OSLOB WHALE SHARK WATCHING

Whale Shark Watching

(Tan-awan, Oslob)

As I've promised, you'll get more of me this summer so here I am! Back and eager to share the experiences I had from my recent summer spree. To begin with, let me share to you the first place I and my troop visited. It's the new found fame of the once somnolent town of Oslob, Cebu. The WHALE SHARK (locally referred as ”butanding”) WATCHING. You can swim with these sweet-tempered giants or simply watch them from your boat ( locally referred as sakayan or banca). After paying the fees (breakdown of expenses will be shown below) you will have to wait for your turn. It is not a first-come first-serve basis because it will depend on the capacity of the available boat. Like in our case, there were six of us in total and the available boat can accommodate 10 people so the fishermen gave us an option to share it with others or if not then we can wait for another boat to arrive that can accommodate our exact quantity. We opted for the first choice since it is no big deal for us, and we were too exited to start our whale shark watching to wait for another boat. It was a weekend (Saturday)when we went there (more crowded compared to regular weekdays) so there's not much of a choice too, unless you are willing to wait for what seems like forever, which we were not since we've got plenty of plans on our “to-do list” that are yet to be accomplished. So the journey begins!

They transported us to the briefing area for a 5-minute discussion of the Do's and Don't's. Our boat companions are going to dive, so we don't have a choice but to wait in the boat. Afterward, off we sail away to our most awaited part!

Meet the giants!

There are bancas specifically tasked for feeding the giants to make them come closer. Now don't lash out on me! I too don't agree to this kind of treatment. As it makes the whale sharks very dependent that I'm scared they may no longer be able to fend for their own, but what I can do? It's the only trick they know to make them come closer for a better view to the tourists and to make a good source of income for the locals.

Another giant swimming! Yay! The shadow itself is very overwhelming already.

The whale shark watching goes from 6am to 12:30 high noon only due to the scorching summer sun. According to the fisherman, we had a little chit-chat with, the whales are gone after 12:30 (maybe to find food for themselves, I guess?) so it gives me a little sigh of relief that they don't just hang around there waiting for another tomorrow to be fed again. Apologies if I don't have an underwater photo to give you a better view as I was too afraid to the thought of swimming with these huge fishes. However, after I saw how harmless they were, I promised myself that I'll definitely be back for a swim with them. The whale shark watching runs for about 30 minutes per boat, but mostly it goes beyond the given time.

I wouldn't lecture you how much distance you should maintain if you decide to swim with them. Common sense would tell you, or else you'll go home with bandages, and it's not gonna be the whales fault because in the very first place, who is smarter anyway? LOL

Expenses going to Oslob:

Travel Time- 2-3 hours

Bus fare (south bus terminal to tan-awan oslob)- 155 (air-conditioned bus)

Whale Watching only- 300 Php (for local tourists)

Entrance fee- 100 Php (inclusive of locker, shower and whole day use of resort amenities. This only applies for the resort we were in.)

Snorkeling- 500 (inclusive of equipments) + 100 entrance fee.

For foreigners- 1,000 Php (higher rate for some reasons I don't know. It's too much I know, but what can I do?)

If you have an underwater camera, it's better, but if you don't you can also rent from them. Sorry, I don't have the price for it. I hope my documentation is of somewhat help to you who haven't been there and are planning to visit the whales anytime soon. Surely, you'll forget how high the costs are once you've seen them. These good-natured giants are priceless, so we should do our part in taking good care of them too. After our sea adventure, off we went to another tourist spot Oslob has to offer TUMALOG FALLS.

To God be all the Glory!