Swimming with whale sharks in Indonesia: where, when and how to do it responsibly

In short

• The closest regular site to Bali is Saleh Bay (Teluk Saleh) on Sumbawa. Around Bali itself, Nusa Penida or Komodo whale sharks are only seen occasionally.
• The best-known site is Cenderawasih Bay National Park in Papua, with whale sharks all year, but it is a long and expensive journey.
• At almost every site the sharks gather at bagans, fishing platforms with lift nets for small fish and shrimp. Fishermen often feed them, which has downsides, as research shows.
• The whale shark has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2016 and has been fully protected in Indonesia since 2013.

About whale sharks

Despite the name it is a shark, not a whale, and the largest fish in the world. It feeds on plankton and small fish filtered through its huge mouth. It is harmless to people, but it is a large and sensitive animal: touching, camera flashes and noisy boats disturb it, and unguarded propellers can injure it.

In Indonesia it has been protected since 2013 by Ministerial Decree No. 18/2013 of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, which covers all life stages.

Where to see whale sharks in Indonesia

Saleh Bay, Sumbawa

Researchers have identified more than a hundred whale sharks here, almost all juveniles, and most return in later years. The sharks gather at bagans, where they suck small fish and shrimp from the nets, and usually stay for a couple of hours in the morning.

Sources disagree on the best time to go: a scientific factsheet records the most sightings in March and April, while the official tourism portal recommends August to November. Sharks are seen throughout the year, and no month is a guarantee.

From Bali the quickest route is a flight to Sumbawa Besar, then about 100 km by road to Labuhan Jambu. Trips leave very early, and operators say the boat ride to the bagans takes about two hours. According to a study published in December 2025, hiring a bagan for a group of 4–8 people cost about IDR 1–1.5 million, plus around IDR 300,000 per person for a local guide.

Cenderawasih Bay, Papua

Indonesia's best-known site: more than 200 whale sharks had been identified in the park by May 2024, and some return after more than ten years. A visit needs a permit from the park authority, a ranger usually comes on board, and Kwatisore village charges its own fee. Nabire is reached by connecting flights, and many visitors come on multi-day dive boats.

Gorontalo and other sites

At Botubarani the sharks are close to shore almost all year, but they are attracted by waste from a shrimp-processing plant and by tourists feeding them. Conservationists warn that the sharks have become used to the feeding and are injured by boats. Talisayan in Kalimantan and Probolinggo in Java are seasonal; in Probolinggo researchers documented tourists feeding the sharks bread and boats chasing them.

What about Bali?

You won't see whale sharks regularly around Bali. At Nusa Penida they turn up roughly once a year, with no season and no fixed site, and in Komodo they are rare. If you want big marine life straight from Bali, your best bet is the manta rays off Nusa Penida, which can be seen all year.

The rules: how to behave around a whale shark

Each site has its own rules, but the basics are the same everywhere. The fisheries ministry's guideline, which local rules build on, says:

• keep at least 3 m from the body and 4 m from the tail,
• no touching, riding, chasing or feeding,
• no flash photography,
• a limited number of people in the water and boats per shark, with engines slowed or switched off.

In Saleh Bay a regulation of the governor of West Nusa Tenggara has applied since December 2023: divers must be certified and enter the water before snorkellers, snorkellers hold the rope at the bagan, no metal jewellery and no sunscreen that harms marine life. A ticket is required and the site manager sets the time with the sharks.

Feeding at bagans: what research says

Almost all Indonesian sites depend on whale sharks visiting fishing platforms, and fishermen often feed them part of the catch to keep them near the boat.

• In Cenderawasih and Triton Bay, a 2025 study found scars on more than three quarters of the sharks, mostly abrasions from bagans. The authors recommend smoothing platform edges, enforcing codes of conduct and limiting feeding.
• A study at Oslob in the Philippines found that on feeding days the sharks spent far more time at the surface and used more energy.
• At Botubarani, tagged sharks stayed near the shore for many hours, probably waiting for the next feeding.

Indonesia's tourism ministry therefore advises not to feed whale sharks unless an official programme explicitly allows it.

How to choose an operator

Before booking, ask:

1. Do you keep 3 m from the body and 4 m from the tail?
2. How many people go in the water at once, and for how long?
3. Do you ban touching and flash?
4. Do you feed the sharks beyond what fishermen do while fishing?
5. Are the entrance ticket and village fee included? (In Saleh Bay this fee has included a contribution to fishermen for repairing nets.)

Practical tips

• The water in Cenderawasih Bay is around 27–30 °C depending on the season. In Saleh Bay the regulation requires suitable swimwear, so plan for a thin wetsuit or rash suit, for example.
• Snorkelling is enough, as the sharks feed near the surface at the bagans. Diving requires certification and is restricted in some parks.
• Allow at least two to three days for Sumbawa including travel from Bali; Papua is a trip of its own.

We don't sell whale shark trips. This article is an editorial overview based on the public sources listed below.

Tours are run by local operators; booking and payment are handled by GetYourGuide. We earn a commission on bookings made through our links, at no extra cost to you.

Sources and fact-check

We checked the facts in this text on 24 Oct 2026 against these sources. Rules, prices and timetables change, so check them before you travel.

1. ISRA / IUCN SSC – Saleh Bay Important Shark and Ray Area factsheet (2024) (opens in a new window)
2. ISRA / IUCN SSC – Botubarani factsheet (2024) (opens in a new window)
3. Setyawan et al., Frontiers in Marine Science – whale sharks at bagans in Indonesia (28 Aug 2025) (opens in a new window)
4. Indonesia.travel – Meet whale sharks in Indonesia (opens in a new window)
5. Antara Papua – new whale sharks identified in Cenderawasih Bay (11 Jun 2024) (opens in a new window)
6. Bird's Head Seascape – procedure for visiting Cenderawasih whale sharks (opens in a new window)
7. KepMen KP No. 18/2013 – full protection of whale sharks in Indonesia (opens in a new window)
8. Governor Regulation NTB No. 100/2023 – whale shark tourism in Saleh Bay (opens in a new window)
9. WWF-Indonesia – the right way to interact with whale sharks (27 Jul 2022) (opens in a new window)
10. Journal of Marine Research (Undip) – whale shark tourism in Probolinggo and the KKP code of conduct (Feb 2022) (opens in a new window)
11. Scientific Reports – effects of provisioning on whale sharks, Oslob (2020) (opens in a new window)
12. Mongabay Indonesia – whale shark tourism in Gorontalo must put conservation first (1 Sep 2020) (opens in a new window)
13. Wahyuni et al., Jurnal Konstanta – whale shark tourism in Saleh Bay (Dec 2025) (opens in a new window)
14. nusapenida.org – sharks around Nusa Penida (updated 30 Sep 2026) (opens in a new window)
15. Australian Geographic – whale sharks listed as Endangered (15 Jul 2016) (opens in a new window)