Tan-awan, Oslob is a small fishing village in the southern part of Cebu that has a big adventure waiting for you. Almost every day Whale Sharks gather to feed not far from the coast giving you the opportunity to encounter them, and if you like, you can even go for a swim with these gentle giants. Whale Sharks are the biggest fish in the ocean, averaging about 32 feet with a weight up to 20 tons. The biggest one was actually 40 feet, that’s the same size as a bus. Luckily for us, they don’t eat humans, only tiny little plankton. So if you are looking for something new, fun and most likely a once in a lifetime experience, you should definitely give this a try.
We were staying at the Seafari Resort not far from the Whale Shark watching area and they were offering to bring us there by boat. The ride along the beautiful, rocky coast in a small Bangka didn’t take long but already gave us a taste of what was to come. Even though we went early in the morning, there were already many people when we arrived. After buying the tickets for the tour we had a short briefing with the guide telling us the do’s and don’ts of the encounter with the sharks. Shortly after, we were already on the small boat heading out to the area where the Whale Sharks were spotted.
Only a few minutes later we saw the first Whale Shark. At first it looked like a huge black cloud or shadow floating in the deep, blue crystal clear water between the small boats. It was an amazing sight and we got even more excited to go into the water and take a closer look. When we finally stopped, we immediately put on the diving goggles and jumped from the boat into the water. While swimming and looking around we noticed that there wasn’t only one but already three Whale Sharks circling the Bangka’s opening and closing their huge mouth filtering the plankton out of the water. I was holding on to the boat with my head under water just starring at these beautiful giants. Only 15 minutes later it was all over again and we had to go back into the boat and back to land. It really was a once in a lifetime experience and we are more than happy that we decided to do that. Seeing these huge but friendly fish so close and swimming next to them was just amazing.
Short Tip
If you decide to go Whale Shark watching, try to go to the area as early as possible. It is less crowded in the morning and the water is still clear. You also got a higher chance to see more than one Whale Shark. After your Whale Shark encounter you can take a ride to the Tumalog Falls, which are not far, or visit the Heritage Park in Oslob and spend the rest of the day there.
Check out some of our other posts
Day Trip to Camotes Island: https://goo.gl/uwKaqL
Island Hopping Tour: https://goo.gl/oKPL12
Simala Shrine, Cebu's Castle Chruch: https://goo.gl/pdcZsN
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