Snorkeling with whale sharks off the beach in Oslob is one of the most popular activities to do on Cebu Island. With that being said, it is also very controversial due to the impact the masses of people have on the sharks. Before going, we had heard split reviews for exactly that reason. You can find our final verdict at the end of this post.
Our experience:
We arrived in Oslob after a short bus ride from Moalboal, where we had swum in a bait ball of sardines during the previous two days. The bus dropped us off right at Sharky Hostel, which we would 100% recommend if you plan to swim with the whale sharks. Here’s why:
The boats that take you to see the whale sharks leave the beach starting in the early morning each day, and after only an hour or so, the water is absolutely packed with people hoping to see the sharks. Our hostel organized us to be on the first boat heading out the following morning, so we were literally the first ones into the water with the sharks. This was an incredible tip because for about 15 minutes, there were no other boats around us. The boats attract the sharks by feeding them (bad, I know), so by the time we were joined by the rest of the boats, the sharks were much more spread out along the coast. We had 15 minutes alone with the sharks, which I’m fairly positive none of the other boats got to experience.
Watching the whale sharks glide through the water was so amazing. They move much more quickly than you would think, and we had to keep our heads on a swivel to spot them emerging from the depths below. When the first one showed up about three feet behind me, I got quit the scare when I turned around to come face to face with a 15-foot shark.
In total, I think we were in the water with the whale sharks for about 30 minutes. We took turns diving down to swim with them while they weren’t feeding at the surface.
Our verdict:
We really enjoyed our experience swimming with these beautiful animals, but we wouldn’t do it again in a setting like this. While there are measures in place to protect the sharks (no touching, no sunscreen, etc.), the reality is that these animals are still heavily impacted by humans. Whale sharks are typically very mobile animals and it’s unnatural for them to frequent one location day in and day out like they do here. They are obviously heavily dependent on the food supplied by the snorkeling boats. At minimum, the snorkeling boats disrupt the natural feeding and migratory patterns of the whale sharks, and I’m sure the impact goes further even beyond that.
Whale sharks are currently considered an endangered species, and I hope that everyone else along side us in the boats gained a better appreciation for these beautiful animals. So much of conservation is simply convincing humans to care. So, while I don’t agree with the practices demonstrated here in Oslob, I am hopeful the experience will provide some people with the nudge they need to start taking conservation efforts seriously.
