Madagascar is a great place to knock swimming with whale sharks off your bucket list! The waters around Nosy Be have been identified as a hotspot for juvenile whale sharks to feed. A study by the Madagascar Whale Shark Project, which was initiated in 2016 by researchers from the Marine Megafauna Foundation, Florida International University, and Mada Megafauna has been tracking whale sharks in the Nosy Be area. Lead author and project leader Stella Diamant said: “We’ve found that whale sharks regularly visit Nosy Be between September and December. That has led to a growing ecotourism industry, as people travel to see and swim with these gigantic, harmless sharks. We’re still learning about their population structure and movement patterns, but it’s clear the area is an important hotspot for the species” (divemagazine.co.uk).