Who would have guessed that one of the biggest marine mammals that exists is very friendly to humans and also a vegetarian? Aside this, these lovely beasts measure up to 6 meters in length and are absolutely beautiful, with a silver grey colored body decorated with bright white polka dots.

After hearing about the guaranteed whale shark sighting in Oslob, a small town on the island of Cebu, we ran to the occasion. The best part is that you can swim and snorkel with them as they are literally just off the shore, and come up to the surface. As you can imagine, their presence is not a coincidence, they are being fed by the local fisherman on a daily basis. Despite this practice not being the best for the whale sharks’ natural environment, it is such an impressive sight to see that we could not miss it.

We had thirty minutes with them, and saw at least five that were at times less than a meter away. Yes, we were a bit nervous, but being there and observing their beauty is simply incredible! Their large mouths opening wide to inhale plankton looked like a vacuum sucking up immense quantities of water. The team of mini fish escorting each one are lovely, gently following their whale and cleaning its skin. And their giant tail seems as if it could knock you out with a simple swing.

After such a big encounter, we were ready to move on to another region of the Philippines. Non-stop flight to Palawan.