The snapper may spawn somewhere else, or the sharks may feed deeper. We never sell a sighting. Instead, we hold two or three possible days around the moon, and if the first is blank, the boat continues to the southern cayes for lunch and a reef snorkel, so the day still counts.
Whale sharks keep their own calendar. So do we: we check the moon before we fix your dates.
How to plan it
Look at the full moons in April and May for the year you're travelling, and build three or four nights in Placencia around one of them. Pair it with Hopkins for the Garifuna coast, or with a sailing trip through the southern cayes. See the Southern Coast, Slowly route, or check the reef and season calendar.
Seasons, times and rules in this story change. Check before you travel
