Bicolandia Adventure: Swimming with the (Whale) Sharks

Butandings or Whale Sharks are affectionately known as Gentle Giants. A nickname they rightfully earned thanks to their size and demeanor. It was my second time swimming with these beautiful creatures and it is even better the second time around.

NOTE: I don't have an underwater camera so I 'borrowed' a couple of pics I found through Google Images. Clicking on the pictures bring you to the source website

Exhausted after the trek up Lignon Hill, we all fell asleep fairly quickly. That was a good thing since we had to be up bright and early the next morning for the two-hour drive to Donsol.

We got there at around 7:00 AM, unfortunately missing the first batch of boats that was allowed to go out to sea at 6:00 AM. Instead, we were the first to go out on the 9:00 AM batch.

First things first, we rented out snorkeling gear for 150 pesos. An additional 150 is needed if you want to rent out flippers but since I could barely swim in them the last time, I decided not to shell out the money to get some. But if you're can swim in them, it's pretty useful if you want to keep up with butanding as it swims.

Then, we filled out our forms and paid for the boat and the registration fee (3,500 pesos for a boat that can carry 7 people and 100 pesos registration fee). We had to watch a video about the whale sharks and what was allowed or not allowed during the interaction.

Basically, the rule is you're not allowed to impend the butanding's natural movement or to touch it. This is mostly for your own safety and the whale shark's as well.

When it was time to board our boat, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the same Butanding Interaction Officer (or BIO-Man) from our last visit was going to guide our boat. Last time, he had a certain talent for spotting whale sharks and made sure we got our money's worth so we were fortunate enough to get him the second time around.

You get three hours on the boat, going around and around in circles. You can tell when a butanding is nearby when you see a large shadow underwater. Sometimes, if the butanding is close enough to the surface, you can clearly see the tell-tale spots on their backs.

For most, the first time you see a whale shark up close and personal is thrilling and frightening at the same time. Thankfully, this was my second time and there was less panicking involved.

In the end, we were able to interact with a whopping 12 whale sharks (5 more than last year's Butanding experience). Of course, I'd do it all over again if I could.

Related Posts:
Bicolandia Adventure: Lignon Hill Trek

Until Next Time,

Trina