Of the things we did during our Cebu trip, this is the destination I'm extremely passionate to talk about. Swimming with the Whale Sharks has been on my imaginary bucket list for a while. My first option was Donsol, since I first heard about it through my instructor in college; who happens to have a family-owned resort in Sorsogon. In 2009, we were already planning a trip to Donsol; but unfortunately, my instructor died a few years after due to an accident. And my plans to visit the place sort of went with him since he was the one spearheading our visit. 

Fast-forward to 2013, my boss at work tried Whale Shark watching in Oslob; and that reminded me of this item on my bucket list. Honestly, I don't want to call it a bucket list because it's NOT that. But for the sake of this blog, let's refer to it in that manner. When the boyfriend and I got together, this was one of the places we wanted to visit first. While doing my research, I found out that a lot of people are against this activity in Oslob due to several reasons; which we'll talk about further. Despite the articles online, of course a part of me still wanted to try it out and see for myself if these allegations are true. Let's find out more about these gentle giants, or as the locals call them, Tuki. 

HOW TO GET THERE

For complete instructions on how to get to Oslob from Cebu City, I've detailed the instructions on this post. Once you get there, you will see which resorts offer the activity. Most of them have the same rates and packages. Just like my previous note, 'most' resorts offer this activity so make sure you don't settle for the first one you see. 

COST AND EXPENSES

For the actual activity, rates for P300 for locals and P500 for foreigners. With the resort that we stayed in, our P300 included snorkel gears, transportation to and from the drop-off point and the boat ride. And as mentioned in my previous post, we decided to rent an underwater camera for P500. We brought an underwater cam with us but we weren't confident with our skills. For P500, we get our own photographer and a soft copy of all our photos. But if you have your own underwater camera, I would highly suggest not renting a camera anymore. Just have the boatman take your photos. 

THE GOOD

After being dropped off, we were told that we had to undergo a short orientation at the briefing center on rules for interaction with the Whale sharks. When we got there, the person in charge of orientation was still working on a current batch so we had to wait for about 3 minutes before we finally got settled in. Here are the rules when interacting with the whale sharks. You can skip this if you're not a fan of text. I'll be posting an infographic towards the end of this post. 

THE BAD

Now, about the not-so-nice things. Even if there's a briefing before you do the actual interaction, no one checks if the tourists boarding the boat actually follow them. I also personally think there were too much boats and tourists at the time of our visit. There were probably 5-6 boats surrounding the 'feeding area'. Assuming there are about 8/pax per boat, that would amount to roughly about 30-40 people trying to swim with the gentle giants all at the same time. 

Some tourists didn't bother following the instructions once they were in the water. There was no one to 'police' them anyway. Some tourists stayed too close, some tourists even deliberately touched the whale sharks. The boat men were to busy trying to position the boats properly or helping out tourists have a glimpse of the Tuki's; which is why I wouldn't be so quick to judge them. 

Some of our photos would appear as if we're too close to the whale sharks, but I assure you, we followed the recommended distance hence the whale sharks appearing smaller than they really are. Of all the ones that we saw, the smallest one was bigger than our boat. So, with that, hopefully you can paint a mental image of how big they are. Note : Simply taking a photo with the boyfriend was a pain in itself due to the number of people--as evident in this set. 

THE VERDICT

I'm also well aware that this sanctuary has been opposed to by a lot of people for several reasons. One of which is the reason that it is not their habitat, and for these animals being migratory by nature, we should be letting them hunt for their own food and not condition them--which is what's being done in Oslob. So to feed or not to feed? Steve De Need of DPS shares this extensive analysis on the whale shark controversy.

Personally, I think swimming with the whale sharks is one of those memories that will stay with me forever.  I know it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm more than lucky to have swam with them, albeit the absence of a decent photo. But I also think the government should step in and implement a fair and sustainable set of rules and regulations, not just here in Oslob but also in Donsol--so as to make sure there's a uniform process being followed all across the country. I also think the measures that are currently in place can actually be effective, if implemented properly. It would help to consult with marine biologists and environmental groups so they can come up with a sustainable way of maintaining tourism while making sure the whale sharks are not harmed. Lastly, as tourists, we should always, always practice responsible tourism. We're lucky to live in a place that offers so much of the wonders of nature. Let's make sure we don't abuse it while we still have the means and resources to enjoy them.