Oslob Whale Shark
Oslob lies in the south of the Philippines in the Cebu province. The Oslob whale shark watching is located just outside Oslob.
By: @britneyking / seekseetravel.com
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Philippines / Wildlife
How to get to Oslob
We flew to Cebu Island and jumped straight onto a bus and headed south west to Moalboal, stayed for a few nights here and then jumped on another bus over to the south east side to Oslob.
Oslob Whale Shark Price
- From what we experienced, it is incredibly easy and affordable to get around Cebu Island. The air-conditioned buses cost us around 150P each for a 4 hour trip. If you want a taxi you are looking at around 1800P for the car.
- Whale Shark Diving Tour cost us 2000P each.
Where to stay
We booked last minute and stayed at Luzmin BH – White House. It was basic, clean and a 5 minute tuk tuk ride into town. The Oslob whale shark experience starts early in the morning so make you stay in Oslob.
How much time do you need in Oslob
I would recommend staying for 1-2 nights and/or 1 full day (which is what we did) It is a very small, sleepy town with not a lot going on.
You could easily tick off the whale shark diving/watching and waterfalls in one day.
When is the best time to go
The natural season and best time of year for the whale shark diving is between January and may.
However the company at Oslob whale shark are somewhat unethical and feed the whale sharks all year round in order for the whale sharks to return each day throughout all seasons. There is a lot of hate on this topic, so I would suggest going within the natural season or finding other locations such as Donsol to do the dive.
As much as we LOVED swimming with the whale sharks, we unfortunately did very little research before we came. We have a slight feeling of regret going to Oslob and next time we will be going to a destination where the whale sharks migrate naturally.
Definitely arrive early to beat the crowds and try to avoid public holidays and weekends as the filipino locals also like to visit Oslob (which we found out the hard way) We got picked up at our accommodation at 5:30 am and arrived at the whale shark diving centre at about 6:00am.
The whole tour itself takes about 45minutes to 1 hour.
Tips
- Don’t pack much as there isn’t anywhere to store your bags. Just go in your swimsuit and make sure you take your waterproof camera.
- They will provide you with snorkel gear and a life vest. You are free to jump in the water to view the beautiful whale sharks or you can observe from the boat.
- Also beware of a lot of sea lice, stingers and jelly fish in the waters.
- You are advised not to wear suncream or any creams. If you do, there are showers and you have to wash any lotion off before entering the ocean.
- Definitely do not get too close to the whale sharks, they are gentle giants but you can still endanger yourself. It is a bit of a tourist trap, but thats to be expected – its the only reason people visit Oslob.
Why should Oslob whale shark be on my bucket list?
Because swimming within metres of these gentle giants is absolutely beautiful and an unforgettable experience!
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