July 15, 2006

By DYAN CASTILLEJO-GARCIA
with JACKIE CASTILLEJO

Snorkeling with whale sharks in Donsol is one of the best advenstures the Philippines has to offer. Locally, whale sharks are called "butanding.” They are the biggest fish in the sea.

It was a major adventure road trip planned by our friend, Paolo Araneta. The plan was to first go by land from Manila to Camarines Sur (that was about a seven to 10-hour drive depending on the traffic). We wanted to go there to enjoy the newest and biggest wakeboard cable park in Asia. In this wakeboard wonderland you can wake board to your heart's content. It's exactly what Paolo and his big group of friends did.

Paolo and mostly everyone he hangs out with are wakeboard enthusiasts. The moment Paolo got the word that a five-star cable system was opened to the public, it did not take him long to put together this big group and make the road trip to Camarines Sur.

From Camarines Sur, the road trip was headed next to Donsol for a snorkeling experience with the whale sharks. Everyone got back on the big black bus and traveled for about three hours en route to Donsol.

It was not Paolo's first time to swim with the butandings of Donsol. In fact, he got his first taste of this adventure when Sports Unlimited took him there a few years back.

Paolo instantly fell in love with the butanding from the very first time he saw them. He got so hooked on swimming with the whale sharks that he wanted everyone he knew to experience this wild and wonderful water adventure.

On the trip, Paolo brought with him a lot of first-timers who were really excited. They went through the standard video briefing at the Donsol's Department of Tourism office, which would tell you all you need to know about the butanding including the do's and don'ts while swimming with them.

The only gear you will need for this adventure are fins and goggles. If you don't have your own or if you want to travel light and you don't feel like packing them, you can rent fins and goggles for about P300 right before you board your boat or “bangka.”

After getting your gear, you will have to walk to the water to board your boat. The boat comes with an expert guide, a spotter and a boat crew. The boat and its complete crew plus a whole day of snorkeling with the whale sharks will cost you about P3,000 to P3,500. According to Marc Nelson, you can also snorkel with the whale sharks in a certain part of Australia but that will cost you way, way more. I guess, we really are so lucky in the Philippines.

The plan was for Paolo and his group to meet Marc, Jackie and Priscilla somewhere in the middle of the Donsol waters.

In the boat, there’s another briefing for the first-timers on swimming with the whale sharks. Safety is the first thing the guides brief the tourists who come here to experience this adventure. It did not take long before the two boats met.

We were only on our boat for about 30 minutes when our spotter saw our first whale shark.

It was Priscilla's first time to see a butanding. Marc has always chatted with her about this fantastic adventure ever since they met and he promised her that one day he would bring her to Donsol to experience it. Well, this was the day.

Donsol has the largest concentration of whale sharks in the world. This is why you can snorkel with different whale sharks all day.

Sometimes you will see baby Butandings that tend to be shyer and a little more evasive when you come close to them.

Other times you will see massive adult whale sharks that have had more exposure to humans that’s why they are more relaxed when you swim with them. If you’re lucky enough to meet the really, really friendly ones, they would play with you just like how a dolphin would.

The key to swimming with the whale sharks is not getting intimidated by them when they get close to you. But we all know that it's easier said than done. How can you not get intimidated when you are just a stone's throw away from the biggest fish in the sea?

Yes, they can scare the hell out of you when you see them for the first time. This is where the expert guides like Omar come in. They make sure you are safe at all times when you are in the water with the butandings. They take such good care of you and explain all the safety that when you do find yourself beside the biggest fish on the block, you’d feel more flabbergasted at how big they are, more so, thrilled at how close you are with the whale shark.

My partner Marc is unbelievably comfortable being around the whale sharks, whether it is on top, under, or even in front of him.

He gets so close to them at times that he can piggy ride on them. But of course, he can’t do that because touching the whale shark is strictly prohibited.

We are very blessed in the Philippines that we get to enjoy the whale sharks of Donsol anytime we want, during any month of the year. But it is very important that we respect and take care of them.

Touching the whale sharks or holding onto them can stress them out immensely. Ifwe create do create a stressful environment for them, they sure won't come around as much. Ultimately, if we don't protect the waters of Donsol from toxic wastes, which gravely harm the butandings, it's only a matter of time when we won't be seeing them in Donsol at all.

My sister, Jackie, who normally would be very reluctant swimming in the sea with something this huge, is now one of the butandings’ biggest fans. The more times she gets to snorkel with them, the closer she tries to get.

Believe us, there are no words to describe what it feels like to be swimming besidethis absolutely phenomenal fish.

If you have excuses why you shouldn’t try this adventure for yourself, trash it right now or you’ll miss one of the most unique experiences you can have in the ocean.

If you want to see something you don't see everyday, if you want experience something so fantastically foreign, if you want to witness something that will leave you with an outstanding lasting impression and if you want to get close with this phenomenal fish, Donsol is the place for you.

When you finally meet the whale sharks face to face, do us a favor; tell them you heard nothing but wonderful things about them from Sports Unlimited.