Swim With The Whale Sharks For Just Rs 1300!
Different people go on a holiday for different reasons. Some go to check out items on their bucket list, some go to check in on Facebook, and there are some who go on a holiday to find themselves in the middle of the ocean among six whale sharks like we did.
he Whale sharks are often referred to as the ‘gentle giant’. They are slow swimming filter-feeders, and is the largest fish species in the WORLD! Fully grown whale sharks can reach incredible lengths of up to 40 feet. Imagine, it’ll be 7 times the size of YOU!
You can swim with these beautiful giants in Oslob, Cebu one of the bigger islands in Philippines.
Swimming with whale sharks is a very popular attraction in Oslob. Offbeat tourists come to see the local fishermen feeding these whale sharks every morning between 6 am and 12 pm in the relatively shallow parts of the Bohol Sea. This experience is well organized and they are very particular about the health of the whales and they educate people who come to see the whales about it.
We went through a quick orientation where they give you instructions on the distance that you MUST to keep from the whale-shark, how we must NOT use sunscreen lotions and how not to be scared if they come too close to you. They then took us into the sea and asked us to calmly slide inside the water and wait.
There were moments of complete silence as we waited for them in the deep blue waters. A few minutes later, these gentle giants emerged so gracefully! Their sheer size makes you feel so insignificant in this world. While we were tried hard to digest the reality as it unfolded, one of the whale sharks swam just beneath our feet. We froze. Was it the fear or awe for these amazing creatures!? We began feeling a lot less intimidated as time passed. It felt blissful to see them move around and sometimes come very close to you.
It’s an incredible feeling to be so up-close to the whales and see them in all their glory but it’s also our duty to make sure that they aren’t harmed or hurt because of us being there. So we should respect the nature and make sure we don’t liter, we don’t use sunscreen or any chemicals like make up and we don’t touch the whales.
You Pay: To Snorkel: PHP 1,000 (Rs 1,300), to view from the Boat: 500 (Rs 700) PHP and to Scuba dive 1,500 PHP. (Rs 2000).
