Oslob Whale Shark Watching

Oslob whale shark watching is a fast growing tourist destination in the Southern part of Cebu. Cebu City is starting to grow and to develop and so as a result, traffic is getting heavier so better start travelling as early as possible. Oslob whale shark watching is a 2-3hrs drive form the main city of Cebu so better start travelling before the sun rises.

In our case, we started travelling at 4:00 am and reached our destination at around 7:00 am. (April 21, 2016) We took a private car to save some time in waiting for the bus, but of course it costs us a lot as well but on the other hand, it was hassle free. They picked us up at the hotel and drove us towards our next destination after Oslob whale shark watching. But if you prefer a cheaper way, buses are a great option. The earliest bus trip is I guess 3am but you can check their schedule in this website for further information. (http://www.cebu.gov.ph/cebu-south-bus-terminal-bus-schedules/)

I am a first timer in Cebu but I didn’t find it hard to locate the Whale Shark watching area. You can easily notice it along the sides of the road. They placed some tarpaulins on both sides of the road. Another sign that you are near the area, is that you will noticed a lot of cars parking on the side of the road. Oslob Whale Shark watching parking space is a bit small, so other drivers parked their cars on the safe side of the Road. You don’t have to worry about the safety of your cars because there are some “watchers” as well guiding the traffic.

When you are inside the area, you will be required to listen first on their orientation. After it, you will line up for your swimming gears. (Life jacket and goggles). Then you will sign up/register for your boat number. They will assign you for your boat. If you are with someone or a friend, you will be considered as one. So the number that you are holding will be the number of your group/friends. You will be guided in a small boat and if there are still some spaces, they will include other people to be with you. So just expect that you will be with other tourist as well. But during those time, I saw some boats with only 2 persons, I guess they paid bigger amount compared to the regular ones. (Rich kids, hhahahhaha)

During the orientation, they will explain the dos and don’ts during the activity. But I will give you some as far as I can remember.

1.  No applying of lotion or sunblock because according to them, it may harm the whale sharks. Just in case you applied those before going to the area, there are shower areas on each side of the beach to wash those off.
2. Do not touch the whale sharks. There are “watchers” on each assigned boats, and if you are caught touching the whales, you will be pay the fines or worst you will be in jail for days.
3. No using of Flash Camera. Whales are highly sensitive to light so using those may harm them
4. You can only swim 4 or 3 meters away from the whales to avoid contact. But if in case the whale is coming near you, just be calm and do not move too much to avoid scratching them or hurting them. (my friend accidentally touched its tails) The whales are so harmless and I should say cute! Hahhaha. Especially when you look at their eyes and mouth. Hahhaa. Such a magnificent creature.

If you don’t have any sports camera/Underwater camera, there are some booth there that you can rent their cam for 30 min. Whale Shark watching is a 30 min activity, so it’s just enough for your trip. By the way, if you are worried about not having breakfast because of the early travel, you don’t have to worry! There are stores there (actually a looooot of stores) that offers foods and stuffs. You can buy foods after going to the whale shark. Also there are lockers in the area so you can just rent to leave your valuable things.

During the whale shark watching, it’s a big plus if you are an EXPERT swimmer. Again, EXXXXXPEEERT! I have this friend who claimed that she can swim well but during the activity, she mentioned that it’s hard for her to swim around because of the water current. Don’t expect it to be smooth because it’s an open sea. Everybody will be wearing life jacket, but if you are comfortable to the water, then you can take it off. I am not a swimmer, and I’m scared of deep water but according to one guide, it’s much easier to move without those so I tried taking it off. Indeed it helped me to move freely without the feeling of being dragged away by the ocean. Just cling on the boat and you will be safe.

If you brought underwater cam, better let the guide hold it for you so you can have good videos or pictures with the whale shark. They will offer help for you, so just grab those chance rather than holding it your own. They've been doing that for so long, so you don’t have to worry.

Ooops, before I forgot, I really like how the management treat the locals. They are giving discount for the locals. 500 pesos for locals and 1k for foreigners. For me it’s a good way to treat your “kababayan” because you are giving them opportunity to explore more about your own land rather being a foreigner in your own country. So saludo ako bilang isang PILIPINO!