TRAVEL
SWIMMING WITH GIANTS:
WHALE SHARK WATCHING TAN-AWAN OSLOB, CEBU
SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 | Mark Mionda | ADMIN
“Despite the itchy salt water, swimming with one of the world’s magical creatures was a worthwhile experience”
O slob, Cebu is definitely a one stop destination
for travelers. It has almost all the
places a traveler or a tourist wants to be. It is a place of historical
infrastructures, finest white sand beaches and waterfalls. However, what makes
you crave for Oslob is their famous “whale shark watching” attraction. Yes, you heard me correctly, whale
sharks. You get to see and SWIM with one
of the gentlest and biggest giants on Earth. How amazing is that? So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags,
grab your friends and head to OSLOB!
HOW TO GET THERE:
From
Manila to Cebu: If you are highly interested to visit and experienced the whale
sharks, simply book a flight from Manila to Cebu, Mactan Airport. From the
airport, you take a taxi or cab to South Bus Central Station. The ride will
take you about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the traffic. Further, the taxi fare
will approximately range from Php150.00 to Php200.00. From the South Bus Central Station, you take
the Ceres bus to Oslob Cebu. The fare costs only about Php150.00. If you are
unaware where the site is, simply ask the bus conductor to drop you off the whale
shark site in Barangay Tan-awan, Oslob.
From
Cebu City to Oslob: If you are from Cebu City and is planning to see the whale
sharks, you just simply go to the South
Bus Central Station and take a Ceres Bus to Oslob.
The
drive from Cebu City to Oslob takes a three hour drive but it is all worth it. Keeping
in mind that there is not many places where you get to see and swim with whale
sharks in Cebu or in the Philippines for that matter. Unfortunately, the whale shark watching is
only available from 6am to 12pm so I suggest you get there early.
From the
site, you together with other tourists will be escorted by a staff and briefly orient
you about “the do’s and don’ts” when encountering with the whale sharks. You
want an early friendly advice? If you’re planning to wear a sun block lotion, I
suggest you don’t because wearing of sun block lotions during the activity is
highly prohibited. This is due to the chemicals that can harm the health of the
whale sharks.
The price
rates may be high but trust me it is worth it.
For Oslob residents, the fee only cost Php50.00. For local tourists, the
fee cost Php500.00 and for foreign tourists the fee cost Php1000.00.
In addition,
rentals are also available such as snorkeling gears or cameras. So if you
failed to bring an underwater camera with you or don’t have one, you can rent
in the site for as much as Php500.00.
"After paying for the fee, you are off to the sea. "The spot or the whale shark area is not too far from the coast so it’s safe enough. In each boat or “Bangka”, there will be two staff accompanying you. Take note, the activity has a time limitation. In each group you get to swim with the whale sharks for only thirty minutes so I suggest you make the best out of it to justify your fee. For an additional tip, if you want to dive in with the whale sharks, better come on a weekday because weekends are completely packed with people.
Since we were the first batch to dive in with
the sharks, we got to spend 45 minutes in the water. It was completely and
utterly the best moment I got to experienced. I was little bit nervous at first
when I saw them because of their insane size. Not to mention they are wild
animals. However, as time passed by, I became comfortable with them and I
realized that they are truly the gentlest things I’ve ever encountered. I
swear, they’re even gentler than my friend’s cat. Despite the itchy salt water,
swimming with them was still a worthwhile experience.
Now that you have tips and ideas of the place,
you are ready to go Oslob. Enjoy and get fascinated in marveling with the
gentle giants!
- 5:41 AM
- 3 Comments
