I'm finally getting around to posting about the final destination on our trip - the Philippines. We flew from Singapore to Cebu on February 8 and island-hopped until February 24 when we flew back to Shanghai. Fortunately, the budget airline Cebu Pacific had really cheap flights to and from the Philippines as well as on domestic flights within the country.
While on the plane, I read a really cool article about the chance to swim with whale sharks in another part of the country. We were within the season when the animals would be near shore for mating and feeding so we made a quick decision in the airport and decided to take the next flight out of Cebu to Donsol to try and swim with the largest fish in the world.
The stay in the airport was pretty rough however. Our budget flight had deposited us in Cebu at 4am so we slept on benches until the ticket offices opened and we could buy our ticket to Donsol. Then we slept some more until the flight actually left at 1pm. We were in good spirits though because a) there was free internet in the terminal b) our Chinese ATM cards were working in all the machines and c) there was a Dunkin Donuts. Life really doesn't get any better.
Swimming with whale sharks has started to become big business as tourism for some parts of the Philippines. We headed to Donsol because there is a good system in place for seeing the giant beasts. For example, only a certain amount of people are able to go out in boats every day, you have to go with a trained guide and all of the prices and permits are regulated. Although swimming with whale sharks sounds a little intimidating, they are harmless to people and they aren't sharks - they are just giant, slow-swimming fish who feed on plankton. While some unregulated areas let you ride or touch the fish we were only allowed to swim alongside and observe them.
The coolest thing about whale sharks is their size. They are HUGE! (many grow as long as a bus!) They are also beautiful with gray backs and dappled spots making them easy to see in the water. Fortunately for us, they are relatively slow swimmers that stay near the surface. They also didn't seem to notice or mind the boats or all of the swimmers/divers near them.
We were exhausted when we landed in Legaspi and then had about a two hour ride to Donsol. We ended up splitting a van with a German couple and the rural, winding and twisting almost made all of us sick. When we arrived, we signed up for snorkeling the next day, got our permits, tried on gear and found a hostel and got some dinner. The prices were higher than normal because of being in high season for seeing whale sharks but nobody minded and everyone was super excited about heading out on the boats early in the morning the next day.
Yes. I have a friend who dives with Whale Sharks. I must be the coolest!! :)