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
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!
Butanding! I always wanted to see one up close. I've been to bicol and only saw a shadow of it. lucky you!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to Oslob but I'm pretty excited to experience how it feels like to swim with a "butanding". I also appreciate you sharing the costs of going to this place. Now I know where to spend our family's next summer vacation. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis looks FUN!(: I just hope I'll have the courage to dive!:p
ReplyDeleteSo nice. I wanna go there too once my kids are a bit bigger :)
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised how cheap the fees are! I really wanted to do this! But kailangan ba marunong lumangoy?
ReplyDeleteDi kailangan marunong lumangoy as long as you wear life jacket, pwedeng-pwede :D There are boatman or lifeguards that will assist you.
DeleteGrabe! Ang saya! Lucky you get to see one! I always wanted to go there!
ReplyDeletexoxo
MrsMartinez
wow! swimming with the whale sharks will be an experience-of-a-lifetime! including Oslob in my travel bucket list now + hopefully, I can get to visit the place with my boys very soon! ^_^
ReplyDeletePerhaps the principle is that locals get a special discount? Parang Laguna locals charged lower in EK. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos! Galing! I haven't seen a whaleshark in real life yet (shark oo, sa aquarium/HK ocean park but no whalesharks). Ang ganda din ng rates. Tnx for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteHave not been to Oslob yet!
ReplyDeleteAwesome pics!. Kodus to Hannah, she's brave. Lupigan si Mommy.
ReplyDeleteIsog kaau Jim! she wants to take off her life jacket, wa ko nisugot, ako jud ang nahadlok!
DeleteLovely photos! This will be an adventure that both my husband and son will enjoy. I hope we can experience this, too.
DeleteWhale Shark watching must be quite an experience. I hope I get to do that next time we go to Cebu
ReplyDeleteIve been wanting to visit Cebu! Hopefully, soon!
ReplyDelete