Oslob Whale Sharks came on top, when we were researching for our Cebu family itinerary.
It is on many folks’ bucket list after they see the Social media photos (or maybe BBC Planet Earth orΒ Natgeo). It is easy to understand why.
Measuring 10m easily, with a huge gaping mouth, this gentle giants are magnificent. Oslob might be one of the places where whale shark spotting has been commercialised.
There is another famous spot at Donsol, which offers a more natural setting to view the gentle marine creatures.
For those interested to visit the whale sharks, Oslob is about 125km South of Cebu City. Traveling time would be easily 3 to 4 hours. As we stayed at Moalboal, it was still 80 km away.
Most would need to leave at around 3 or 4am. As whale Shark feeding time is only during the morning, you might need to leave early to beat the crowds.
Our package came with breakfast. Hello Mango sticky rice at 0630 π
All visitors must undergo a briefing session before going into the water. 
T&C for swimming with Whale sharks π
1. Stay 5m from the whale sharks (very difficult!)
2. Do not touch the whale shark, or get a fine and jail
3. No sunscreen, as we do not want to contaminate the water.
Visitors will then proceed to the beach area and wait for their boats. Each Oslob Whale sharks session is 30 minutes.
You can opt to stay on the boat (Why!), but we strongly recommend you to snorkel (life vests available).
And Oslob Whale Sharks are only 50m from the shores! They are domesticated and know when food (shrimps) are available from the fishermen.
With our legs dangling from the boat, it feels like the scene from the Mag (Megalodon) attack scene Hainan Sanya beach :p
We were lucky. There were no whale sharks just a day earlier. The typhoon must have affected the whale shark’s schedule.
We spotted 4 among our midst. And these are just the juveniles. Full adults can grow beyond 12m and weigh 20 tons easily!
Awesome experience, watching these gentle giants up close. They just opened their mouths and sucked in plankton. In this case, shrimp and krill from the fishermen.
They can come very near to you, which can be intimidating haha.
Some folks will voiced disapproval that Oslob Tourism is exploiting the gentle giants. Whale Sharks’ natural migratory paths have been altered, as they have now made Oslob one of their regular stops.
Whale sharks are already accustomed to fisherman’s feeding schedule and appear daily at the beach. We will let you decide whether Oslob Whale Sharks would be suitable for your families.
Although we only snorkel for 30 minutes, it was an experience of a lifetime.
Watch our Youtube Video here.
After our whale shark encounters, we were brought to another nearby attraction.
You can walk towards Tumalog Falls, but it will be hilly and 20 min walk. We chose the motorbike options. The motorbike trip is 500 peso and thrilling, checkout our video !
There is a small pond for hungry fishes to nibble on your toes.
Otherwise, the water “fall” was not fantastic during our visit. Only a small sprinkle. We were told that drought might have turn off the tap at the top hee hee.
Most tour agencies will not provide towels, do check and bring own towels if necessary.
We had our lunch at 0915, a bit early.
We got our Oslob Whale Sharks package from Klook. Thank you to our guide from Island Trek Tours, Marlene and Robert.
Additional Oslob Whale Sharks tips:
1) Tour agencies are available at Oslob too. But we will recommend you to reserve your slots before you even reach Oslob. You can expect 500 visitors during peak hours!
1a) Oslob Whale Shark rates are from 1000 peso (SGD $25) onwards. Some will charge additional for snorkel and life vests. This fee is not inclusive of the return-transfers.
2) Just bring your GoPro and waterproof-pouch for your phones
If you are comfortable, do away with the life vest. It is difficult to selfie with whale shark when you have a life vest. Not to mention at least 50 humans photobombs
3) Check with your vendor whether towels are inclusive. Otherwise bring your own. There is only a small area with taps to rinse off the water, no shower facility. Some might wish to change back to comfortable clothing for the return trip (3 hours again)
4) There is only Whale Sharks at Oslob. Consider side trip (Google Map) to Tumalog Falls or Osmena Peak (short 30min hike) on your return trip
More photos are uploaded in our Fanpage albums :
βMoalboal Panagsama stay
βWhale shark at Oslob
βKawasan Falls
βHalf Day Cebu City Tour (and nice food Sugbo Mercado)
βDanasan Eco Adventure Park
-Free & Easy SM Seaside
Cebu Blog posts:
* Cebu Family Itinerary
Day 2 Oslob with Whale Sharks
Day 3 Kawasan Falls canyoneering with family
Day 4 Free & Easy
Day 5 1/2 day Cebu city tour
Day 6 Danasan Eco Adventure Park (more adventures!)
Day 7 Free and Easy
Day 8 Fly home
Do pop by our Instagram Hashtag #SengkangbabiesCebuΒ and Story for our summary. The links to more photos and other blogs are at the end of page.
