Manjuyod Sand Bar and Dolphin Watching

There are tour packages for Manjuyod Sand Bar and Bais Dolphin Watching which ranges from 3000PHP to 4000PHP per person, but if you want to save some bucks, then read on and just D.I.Y.

To get to Manjuyod sandbar, go to Ceres bus terminal in Dumaguete and hop on a bus with the 'Manjuyod' sign board. Tell the conductor to drop you off at Bais bus stop. Fare is PHP55 and travel time is around 1 hour and 30 minutes. We arrived at Bais around 7am.

We arranged for a private boat before hand because we wanted to go home early and head for Siquijor in the afternoon. A private boat which can seat a maximum of 10 persons is PHP3500 for a whole day rental. But ate Rebecca gave us a discount and only gave it for PHP2500 since there are only 2 of us renting.

Bais Private Boat Rental
Contact: Rebecca
Phone: 09059614678

On the bus however, we met Mr. Lee and Nemo, his girlfriend who's also bound for Manjuyod sandbar and somehow my boyfriend and Mr. Lee became instant 'buddies' and Mr. Lee wanted to join our party of 2. So when the conductor asked if they already have a tour booking, he said 'Together' pointing at us.  Oh? Oh well.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It was a good thing ate Rebecca still agreed to let us pay the same price for 4 persons. We met with ate Rebecca at Bais Bus Stop. We then took a tricycle to Cannibol Wharf PHP100 for the whole tricycle.

You can see the sand bar from the port. It was just 10minutes away. You have to go really early or late in the afternoon to see the sand bar when the tides are low. we reached the sand bar around 8:00am and the water was already rising. There were a lot of mini star fish and crabs and other sea creatures here. There was nothing special, just another sand bar. Plus points for being 10minutes away from shore. We only spent 30minutes here and moved on to our next destination, Bais Dolphin watching.

We arrived around 9:00am, I have been to dolphin watching tours before but we weren't very lucky so I wasn't expecting much. But to my surprise there were hoards or should I say a school of them just wandering around.

We were just circling the area for an hour and they were just popping out of the water in groups. It was such an amazing experience seeing them jumping out of the water and even doing some flips. There were a lot of boats searching for dolphins and I felt bad at one point because I feel like we're chasing/hunting them. And I imagine what if the boat propellers somehow injure the dolphins below or something.

We went back at 10am then stopped at the sand bar again because Mr. Lee wanted to swim and headed back to shore around 11am. So the entire trip can be done in half a day though you can stay longer if you want and maybe check out the mangrove forest and bird sanctuary nearby too.

with Ate Rebecca, Mr. Lee and Nemo

Trip Cost for a group of 4:
55x2 = 110: roundtrip bus Dumaguete to Bais
25x2 = 50: roundtrio tricycle to Cannibol Wharf
625: private boat to Manjuyod Sand Bar and Bais Dolphin Watching
Total: PHP785 per person

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.