Swimming with the Sharks

Swimming with the sharks. ✔ I can finally cross this out my bucket list of crazy adventures.

 Whale Shark

The road to Oslob is long and winding and we don't exactly have the most careful driver. From Cebu City airport (3am departure), we rented a van that took us to Tan-awan, Oslob (6am arrival) and back for PHP4500. Travel time is around 3 hours per way.

Once we arrived at Aaron Beach Resort, we paid an entrance fee of PHP100 each which includes free use of a nipa hut and shower rooms.

Nipa Huts

There's only 1 closed shower but there are open showers and 2 changing cubicles.

Lockers

RATES:
Whale Watching (from boat): PHP300
Snorkeling: PHP500
Diving: PHP600

We chose snorkeling and the fee already includes a life vest and snorkeling gears. I wouldn't recommend just watching from the boat it's a waste of time and money.

 Diving Gears

Diving would really be cool if you know how to swim but since I don't, I'm stuck with my life vest and snorkeling mask.

 Orientation Area

 Activity Area

All activities take place just a short distance from the shore. But before you can do anything, there's a brief orientation about dos and don'ts (actually all don'ts).

 A volunteer orienting us

 not so attentive participants XD

Important Things I remembered:
1. Don't use sunblock of any sorts. It's bad for the sharks and/or they might get attracted with the smell and eat you. XD
2. Don't touch the shark, keep a 4 meter distance around or else they might eat you. XD

This is a little hard to follow since you can't really control where the shark goes and if you don't know how to swim like me, you're movements will be quite restricted thus can't really maintain distance.

 I should really learn how to swim T_T

3. Don't attempt any activity if you have your period. The shark might smell the blood and eat you. XD

4. Be calm, don't jump in the water. Sharks are attracted to bubbles and then eat you. XD

 I think he has a death wish attracting the shark with bubbles @_@

5. Don't feed the sharks. They might think you're food too and eat you. XD

Whale watching schedule is from 6am to 12:30pm so be sure to arrive early. Duration of the activity is only 30minutes which starts once you get off the boat.

Whale sharks are really huge they can eat you whole. So be careful not to get in their way. Boatmen feed them with fish and they swim around and sometimes they get too close for my liking.

 Whale Shark's mouth catching the fish thrown by the boatman

They are huge! Another disturbing rule during the orientation is to be calm and let them pass if they get too close. "They won't bite" the instructor said. But I find it really hard to believe. They are sharks after all and did I already say THEY ARE HUGE?! The water is really "malansa" (fishy) though.

It was an amazing and one of a kind experience. Though to be honest I think it's a gamble on safety. You don't really know if they won't bite I mean they are sharks. So do it at your own risk.

There are breakfast joints in the area. If you're going to eat at the place next to Aaron Beach Resort, order the food before the activity so that it will be ready after. We ordered ours after snorkeling and we were already hungry and waited for an hour or so.