Oslob: Whale Shark Encounter and More

While I was browsing my fb account today, a memory from our Cebu trip two years ago showed up. So, I told myself, why not write something about it.

Tep and I went for a four day Cebu trip last July 2014. Our initial plan then was to go around Cebu City and Mactan only, but we eventually decided to do the whale shark watching in Oslob, which we did on our 3rd day. It was a last minute decision, so to make things easier, we availed a tour package from Oslob-Whaleshark Company. They usually ask for downpayment, but since I told them that we were already in Cebu, they did not require us to pay for this. An email was sent regarding the details of our trip, including info of the driver and the van that we will use.

The driver picked us up around 5:00am at our hotel in Cebu City. It took us like 3 hours to reach Oslob. We were then escorted by our tour guide to the Briefing Center for a quick orientation on the do’s and dont’s during the whale shark encounter.

At the Briefing Center

After around 10 minutes, we proceeded to the boat for our whale shark adventure. There were around 3 gentle giants swimming with us during that time. Our guide as well as the boatman were very supportive in taking our pictures and in assisting us to dive down.

These whale sharks keep on coming back in Oslob because they were fed with shrimps and small fish. I asked our guide that time if this is fine, since I think that the whale sharks are becoming too dependent on them, thus they will no longer search for their own food. But he told me that the feeding only takes place during the whale shark encounter schedule, which is from 6:00 am to 12:30 pm. So after that, they will be on their own.

Every encounter takes 30 minutes, so after our allotted time, we went back to the shore to change boat, since we will be heading to Sumilon Island.

Sumilon Island from afar.

We stayed here for almost 40 minutes, just swimming and walking around the island. There’s also a resort here where guests can stay overnight.

Afterwards, we went back to the van to continue our tour going to Tumalog Falls. Upon arrival, you have the option to walk downhill (around 1.5 km) or hire a habal habal to reach the falls. We chose to walk instead, since its not that far plus it enabled us to appreciate the surroundings more.

Admiring the beauty of Tumalog Falls.

They allowed us to stay here for 1 hour. The water was so cold that time, but we still managed to swim. I’ve seen tables and chairs within the area, so I would advise you to bring in food here for a more enjoyable trip.

And then after that, we went for a short drive to the town proper to see other tourist attractions such as the Oslob Church and Cuartel.

Church of the Immaculate Conception

Cuartel – This was an unfinished structure made of coral blocks which was intended to be used as barrack for the Spanish soldiers during the 1800.

This concluded our amazing and memorable tour. They drove us back, and we reached our hotel in Cebu City around past 7 pm.

Notes:

1. We paid around Php 3,500 per head. But it can lowered down if there will be more persons in your group.
2. If you don’t want to avail a tour, you can do this on your own. You can reach the place by bus. The current fare is around Php 150 per person. Just make sure to take the first bus in the morning to reach the place before lunch.
3. There are a lot of restaurants within the area, so you can have your lunch there.
4. You can rent an underwater camera (Php 300), incase you don’t have one.
5. Whale Shark encounter is around Php 500 for locals and Php 1000 for foreigners.
6. There are also hotels within the area if you want to stay for a night.