Swimming with the Gentle Giants

I've always wanted to do the butanding experience ever since reading about it back in 2010 when I had a planned trip to Bicol. Unfortunately, neither that trip nor the butanding watching pushed through.

So it was a good thing that these whale sharks could now be seen just a few hours down south, in the town of Oslob.

I admit that I was skeptical at first if these butandings were the real thing (ahaha), like how could they find their way to these shores? So when news broke out about how they were "domesticated", and how the locals weren't treating them right and making money out of the visitors who flocked to the town to see them, I was all about boycotting this tourist trap.

Through time, though, it seemed that not only were the environmentalists taking notice, the government was joining in on the cause to protect these gentle giants as well. Finally, when Yza (one of my best friends) went there with her family a few months back, she reported that it wasn't as bad as how it was made out to be, and that there was indeed a briefing process before you were allowed to swim with them. I figured I could give it a try.

Thus, when our team decided to head to Oslob for our first ever team outing, it was a great opportunity to take a side trip to watch these whale sharks at sea. That was how I found myself in a rented multicab along with some other team mates heading to the whale watching area.

It's more fun in Oslob!

When we arrived, we were ushered in to this unfinished resort that had a great view of the sea. There was this guy who explained the options that we could avail of, as well as the payment process.

For reference, here is a picture that I took of their price listing:

The price of being in the presence of Gentle Giants

Simply put, you had the option to either swim or sight see. Sight seeing meant riding the small boat out to the water, and watching the whale sharks swim by up close. Swimming meant you actually get the chance to go into the water with them by donning a life vest (optional, unless you didn't know how to swim), a swim mask, and a snorkel. Sight seeing cost Php 300, while Swimming/Snorkeling cost Php 500. I'm not sure about the pricing for foreigners, though, but I figured that was the local price since on the picture above, you could see a REGULAR rate at the top.

Richie with the "Research Team" LOL

Eight of us decided to go through with the activity, while the rest opted to just watch from the balcony.

They look so sweet, don't they? :)

Bantay bata LOL

I, along with Aris, Brenda, Ching (Lyle's wife), and Lyle's sister, was part of the first batch to head out, and we got on to 2 small boats that paddled us a few meters down the shore to the briefing area.

Those we left behind. :)

We were given a set of rules to follow, as well as the penalties for violating them. Of course, safety was a primary concern, and we were advised to not be scared by these giant fishies as they really were quite harmless.

Our "briefer" haha. :)

To summarize, here are the things we should keep in mind while in the water:

• You're given 30 minutes. Time starts when the boatman has spotted the butanding.
• Stay 5 meters away from the whale shark. No touching. Those found violating this rule will be fined Php 2,000, and imprisoned. (Underwater police kept people in check - and yes, they were there, in scuba gear).
• No sun screen lotions. They are poisonous for the whale sharks.
• No flash when taking photos.
• If a whale shark comes at you, or you find yourself in one's path, do not panic. Just swim away, but refrain from splashing about as this causes bubbles to form and may make the whale shark think it's food.
• If it's too late to swim away, just stay where you are. The whale shark will dodge you. (They actually do)

Once all that was discussed, we were led back to the shore, where a couple of different bangkas awaited. Brenda, Aris, and I took one boat, while Lyle's wife and sister took the second boat. A few minutes of paddling later, we found ourselves tied to this rope out on the sea (connected to buoys), and barely a minute later, a whale shark was swimming past and we were told that we could dive in.

Diz iz really iz it!

Now, you may be asking why we were tied to this rope. Allow me explain.

Basically, the rope is a sort of docking station for bangkas. Everyone hooks their small boats here, and the butandings just swim past. How do they know how to do that? Well, a few small bangkas paddle past the line of boats moored to the rope, and drop these small shrimps and stuff to the butanding that follows the boat around like a puppy to its master. So you can just imagine how funny that must look to an onlooker (we were just a few meters away from the shore). Hence, if you only paid to see them up close, you just needed to sit back, relax, and wait for a whale shark to pass your bangka. The water was so blue and clear that they are really visible from above, even without you jumping in to the water to see them.

See how close they swim past? And how pretty is the color of the sea? :)

Still, I felt a bit cheated. It wasn't how I expected it to be, as it somehow felt like an out-in-the-open zoo, or circus even, where the animals were paraded in front of the waiting spectators. I kind of felt sorry for the whale sharks, but the locals there claim that they didn't domesticate these animals; rather, they've been there for years and were seen as pests, with some even shooing them away but they kept coming back and feeding off of the small shrimps and plankton in the area. 

But the experience of actually being in the water with them was amazing, nonetheless. It almost felt surreal, even, with the water all clear and vibrantly blue, and these huge fishies swimming past (lol). Though they weren't as big as I expected them to be, they were still really big. It was scary at first, but eventually, you find yourself moving closer, wanting to take an even closer look and picture.

The first butanding I saw! :D

Full body shots - looks like a regular fish, huh?

Tail shots (LOL).

Mid-section body shots

"Standing" (upright) butanding captures :)

The downside of that whole experience was the waves that kept rolling in. I've always had motion-sickness, which I usually remedy by taking Bonamine before a bus/boat/plane trip, but I neglected to bring some chewables with me this time around, thinking it wouldn't be too bad out on the water. I was dead wrong.

Taking pictures of myself, in the attempt to find my bearings and shrug off the nausea :P

About a few minutes in, I wanted to go back to the shore. Haha!

But I persisted. The funny thing was that I could never get a good picture of myself with the whale shark, and the boatman only took notice some time later when I was no longer in the mood (was hanging on to the outrigger, looking really pale - according to Brenda who opted not to dive in).  Also, the snorkel gear I was provided was defective (the snorkel was not secured to the mask, rather, they tied it with some sort of plastic tie but it still kept falling back), so I always ended up sucking in water through the tube). I ended up taking it off after I got fed up with it.

Fail vanity shots with the whale shark

My "best" attempt!

I wasn't in the best of conditions by the time the boatman offered to take my picture, thus, all the pictures he took of me with the whale sharks were meh. I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THE PICTURES YOU TOOK, MANONG!

NO! I will NEVER EVER post the original pictures! Hahaha!

Poi, Lyle, and Richie had better pictures, though, as they gave the boatman my camera right from the start, and thus, there were A LOT of pictures of them in the water, underwater, and with the butandings. *envious*

Guys day out hahaha :))

Getting ready to jump? Relax, Poi, breathe!

Fail underwater shots with the whale shark ahaha! :D

The small bangkas passing by with whale sharks trailing them

Oh well, I had better pictures of the whale sharks anyway! Hahahaa! :D Check this out:

I love the close up picture the best! :)

I'd say I did get my money's worth, though. Just being in the presence of these gentle giants was awesome. Still, if I get the chance, I would very much like to try out the butanding watching in Donsol, Sorsogon.

Someday! ^_^

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To get to Oslob from Cebu City, just head to the South Bus Terminal, and board a bus bound for Oslob. I recommend the Ceres buses (especially the newer ones with the wi-fi). Between the airconditioned and non-airconditioned buses, the difference in prices is just around 8 to 12 pesos. I'll go for the airconditioned ones since they are more comfortable (temperature and space-wise).

Projected Expenses if going directly to the whale watching area:
Php 144 - AC bus to Oslob
Php 500 - snorkeling with the whale sharks
Php 70 - payment to the resort (for usage of facilities)
Php 144 - AC bus back to Cebu City
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PHP 858.00

If you opt to stay for a night in the town, there are a number of options. For us, this activity was a side trip from our Team Outing. More on that here.

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BONUS: