Next stop on my 9 day, 6 flights and 4 ferry boats adventure is Oslob on the island of Cebu in the Philippines!
Being surrounded by sharks might not sound appealing to most but I wake up at 3.30 am for this kind of adventure.
Another short night but a few hours of sleep seem to be enough when you are having so much fun. Respect for my driver/guide who is waiting for me at the hotel lobby and had to wake up much earlier to get here. The back seat reclines and I am napping while the palm trees are flashing by in the dark. As the sun starts peaking through the clouds and the sky slowly starts to reveal it’s colors we approach the whale shark spotting area in Oslob.
Prices are noted very clearly: 500 peso for locals and 1000 peso (around 20 USD) for foreigners.
I actually like this approach much more then the “let’s try to ask a tourist to pay quadruple and we he might end up paying triple the regular fee if we are lucky”. If you want to charge extra be transparent about it. It would be a shame as well if locals cannot visit their own sights anymore as prices are going through the roof because of tourism.
Before I can join the sharks there is a briefing to attend. Yup some regulations is actually a good idea to minimize the impact on wildlife! No sunscreen, luckily I am wearing my rash guard to avoid that I turn into a lobster :-D, do not touch the animals and whenever a shark swims straight at you: move so it can pass.
Sweet I am totally ready, this experience is one of the main items on my bucket list for this trip. A small boat with 2 guides picks me up and brings me about 100 meters from the beach.
Go Pro and snorkel gear ready I jump in the water. Above the surface everything looks normal but once I submerge it’s pure magic. Goosebumps and jaw dropping at the same time underwater. There they are, undisturbed slowly moving towards me like submarines or peaceful blue puma’s from the sea.
In case you did not know yet whale sharks don’t eat meat so no reason to be scared of the largest fish on earth! Although I can assure you the first time this massive creature comes straight at you … you test your swim skills right there!
Yes swimming with whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu wins the prize for coolest experience this year!
Check out my other posts from this 9 days, 6 flights, 4 ferry boats adventure: