Having a whale (shark) of a time...

Last I left off, I was in Boljoon in preparation for my early morning trip to Oslob which is famous for its whale shark tourism. After an early morning swim, I checked out and waited by the side of the road for a bus to come barrelling towards me. For those wanting to go to Oslob from Cebu, you can catch a Ceres Liner bus (bright yellow) from the South Bus Terminal every half an hour. However if you're trying to get there from anywhere else, you'll just have to flag down a moving one from the road. As such, we were on the side of the road for about an hour waiting since the bus had been delayed by traffic (how typical). Eventually the bus arrived and we were soon barrelling down the narrow coastal roads at speeds which made me scared we would tip over on the bends.

Half an hour later, we pulled into Tan-awan Oslob, where we were promptly escorted into one of the whale shark tourist places (the bus driver obviously received a commission for our delivery). For a fee of 1000 PHP ($30AUD), that allowed me to swim/snorkel with the whale sharks. For those content to just observe from the boat, it was 500 PHP and for those who wanted to scuba dive, it was 1500 PHP. We chipped in another 500 PHP for an underwater camera, which resulted in us getting our own boat and photographer. Soon enough we were being paddled out to the whale sharks, while being briefed about the rules. No touching them. No splashing. No flash photography. No sunscreen (it deters them). As we pulled closer and closer to the feeding area, I could feel my excitement growing. The moment had arrived - we were to enter the water! Seeing the large dark shapes swimming under the surface was initially scary until I reminded myself these were gentle creatures who only feasted on plankton.

Putting on my mask and life jacket (for safe measure given that I'm not too strong in the water), I put my head under and explored the underwater environment. To my delight there were whale sharks everywhere! The guides up on top were throwing plankton into the water to attract them, ranging from 6-10m in length. And these were apparently the smaller ones!

Of course with an underwater camera, I had to capture my experience of swimming with the beautiful whale sharks. My photographer and guide expertly guided (re: pushed and pulled) me into position for each shot. More often than not, they would be yelling at me that there was a whale shark behind me and that this would be a perfect photo op. And with that, they would yell out "1,2,3!!" and pull/push me underwater. Posing underwater was much harder than I thought it would be but I ended up with quite a few good photos with the whale sharks!

For this photo, I hadn't realised how close the whale shark was and when the guide pushed me underwater I actually went straight into it. Out of shock, I ended up kicking off on it accidentally which is what this photo captures. Whale Shark Rider!

I can't even really describe the feeling of being in the water with the whale sharks. It was just pure amazement and excitement. I never thought I would do something like this, and to be just so close to these majestic creatures was such a great experience. Definitely do it if you come to the Philippines!

While we were in Oslob, we took a little sidetrip to the Tumalog Falls just a kilometre down the road (240PHP round trip). Fitting both my friend and myself on the back of a motorcycle was quite a squeeze, and we certainly felt every bump in the road on the steep ascent up the mountain! Once we got to the entrance of the park at the top of the mountain, we had to pay the entrance fee (20PHP) and transfer to a different rider who would take us down to the bottom of the mountain (50PHP). Once we reached the bottom, it was merely a short walk to the actual waterfall and pool. It was mesmerising to watch the water cascading over all the rocks and splashing out. And the pool at the bottom of the falls had such clear water. I ended up sitting on the edge and putting my legs in. It was freezing cold though, a huge temperature difference from to the tropical waters I had been swimming in an hour earlier.

After sitting on the edge of the pool and enjoying the spray from the Tumalog Falls for what seemed like an eternity, it was time to head back up to the top of the mountain. This was definitely a worthwhile sidetrip from the whale sharks and something I would recommend doing.

Back at the whale shark tourist hub, we showered, packed our gear and then waited on the side of the road for a passing bus to take us on the 4-hour trip back to Cebu. On the bus back, I couldn't help but replay the amazing day I had had. As bad as the first few days of my trip had been, this day alone had made up for it and reminded me just how incredibly lucky I am to be able to travel the world and experience days like this. It definitely puts everything into perspective.


HBL signing out from Oslob, Philippines.

Up next: You're OK Boracay...
Previously: My Filipino adventure begins...