Day trip to Donsol

Today, we headed to Donsol to see if we could find any whalesharks (locally known as Butanding). Donsol was virtually unknown before they were discovered in the late 90's. These gentle giants arrive from as early as November but the official season starts from February and runs until the end of May, where the sea of Donsol is at its clearest and calmest. Local tourism officials and professional divers have established guidelines on proper whale shark interaction intended to maintain safety and to defend the creatures from over exploitation. They swim at the surface, so snorkelling off the boat is the best way to see them.

Our boat

After about 30 minutes on the boat, it's not looking good. The whale shark season actually ends in May, but someone had seen 4 a couple of days earlier, so we were hoping we'd be as lucky.

Some sights along the way...




A local fisherman returning to shore

3 young boys out fishing

As we turn around and start heading back, we start to lose hope, but finally someone thinks they spot one. After another 10 minutes, we confirm the sighting and get into position to jump into the water. We're very lucky to have found one. During the peak season, you might see 10-20 at one time and no difficulty finding them.







Our guide, Ato, on the right. After our first jump in the water, he reminded us that we have to jump in exactly when he tells us...no hesitation. So next time, he shouted 'go, go, go, now...', we went without hesitation.

Okay, just so you know...I didn't take this picture! The whale shark we saw
was about 7 meters long, but they can be as large as 15 meters or more.

A very happy bunch. We were within 1 meter of the whale shark, swimming on top of and beside it. If you're a decent swimmer you can keep up with them. Thank you to DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) for providing us with this amazing experience!

That night, there's a fiesta to celebrate the election of the new mayor (whose brother owns the resort). There's a local band and lots of people here to help celebrate.

Sunday afternoon...time for everyone to pile up on the Jeepney and go home. Jeepneys are a popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are well known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have also become a symbol of Philippine culture.

Yes, they do really travel this crowded. It's acceptable to have people ride on the roof (except in Manila). Remember the tricycle I was in yesterday? It's not uncommon for 6-10 people to ride on one at the same time. As long as they can stand on and hang on to something, it's all okay.