The Washington Post is running a great article about the whale sharks new Isla Mujeres. Though the region has long been known for its whale sharks, especially in the waters to the north of the island, this year seems to be different, with many more sharks present in waters much closer to the island. Excerpt from the story:
It's like a fishbowl full of whale sharks," said Robert Hueter, director of the shark research center at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla. "We are witnessing a spectacle of nature down there that we don't fully understand."
Hueter, Mexican biologist Rafael de la Parra and a group of other marine scientists are trying to make sense of the big shark reunion, an event dubbed the "afuera." The word means "outside" in Spanish, and it was the name de la Parra initially used to describe to the phenomenon.
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