Saleh Bay whale shark rules: what the law and local codes ask

By Saleh Bay Whale Shark Editorial Desk

Saleh Bay whale shark rules come in layers. A ministerial decree fully protects the species, a ministry guideline document sets three metres from the side and a 60-minute limit, and West Nusa Tenggara has its own regulation, known here through press reports. Sellers then publish their own distances, which differ. Ask each seller which number it works to.

Is the whale shark legally protected in Indonesia?

Yes. Ministerial Decree 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013, enacted on 20 May 2013, gives whale sharks full protection status, and the marine ministry's legal database lists it as in force. This is the firmest layer in the stack, though we do not summarise its clauses.

International listings sit alongside it. The species is on CMS Appendix I and II, and on CITES Appendix II since 2002 according to a 2025 paper. The IUCN Red List assessed it as Endangered on 18 March 2016, with a decreasing population. As described here, none of these gives a swimmer a distance in metres. Those numbers come from the layers below.

Nothing on this page is legal advice. It summarises documents for travellers, and some of those documents have an uncertain status, as the next section explains. For the rest of the Saleh Bay whale shark picture, see our overview.

What does the ministry guideline document say?

The most detailed text is a national whale shark tourism guideline on the marine ministry's site. Be careful how you describe it. The copy available has its document number left blank and is filed as meeting material, so we call it a ministry guideline document and do not call it enacted. It is the most detailed national text cited here, without being proof of a binding rule.

For visitors in the water it says:

• No lights for photography, no scooters and no jet skis.
• No physical contact, which it spells out as touching, pulling, chasing or riding.
• Divers and snorkellers stay at least three metres from the shark's side.
• Snorkelling and diving limited to 60 minutes, and boat-based watching to 90 minutes. The text writes the 90 beside the word for sixty, an evident typo, so treat that second limit with some caution.
• Snorkellers keep near a rope or floating bar the operator provides.
• Tourists sign a waiver, and divers show a recognised dive licence.

What do West Nusa Tenggara's local rules add?

West Nusa Tenggara's Governor Regulation 100/2023 deals with whale shark governance in the waters of Saleh Bay. Its text is known here only through press coverage, so we do not quote its clauses. If you hold a copy, we would like to see it.

Kompas reports that the local rules prohibit touching whale sharks, regulate distance, prohibit camera lights, ask tourists not to wear jewellery and forbid littering. That reporting gives no distance figure. Antara reports a separate limit of 20 people diving or swimming every 30 minutes at Saleh Bay, without tying that limit to a clause.

Kompas lists the jewellery line; we cannot say which document it comes from. Conservation rules may also change: our page on the Saleh Bay conservation area and the 2026 decree follows that separate process.

How do Saleh Bay whale shark rules differ on distance?

Compare any whale shark code of conduct listed for Saleh Bay and three metres from the side is the most common figure. The disagreement is over the tail, and over one operator's much larger claim.

The five to ten metres claim comes only from Neptune Scuba Diving. No government text cited here confirms it, so do not read it as the legal requirement. If a guide gives you a stricter number than this table, follow the guide.

The two sellers above differ by one metre on the tail, and the ministry text as cited gives no separate figure to settle it.

What guest code does one resort publish?

Amanwana's trade guide publishes a guest code for its own excursion. It keeps three metres from the side and head and four from the tail, caps guests in the water at six, sets 60 minutes for each rotation and asks guests to remove jewellery and metal accessories. Its diagram adds a 250-metre exclusive zone with a maximum of 8 knots, and engines off at 30 metres. That speed differs from the 10 knots in the ministry document. This is one resort's policy, not a rule for boats from the village. Its four metres from the tail is less than The Langkah Travel's listed five, so ask any seller which figures it works to.

What rules apply to boats?

The ministry document requires motorised boats to cut engines no closer than 30 metres from a shark and to keep to 10 knots within one mile when approaching. It also asks boats to moor on the bagan. The Langkah Travel adds a maximum of two boats per whale shark, as a line in its own listing.

A passenger can watch for these. If your boat is running under power close to a shark, or several boats have converged on one animal, you can see the boat departing from the ministry document or from that seller's own listing; neither is confirmed here as binding.

What do rules ask of operators and guides?

According to the ministry document, operators need at least a tourism business registration and a reservation mechanism, and guides need named certifications. It lists a waiver, a boat ladder, and first aid or emergency boat arrangements among operators' duties. Asik Travel's published code adds life jackets and a local guide with each group.

Those are fair questions to put in writing before you pay. Our page on choosing a Saleh Bay whale shark tour covers the paperwork, and the safety page covers ladders and first aid. We have not verified any operator's paperwork and do not rate operators.

Are the rules being followed?

Not always, on the evidence available. The FAO AGRIS record of a 2024 study links whale shark tourism in Saleh Bay to negative effects on shark welfare, and records many violations, by tourists and operators alike, that call for more monitoring. We rely on its Indonesian abstract and give no counts. The wider debate is on our page asking whether Saleh Bay whale shark tourism is ethical.

The reasoning behind the no-touch rule is partly about the animal and partly about you. The Langkah Travel's reason is that a touch can harm the shark's protective mucus layer, and that placoid scales can cut skin. That is an operator's explanation and not a study, but it points the same way as the guideline document's ban on contact.

What do people most often ask about these rules?

How close can you get to a whale shark in Saleh Bay?

The ministry guideline document says no closer than three metres from the side. Sellers add four or five metres from the tail, and one operator claims five to ten metres, which no government text cited here confirms.

Can you touch a whale shark?

No. The ministry guideline document bans physical contact, and Kompas reports that the local rules prohibit touching. Decree 18/2013 also gives the species full protection.

Is flash photography allowed with whale sharks in Saleh Bay?

No. Kompas reports that the local rules prohibit camera lights, the ministry guideline document bans lights for photography, and sellers including The Langkah Travel list no flash.

How long can you swim with whale sharks?

The ministry guideline document limits snorkelling and diving to 60 minutes. Antara separately reports a limit of 20 people in the water every 30 minutes at Saleh Bay.

Are whale sharks protected in Indonesia?

Yes. Ministerial Decree 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013 grants full protection, and the ministry's legal database shows it as in force.

Which sources support this page?

• Marine ministry legal database: Decree 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013
• Convention on Migratory Species: whale shark
• Geographia Technica, 2025: Saleh Bay whale shark habitat
• IUCN Red List: whale shark
• Marine ministry guideline document (number blank, filed as meeting material)
• Kompas: whale shark tourism in Saleh Bay
• Antara: whale sharks and people in Saleh Bay
• Asik Travel (tour seller): Saleh Bay whale sharks
• The Langkah Travel (operator): Saleh Bay whale sharks
• Neptune Scuba Diving (operator): whale sharks in Indonesia
• FAO AGRIS record of a 2024 Saleh Bay tourism study
• Amanwana: whale shark experience trade guide (resort)

How do I reach the desk?

Send corrections to WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or bd@juaraholding.com, especially if you have the text of Governor Regulation 100/2023 or a numbered version of the ministry document. The desk can also answer questions about a trip you are considering. Nothing it says about a rule is legal advice, and its reasons for taking requests are set out on the about page.