I know there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the entire issue of the whale sharks at Oslob, but I think the vast majority of divers are very respectful of the animals and just simply enjoy going there to see them.
Prior to going there all we heard was that divers were pretty much being blamed for everything...... but it was very different when we got there.
We were there and at least 4 other dive boats had divers in the water. I didn't see anyone trying to touch the animals or ride them. The only thing that I saw that was unusual was a couple of divers doing what I call piggyback diving. You'll see it in the video, and it's not what you think it is.
What I did see, and you can see it in the video, is that there were about 50 swimmers who were kicking frantically to stay above the water. Watch the bankas in the background on some of the video clips. From time to time they would grab the outriggers of the banka boat that was doing the fishing and when the whale sharks came in to feed their feet were kicking the shark.
Frankly, I think it's a situation where we paid our money, paid the fees, listen to the guides, and truly had a great dive. I certainly hope they take the steps to protect the animals, but from what our group observed virtually all of the direct contact with the sharks were from swimmers and snorkelers while they were being fed.
This video is just something I do for the group's travel with me.
https://vimeo.com/41130513
Prior to going there all we heard was that divers were pretty much being blamed for everything...... but it was very different when we got there.
We were there and at least 4 other dive boats had divers in the water. I didn't see anyone trying to touch the animals or ride them. The only thing that I saw that was unusual was a couple of divers doing what I call piggyback diving. You'll see it in the video, and it's not what you think it is.
What I did see, and you can see it in the video, is that there were about 50 swimmers who were kicking frantically to stay above the water. Watch the bankas in the background on some of the video clips. From time to time they would grab the outriggers of the banka boat that was doing the fishing and when the whale sharks came in to feed their feet were kicking the shark.
Frankly, I think it's a situation where we paid our money, paid the fees, listen to the guides, and truly had a great dive. I certainly hope they take the steps to protect the animals, but from what our group observed virtually all of the direct contact with the sharks were from swimmers and snorkelers while they were being fed.
This video is just something I do for the group's travel with me.
https://vimeo.com/41130513
