Yearly tradition of whale shark sightings off Anna Maria Island continues
ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. - It's not every day you get to see something as spectacular as a whale shark in the open water. But it might be once a year.
Captain David White with Anna Maria Charters spotted a whale shark about 35 miles off the coast on Monday.
Whale shark spotted off Anna Maria Island by David White in May 2022
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The whale shark stayed right in front of their boat, in crystal blue water.
It’s not the first time that Captain White has spotted a massive whale shark in the area. Last year, nearly to the day, three whale sharks swam up to one of his boats in almost the exact same spot.
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And the year before, Captain Josh from Siesta Kation Charters was greeted by a large whale shark about 12 miles offshore of Siesta Key. That’s about 50 miles north of Anna Maria Island.
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In fact, whale sharks have been spotted near Tampa Bay between March and June for several years.
In early June 2018, there were two sightings of a whale shark off Anna Maria Island. A few days later, vacationers spotted a large whale shark in the same area.
Five days later, boaters got an underwater look at a whale shark off St. Pete Beach.
Whale shark spotted off Anna Maria Island by David White in May 2022
One year and three days later, a FOX 13 viewer captured underwater video of a whale shark in the same spot.
And in June 2019, a fisherman saw a whale shark off Clearwater Beach.
It’s unclear whether the whale shark might be the same one, year after year, but the sightings are a sign whale sharks are able to thrive in the waters off Tampa Bay.