Swimming with the Gentle Giants of Oslob

I first heard about the whale sharks of Oslob Cebu about two years ago. The pictures I saw on the internet were pretty amazing. The whales were very near the shore and seemed to be coming by appointment as people who flock to the area were never disappointed and always gets to see several whale sharks in any given day. Some, it seems, didn't just get to see them but rode on them as well. I thought then that surely, this will not last long.

I have been whale watching in Pamilacan, Bohol   before and it was definitely unlike what was happening in Oslob. Back then we had to hire a boat, leave in the wee hours of the morning and spend practically the whole day pursuing the gentle giants in their natural environment. When we finally spot them, we watch in awe from afar as they do their thing.

In Oslob, all you have to do is hop on a banca where you are paddled off just a few minutes from the shore. Local fishermen will then feed the whale sharks and lure them right next to your banca. you can then get down and swim with them.

To me then, this sounds too good to be true. I'm sure environmentalists will be screaming their lungs off. I wanted to see it for myself anyway so I bundled my eldest son and off we went with some of my friends. The whale sharks must have sensed that a skeptic was coming because the whale sharks never appeared that day. The locals said that was a first. Although I was disappointed, having traveled by bus for four hours or so, I also felt glad that for the whale sharks. It seems that they are finally back in the wild, where they truly belong.

But I guess I was wrong. The whale sharks kept coming back up to this day. I finally had a chance to swim with them a year or more after my first attempt and I was truly awed by the experience. It was eerie at first, its hard to imagine swimming with these gentle giants right next to you. I felt so small and insignificant. I felt like i didn't belong. The ocean is theirs and not mine.I have no right to mess up their home. People have no right to mess up the ocean.

I was glad though that Oslob has new rules for whale shark watching. This might not be perfect but it is a good beginning.