We had a chance to have a #roadtrip down south of Cebu, a chance to have fun and enjoy each other's company, a chance to meet new friends.
First Stop: Whale Shark Watching at Oslob, Cebu
Locally known as Butanding, these whale sharks are located in the town of Tanawan, Oslob. It was told that they found this place due to the abundance of krill, their food. And when fishermen noticed that these gentle giants does not harm them while fishing and vice versa, thus the rest is history. Thankfully, the government regulated this "up-close encounter" session by letting the sightseer look or swim with them until 12:00NN only. Just like us, they need beauty rest, you know :)
We departed from the city around 6:00 AM. The ride took us 3 hours and when we arrived, the crowd is already huge. We chose the resort recommended by our van's driver and made necessary payments:
Expenses:
Once we sealed the deal, we were brought to the tourist's drop-off place for the orientation. Of all reminders, these are the ones I remembered:
- That we have to rinse off the sun-block we put on our skin as the chemicals may harm the shark whales;
- And that we are not allowed to touch them.
Once done with the orientation, we were told to wait for our turn.
I was bit confused by how it was organized for the drop-off area looks in chaos, all waiting for their turn not knowing when or maybe because its weekend and there were just too many interested to watch the whale sharks or maybe because I did not listen to the instruction that I don't know what to do next.
Anyways, got pretty excited again when it was our turn to ride on the boat. All in all it was fun but I felt sorry for these huge fishes, fact is, it cannot be avoided that they will be hit by the swimmers or from the paddle or from the boat. I just hope that local officers will strictly implement their rules.
Not to spoil the fun, here are our photos :D Special thanks to our boatman who took the pictures.
The ladies & kiddos stayed in the boat while the men and Honey who were braver swam with the whales.
Enjoy!
First Stop: Whale Shark Watching at Oslob, Cebu
Locally known as Butanding, these whale sharks are located in the town of Tanawan, Oslob. It was told that they found this place due to the abundance of krill, their food. And when fishermen noticed that these gentle giants does not harm them while fishing and vice versa, thus the rest is history. Thankfully, the government regulated this "up-close encounter" session by letting the sightseer look or swim with them until 12:00NN only. Just like us, they need beauty rest, you know :)
We departed from the city around 6:00 AM. The ride took us 3 hours and when we arrived, the crowd is already huge. We chose the resort recommended by our van's driver and made necessary payments:
Expenses:
- Whale Watching
- Local Tourist: P300.00
- Foreign Tourist: P500.00 - Swimming with Whales
- Local Tourist: P500.00
- Foreign Tourist: P1000.00 - Underwater Camera Rental: P575.00
- Inclusive use of life jacket, snorkeling gear, boat and boatman to bring you to the whale shark's location and free use of resort's tables and huts in case tourists like to take their snacks or lunch.
Once we sealed the deal, we were brought to the tourist's drop-off place for the orientation. Of all reminders, these are the ones I remembered:
- That we have to rinse off the sun-block we put on our skin as the chemicals may harm the shark whales;
- And that we are not allowed to touch them.
Once done with the orientation, we were told to wait for our turn.
I was bit confused by how it was organized for the drop-off area looks in chaos, all waiting for their turn not knowing when or maybe because its weekend and there were just too many interested to watch the whale sharks or maybe because I did not listen to the instruction that I don't know what to do next.
Anyways, got pretty excited again when it was our turn to ride on the boat. All in all it was fun but I felt sorry for these huge fishes, fact is, it cannot be avoided that they will be hit by the swimmers or from the paddle or from the boat. I just hope that local officers will strictly implement their rules.
Not to spoil the fun, here are our photos :D Special thanks to our boatman who took the pictures.
The ladies & kiddos stayed in the boat while the men and Honey who were braver swam with the whales.
Enjoy!