Qatar is home to one of the largest congregations of whale sharks on the planet, which congregate in the Al Shaheen region off the north-east coast of Qatar from April to September. Until recently, the area frequented by the whale sharks has been closed to the public, so there are still very few people who have seen them up close. You can book a boat tour with a trained whale shark expert to admire these majestic creatures from a respectful distance. 

Every year, whale sharks meander in the warm and shallow sea waters of the Northern coasts of Qatar, located about 145 km from Doha in the Al Shaheen region. The reason why this region attracts so many whale sharks is because of its unique ecosystem. The average seawater temperature averages between 32–34 degrees during the summer months, however the seawater around Al Shaheen is much cooler, making it perfect for fish to feed and breed.

In collaboration with the Qatar Ministry of Environment (MOE), the Qatar Whale Shark Research project began in 2010 to perform research on the whale sharks of Qatar. The research involved attaching satellite trackers and taking ‘fingerprint images’ of the whale sharks. Researchers use special software to identify sharks from their spot patterns. To date, more than 600 individual whale sharks have been identified and recorded in the database, making it the largest aggregation of whale sharks known in the world.