One of Cebu’s top tourist attractions are the whale sharks, also known as “Butanding”, in Oslob. It has become an incredibly famous activity to swim amongst the giants of the sea both for tourists and natives like myself. Aside from swimming with whale sharks, a less famous yet still quite known activity is the sardine run in Pescador Island. I did both of these things in one day when I wanted to fell particularly close to nature, so I will be sharing this experience to you as a guide for when you might feel the same way in the future.
This day required a number of long drives since both destinations are far away from the city where I reside, so I naturally had to start the day pretty early. I left home at 7am and arrived at Oslob two and a half hours later, after some stop-overs for snacks and other necessities. So, what happens when you get to the whale shark diving place is: first, they make you sign your name in registration forms upon payment (500 php for locals and 1,000 php for foreigners, inclusive of life vest and snorkel rental). Second, you need to attend a short seminar (about 15 minutes) that talks about the nature of the whale sharks and also the rules that must be followed when you’re in the water with them. Finally, after those two steps, you get on a small paddle boat and ride to where the magnificent creatures are floating around.
Each small boat has two or three designated crew members who will serve as guides in swimming, and snorkeling. They will also be keeping a close watch on everyone, making sure that no rules are being broken all throughout the activity. Snorkeling will give you the full view of the beautiful gentle giants. They also allow photos with the whale sharks to be taken as long as it is at a safe distance. This entire activity is good for half an hour. After swimming with the whale sharks, I went to have brunch in one of the restaurants nearby and enjoyed a cup of fresh buko juice before driving again.
Next destination was Pescador Island, which took another two hour drive from Oslob to Moalboal and an approximately ten to fifteen minute boat ride (that costs 2,500 php) to the island itself. There, I was able to experience the famous sardine run. I snorkeled in awe the entire time. The sardine run in Moalboal is a natural phenomenon that occurs during the whole year round. Because of their nature of being filter-feeders, the sardines usually stay close to the surface, which allows a lot of opportunities for taking photos alongside a giant ball of sardines. The giant sardine formations can get so thick that they could cover up the sunlight when I swim beneath them. What’s even more admirable about it is that the sardines are marine protected and are not intentionally rounded up in any way for tourists. The whole experience was absolutely breath-taking.
I ended my day driving back to the city with a sense of fulfillment for being able to witness firsthand the beauty and grandeur of marine life in our local beaches (my Aquaman dreams coming true lol). If your reason for loving snorkeling or diving is to witness marine life, these two activities should definitely make it on your to-do list when visiting Cebu.
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