Danja Snoeijen on traveling with purpose: Spotting Whale Sharks in the Maldives
From digital nomad to travelling with a mission. That is the best way to describe Danja Snoeijen’s transformation. As Marketing & Communications Manager at CFP Green Buildings, she works every day on creating a more sustainable built environment. But outside of work, she also consciously chooses to make an impact. Where she once travelled the world full-time with a laptop in her backpack, she now only makes one trip a year, with a clear goal and a smaller footprint. In April 2025, she spent two weeks with the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP), helping to research the world’s largest fish: whale sharks.
Diving into the world of the whale shark
For ten days, Danja travelled the waters of the South Ari Atoll with a team of volunteers and researchers. Every day, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, they were out on patrol to spot and study whale sharks. The result: no fewer than 14 whale sharks spotted, along with dolphins, manta rays, turtles, reef sharks and thousands of tropical fish.
Collecting vital data during patrols
But it was not just about watching. “We mainly collected a lot of data,” Danja explains. “From megafauna to boats and snorkellers – we recorded everything. In the mornings it was often busy with tourists, sometimes with up to 20 boats and 60 snorkellers around a single shark. That leads to dangerous situations, because everyone wants to get as close as possible as quickly as possible.” They only entered the water when there were a maximum of three boats. In the afternoons, conditions were often calmer, allowing them to work with full focus on identification.
Identifying individual whale sharks
Every whale shark has a unique spot pattern, which is compared with the MWSRP database of about 800 sharks. “That way, we could see exactly who the shark was, where and when it had previously been spotted, and whether it had any new injuries. Of the 14 sharks, one was not in the database. That was quite special, because we were allowed to give it a name ourselves and add it to the database.”
Injuries reveal the dangers they face
One thing that stood out: almost all the sharks they saw had injuries, often to their backs or fins, usually caused by collisions with boats. “It was confronting to see how many injuries they had already sustained, even though they are still relatively young.”
Recording detailed environmental data
In addition to photos of the sides and the belly (for gender determination), the team also recorded the exact coordinates of the location, underwater visibility, water temperature, currents and wind direction. They also took plankton samples, which are later examined in a laboratory.
Protecting with data
The collected data is shared with the Maldivian government. Since 2009, the area has officially been designated as a ‘marine protected area’ and, thanks to MWSRP data, a speed limit of 10 knots has been in place since 2025. Still, progress is slow, Danja notes.
“Change has been initiated, but tourism around whale sharks is and remains big business, and protection is lagging behind. Speedboats can turn into cowboys as soon as a shark is spotted, and night expeditions are organised where bright lights attract plankton – and therefore whale sharks. This completely disrupts their natural rhythm: these animals feed during the day and rest at night, but due to such activities, this cycle is reversed, with potentially negative consequences for their health and for broader biodiversity.”
Even enforcing the speed limit proves to be a challenge. “Since this year, rangers are responsible for enforcement, but their boat has been out of action for months with engine problems.”
“I want to give something back to the places I visit. I want to leave them better than I found them.”
Mystery of the ocean
Whale sharks remain a mystery. The specimens in the Maldives are relatively young (8 to 20 years old, up to 8 metres long), but they can grow to 18 metres and live up to 130 years. Where they go when they leave the area remains unknown.
“They disappear into the deep ocean.”
Even their reproduction was until recently a big mystery. For a long time, it was believed that whale sharks laid eggs, like many other shark species. But in 1996, this idea was completely overturned. A female was accidentally caught off the coast of Taiwan, with no fewer than 300 unborn young inside her. This discovery indicated that whale sharks are ovoviviparous: the eggs hatch inside the mother’s body, after which the young are born alive. Since then, it has been clear that whale sharks reproduce very differently than previously thought, although much remains unknown. Where, when and how often they reproduce is still a mystery, just like the places where adult whale sharks reside outside the known hotspots.
“I want to leave a place better than I found it”
How did Danja come up with the idea for this special journey? “I still love travelling, but I want it to have more meaning. And I want it to leave a smaller footprint than a normal holiday.
I want to give something back to the places I visit. I want to leave them better than I found them.”
Sustainability also remains a common thread in her professional life. But especially outside the office walls, she looks for ways to turn her passion for nature and meaningful travel into action.
“Whether with the Maasai in Kenya or among the whale sharks in the Maldives, I want to keep learning, contributing and inspiring.”
Want to work at CFP too?
Danja shows how conscious choices, curiosity and a passion for nature can also lead to making an impact outside your work. Would you like to contribute to a more sustainable world just like Danja?
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