First time to the Philippines and need help

[kwhkg]

also look at ACQUA DIVE in Dumaguette

 

[SlowSBC]

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I just wanted to update it.

Thanks to everyone who helped us plan our vacation to the Philippines. We ended up spending 26 days there and went to Malapasqua, Moalboal and Dauin. My wife and I had a chance to see a ton of macro stuff and did several muck and wall dives. While there we seen thresher shark, blue ringed octopus, whale shark (during a dive by an island near Oslob), blue ribbon eel, calappa calapp box crab, a ton of nudibranch, frog fish in every variety, flamboyant cuttlefish and several different cuttlefish. I am so glad you guys talked me out of getting a rental car while there. Wow Manila was crazy to say the least. My wife and I did end up renting scooters while in Moalboal and Duain. The people from the Philippines all treated us like family and we could not be happier to be so accepted by everyone near the resorts and also very far away from them too. Luckily the hurricane passed while we were in Moalboal and we were only a category one area. Just some wind and rain is all we got.

Thanks again to everyone for all your help. All of you really saved us a lot of time and directed us to the right places.

 

[bill22]

You're welcome Happy to hear you had a great trip! With those choices I'm not surprised! You've discovered why so many of us love the Philippines When you have more time I'm sure we would all be interested in hearing more details about your trip. I personally am particularly interested in hearing about Oslob? I'd not heard about it until recently when someone else who was planning a trip mentioned it to me.

 

[SlowSBC]

Thanks Bill!!

We did the day trip to Oslob to snorkel with the whale shark. IMHO it was a terrible experience as they basically throw what seems to be 100 people (and very well can be over that) in a bowling alley lane (made of boats) as they feed the whale shark. They ask that no one gets any closer than 4 meter from the shark but that is an impossible task as people are all fighting to get a front row shot of the whale shark. After that we did 2 dives at Sumilon Island called the Lighthouse & Sumilon Sanctuary. Sumilon Sanctuary is where we seen the whale shark pass behind us. It was a surreal feeling and made the long trip from Dauin to Oslob worth it. Personally I would not recommend snorkeling with the whale shark in Oslob. Besides the heavy traffic in the water, water clarity is 5 feet at best with all the krill they are throwing in the water to feed the shark.

 

[bill22]

Thanks! That's the kind of first hand information we need when planning trips! I very much appreciate it I think perhaps I will stick to Southern Leyte. They have good results there, just not a 100%.... and I'll be wearing scuba gear and not fighting the crowds

 

[kevinl4270]

I did a dive with the whale sharks at Oslob on the 27th of December. I too would say it is not worth it. In fact it should probably be halted altogether. But it is a huge cash cow and will continue until the sharks are dead from maltreatment. Way too many people are allowed into the water at once. Most of whom apparently can not swim. They are flailing around kicking the animals like crazy. I really hope against hope that it is stopped before it is too late.

 

[Tippytoes12]

I'm really please that SB has two more Philippine fans amongst it's ranks...it's such a spacial place and I'm.so glad that it all worked out so well for you.

We did the Oslob whale sharks twice and over it on both occasions. The whole thing has greatly benefited the village.

 

[SlowSBC]

I did a dive with the whale sharks at Oslob on the 27th of December. I too would say it is not worth it. In fact it should probably be halted altogether. But it is a huge cash cow and will continue until the sharks are dead from maltreatment. Way too many people are allowed into the water at once. Most of whom apparently can not swim. They are flailing around kicking the animals like crazy. I really hope against hope that it is stopped before it is too late.

I really think if they would limit the number of people in the water that would help a ton. I found myself being shoved by several people so I figured I'd return the favor to a few of them. Bad part is our guide said it was not even that crowded on the day we went. I could not imagine any more people in the water watching these gentle giants underwater.

---------- Post added January 2nd, 2015 at 09:14 PM ----------

I wanted to post this video of our trip here. Hopefully that is OK.. I am no professional by any stretch of the imagination so I apologize for the video. Thanks again to everyone. I am still very excited about our trip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUMVabh8Trc&feature=youtu.be

 

[aumexican]

First always good to share experiences with others. ��

Yep I love the philipines as well, but I've got to disagree, and respect your opinion but I found Oslob better than a few other whale shark ops in the Philipines.
Look they feed the sharks with what the sharks basically eat and they are free to come and go.
I thought the animals were quite calm around what was a circus and seemed quite aware of their surroundings. Better this than chasing them in boats cutting them off and all jumping in in front of them.

I have been free diving and observing underwater behaviour for nearly 50 years and grew up around animals, these ones in my humble opinion are fine.

Better than a lot of dogs who's owners walk them on cement paths, don't let them run free, feed them crap and you look at them having trouble walking in middle age.

I'm not huge on zoos but if it saves the multitudes from chasing wild animals around their natural habitat, so be it. With adopting/employing of these few animals may come the salvation of others.

BTW fantastic video!

 

[bill22]

First always good to share experiences with others. ��

Yep I love the philipines as well, but I've got to disagree, and respect your opinion but I found Oslob better than a few other whale shark ops in the Philipines....

I've only been to Sogod Bay once and it wasn't the optimum time of year to see whale sharks, although one was spotted at around 30 meters during one of our dives there. It wasn't a whale shark trip though, just a sighting incidental to a dive. Apparently this isn't that uncommon, although of course luck always plays a role

As a photographer I have pretty much zero interest in fighting a crowd of people to get a photograph. I'd rather be in a small group which in my experience has minimal impact on the marine environment or the creatures in it. In Sogod Bay interaction is limited by local ordinance and at least on the surface seems much more controlled than what we're hearing about Oslob. Like other places in the Philippines, a trip specifically for whale sharks restricts divers to snorkeling gear only. It's in the best interest of everyone that the whale sharks are minimally impacted. I'm not sure conditioning them to associate people with food is in their best interest, but as you said, we can agree on the Philippines and disagree on how some things are being done there

Don't think that I'm necessarily discouraging people from Oslob, I just think Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte sounds like a better choice for me based on the report I heard here. I think that promoting tourism, especially dive tourism is good thing.