With a wave of his palm, Jack, our Butanding Interactive Officer (BIO) asked us to get ready for the 15th times. Donning our snorkeling equipment, we sat patiently for our BIO to jump. Donsol, Sorsogon has always been visited by these beautiful giants during the January to June period due to the abundance of krills in the water just off the shore. Though a very remote area, in the recent years, Donsol has been flooded with visitors all over the world who wants to get close to these ‘Butanding’, also known as the Whaleshark. We did a total of 3 days of whaleshark interaction, jumping, swimming after and climbing back on board for 0, 9 and 15 times respectively. Duration for the interaction is 3 hours each. Visit very early in the morning is what my advised or else get a capable BIO for the late morning job.
Once you are in the water, follow the BIO always as he will always be the one that will give you the best spot for viewing, that means, you will have to swim after him. Visibility is around 8m due to the streaming of river water into the sea. Hence, sometimes you will be surprised by how closed the Butanding crept under you silently. Once you sighted these beauties, you can then gracefully glide with them, one at a time with some fining effort. A few rules though that govern the interaction :- 1. Do not touch, 2. Stay beyond 3m 3. Do not stop their path are some of them which at times, are hard to adhere. Though we did 15 whaleshark sightings, some of them are the same ones. One of them which has a torn tip, has been especially friendly, staying most of the time on the surface. Although some may submerged, these sociable giants will surfaced if you persist on your track. Overall, this is one sure placed that I recommend a must to visit if you want guaranteed viewing and getting really close to not one but atleast 3 of these beauties at a good deal during the season.
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