Making a trip to Donsol to try and swim with the whale sharks is kind of risky in itself because there is absolutely no guarantee that you will see one. The season that they are usually closest to shore in the Philippines is February - May so we had a decent chance of swimming with one as we arrived in early February. The day before we arrived, 8 out of 15 boats (with 6 people in each boat) had seen and swam with one. Sometimes you can get your guide to give you a discounted price to go out on the boat again later in the day or again the following day if you weren't able to interact with one.


We got up early because our boat left at seven and got acquainted with the other members of our group. The permit to visit the whale sharks is about $8 each and the boat costs $88 but if you decide to split it with other people then you end up only paying $15 each. Snorkel gear costs another $15 each (but many people brought their own). We also got an underwater camera which was about $20 (!). On each boat there is the captain, the guide (official name: BIO - Butanding Interaction Officer - Butanding is the name of the whale shark in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines) and two spotters who stand at the top and are always on the lookout for sharks. The whole experience is a little dramatic and one big adrenaline rush. You have to wait in full snorkel gear on the side of the boat while it's speeding around until the guide gives the signal to jump in and swim as fast as you can.

Our guide the first day was not really that great but the other people on the boat were super nice. Our guide explained that you never know what it will be like. Some days there are hundreds of whale sharks just hanging around and each person can swim with their own. But other days there aren't many at all and many boats have to share just one. This can lead to some chaos as 6 boats = 36 people all swimming frantically trying to get a glimpse of the fish.


Unfortunately, our first day was one of those days. The whole day we only got in the water once and didn't really get that great of a view. Everyone was really disappointed and totally bummed. We saw a few fish from the boat but the guides guessed that they were particularly shy or young ones because as soon as the boats arrived, they dove down deep out of sight. It was a waiting game that tested our patience as from 7-2pm we just drove around in the hot sun on the boat looking for whale sharks.


Because we didn't really get to swim with the whale sharks we signed up for another day and this time we got our own boat and guide. This turned out to be an awesome decision and the next day was an absolute blast. There were many whale sharks out and about and we got to swim alongside so many that after a few hours I had pretty much had enough. Our guide was fantastic and every time we would jump in he would grab my arm and we would swim as fast as we could. He was an expert at knowing how and where the fish would move and helped me follow along with it. Sean followed behind me sputtering and gasping because he had given me his snorkel as mine wasn't working. (That's love, people). I didn't think I would be scared at all, but when I was actually in the water so close to the giant beast that I could actually touch it, I kind of freaked out. I don't think I have ever been next to something that huge that was alive - it was crazy!


We took a lot of pictures of the whale sharks with our crappy underwater camera but they didn't really turn out. The experience, however, was unforgettable and Sean said that it was one of the coolest things he had ever done in his life. We had to turn the boat back a bit early the second day because we had to catch a flight back to Cebu. I'm so glad we decided to take the gamble and try swimming with the whale sharks because it was a unique experience that I probably won't ever be able to do again.

1 Comment

1. ARSwolverine on April 12, 2011 at 12:33 AM

   You're so my new hero!