Swimming with Whale Sharks

If you want to swim with these gentle giants, read this blog to find out everything you need to know to make it happen.

You might get lucky and see a whale shark in the wild while swimming in the Philippines, Indonesia or many other countries. If you want a sure thing, Oslob is the place to go as they are organized to guarantee your sightings.

Before it was the organized tourist activity it is today, local fisherman would feed the whale sharks krill to lead them away from their boats and better their chances for fishing. Divers discovered this practice and started paying the fisherman to feed them where they wanted. Even though social media wasn't what it was today, photos of snorkelers with Whale Sharks went viral and popularity grew. Almost 200 fisherman partnered with the government to form Oslob Whale Sharks and built the whale shark tourism. While there is some debate over the ethics of this practice, it id undeniably one of the best experiences in the Philippines.

Whale Sharks are an endangered species and under protection in the Philippines. This has led to a lot of controversy over how the locals organize swimming with them. Since the boatmen feed the Whale Sharks to lure them to the boats it can effect the Whale Sharks natural habits. Some of the concerns are malnutrition due to a lack of variety in their diet, change in behaviour as they associate boats with food, effects on migration and breeding patterns since they want to stay where easy food is, and being more vulnerable - especially to diseases as they stay closer to the surface. However, there are not a lot of studies, especially long term, done on any of these subjects. We can all agree there are impacts on them, but it is hard to know for certain without more research being done.

The positives of these encounters are also not well tracked so it can be hard to make a decision on the impacts either way. They say that the money goes back to protecting the Whale Sharks and the reef, but it's hard to know for sure. The town itself would struggle if it lost the revenues from this activity so at least you know you are supporting the local economy and providing livelihoods.

When to visit Oslob?

Like the majority of South East Asia, the Philippines have two seasons. Here in Canada, we are used to four, but they only have wet and dry. The wet season is considered the ‘off season’, as most travelers do not want to be exploring for days on end in the rain. The dry season is considered ‘peak season’ as it’s perfect for beach days.

Our trip happened to coincide with the dry season in the Philippines. It's important to know that all countries in South East Asia do not necessarily have the same wet and dry seasons due to their geographical location. The least rainy months in Oslob are November through May if you want to go at peak season. Often, the wet season can have cheaper rates, but we found it affordable even in the dry season.

How to get to Oslob?

You do have a variety of options to get to Oslob depending on where you are coming from. We flew into Cebu city and took a bus to Moalboal first. We were able to take a bus from Moalboal to Oslob. We did consider renting a private car, although it is considerably higher priced than the bus. I would recommend bringing snacks and drinks, although you will find that vendors get on the bus when it stops to sell food and drinks.

How to get around Oslob?

A common way to get around in Oslob, like the majority of south east Asia, is to rent a scooter. Although traffic wasn't as busy here as Hanoi or Ubud, you should only rent one if you know how to, and are comfortable, driving one. Traffic can be very different here than your home country and if you are not familiar with a scooter you will be dangerous to both yourself and those around you. We booked a hotel walking distance from the whale sharks, which meant that restaurants and shops were also very accessible to us. Our hotel also provided a shuttle to and from the whale sharks since we went early in the morning.

What to do in Oslob?

Check my Instagram for a video!

Seeing the Whale Sharks is possible every day starting at 6am, and I would recommend trying to be there first thing in the morning. Since we had Kymani, we arranged with our hotel for someone to stand in line and purchase our tickets for us. We were picked up at our hotel shortly before 6am, once our tickets were secured. Even though we received tickets for boat 15, we had to wait 45 minutes to be called.

I highly recommend hiring a guide through your hotel if they offer it. Even though there is an organization behind this activity, it is organized chaos. It is hard to tell where the line is to buy your ticket, who is waiting to go and you can't always hear as they call the boat number. Our guide was able to tell us where to go and when which made the process significantly smoother.

While waiting for your boat to be called, you will here a safety announcement over and over. It is important to follow the guidelines set out. Here's a brief overview of what is allowed and not;

• Do not wear sunscreen.

• Do not wear fins.

• Do not feed the Whale Sharks.

• Do not touch the Whale Sharks.

• Do bring your underwater camera.

• Do not use flash photography.

• Do wear the lifejacket provided.

The fisherman leading this attraction do still feed the Whale Sharks to attract them. There will be several kayaks paddling in a circle, only about 50m off shore, occasionally dumping krill and shrimp overboard to lead the whale sharks. The boats with the tourists will form a semi circle around this to see the whale sharks. Your boat will queue up at one end and the will slowly move forward with the first one leading the way back to shore.

Once your boat is in line, you are allowed to remove your life jacket and enter the water. You will not be allowed to leave the vicinity of your boat or go in front of another. The guides on the boat will ensure you stay in the proper location so everyone gets a chance to see the Whale Sharks. Even though you are restricted to your area, do not think it will be less chaotic. Everyone there wants to see the Whale Sharks up close and get their footage. I was kicked, swam over and pushed out of the way repeatedly.

*Even though you can remove your lifejacket, only do it if you are a strong swimmer!

While it is not what most consider an authentic experience, it can be a bucket list item for sure. If you're doing slow travel or not travelling with an infant it is probably a lot easier to be patient in having a natural encounter. For us, we chose this to guarantee we could see them. It is also a great way to support the local economy. This once small fishing town has blossomed thanks to the Whale Sharks and the tourism industry is the primary source of income for many.

Everyone needs to make their own decisions when it comes to the ethics of animal encounters. I have heard that the industry does try to protect the Whale Sharks and the reef, and that profits are fed back into protecting the coast.

Bonus:

Add a quick stop to Tumalog Falls for some fun photos and a quick dip. There is an entrance fee, and an option to pay for a scooter ride up and down the large hill. It is very well organized and easy to visit. The drive to the falls is scenic as you go up into the mountains and can see the coast.

Since you pay admission, there are guides below who will help you get that perfect shot! We learned while visiting Bali to never say no when they offer to take our photo.