Top to bottom:
Whale sharks
can grow to an
impressive 46ft
long; guides familiar
with these waters
are trained to spot
whale sharks from
a good distance;
and when they say
“
Jump!”, don’t
hesitate — just do it
W H A L E S H A R K S I N S O R S O G O N
Tourism Office. This is where all fees
are paid and operations centralized,
for the convenience of the tourist. After
payment and registration, all visitors
are required to watch a briefing video
that outlines the rules for the butanding
interaction, along with a summary of
facts about the amazing creatures. It is
the world’s largest fish species, those
spotted in Donsol average about 7m to
9
m in length. You can tell individuals
apart because the spots on their bodies
are like fingerprints. They pose no
harm to humans, as they are extremely
gentle and are filter-feeders who thrive
on plankton and perhaps small fish.
Groups are then sent out on boats
—
a maximum of seven passengers
per boat — accompanied by a BIO, a
spotter, and two boat crewmembers.
There are constant reminders that what
you are aiming to see are still animals
in the wild, therefore leaving no
guarantee that you can spot them. But
no one seemed to believe that there
was even a chance that there wouldn’t
be any whale sharks in the water: the
excited chatter at the tourist center only
speaks of the unwavering optimism of
the visitors, and the satisfied look of
those people already returning from
their boats was a hopeful sign.
Even the official Albay Tourism
website enthusiastically acknowledges
that, “While there are no guarantees…
you can count on it that if you are
there in the right time and season, it
can literally take only a few minutes
after leaving shore before you come
across the first butanding!” The “right
season” starts in November and goes
on through May, peaking from February
through April, although a few whale
Don’t
overthink it;
just dive in!
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PHOTOS
LESTER LEDESMA; WWF-JURGEN FREUND (UNDERWATER)
