Tan-awan, Oslob, Cebu Philippines (June 8, 2013)
It was a great experience in my whole life to be swimming at
very close may be less than 1 meter away from the friendly huge whale shark in
the Philippines (Rhincodon Typus) at Oslob, Cebu, Philippines.
"The butanding turned out to be “Fermin,” one of the whale sharks that regularly approach the bancas to be fed by fishermen and tourists in the waters off Oslob town, 117 kilometers south of Cebu City. According to marine researchers, Fermin suffered deep cuts that might have been caused by boat propellers, renewing calls to stop the practice of feeding the whale sharks, which has become a major tourist attraction in Oslob. The practice doesn’t only diminish the whale sharks’ ability to hunt for food, but it also puts them at risk of getting hurt like what happened to Fermin."
That's why at present you can only have a half day opportunity to swim closer or watch the butanding in the morning up to12:30 pm at Oslob, to give the butanding ability to self feed and hunt for food without relying feeds from the people.
"The butanding turned out to be “Fermin,” one of the whale sharks that regularly approach the bancas to be fed by fishermen and tourists in the waters off Oslob town, 117 kilometers south of Cebu City. According to marine researchers, Fermin suffered deep cuts that might have been caused by boat propellers, renewing calls to stop the practice of feeding the whale sharks, which has become a major tourist attraction in Oslob. The practice doesn’t only diminish the whale sharks’ ability to hunt for food, but it also puts them at risk of getting hurt like what happened to Fermin."
That's why at present you can only have a half day opportunity to swim closer or watch the butanding in the morning up to12:30 pm at Oslob, to give the butanding ability to self feed and hunt for food without relying feeds from the people.
