Lets get this straight first you noobs, WHALE SHARKS DON'T EAT PEOPLE. Like the elephant on land, a whale shark is a benign vegetarian (sort of). All it does is swim around the great ocean, minding its own business, and opening its cavernous mouth to capture plankton, krill, fish eggs and probably whatever else is floating in its way. It breaks my heart to see giant whale shark fins displayed outside Chinese medicine shops right here in KL. Losers and scum of the earth (the diveslut can sometimes come off as Captain Righteous).
Being as large as they are, whale sharks are apparently not hard to come by, provided you are in the right place at the right time. By right place, i mean Donsol which is accessible by flying to Legazpi from Cebu in the Philippines. Donsol has boomed because of its whale shark sightings. You dont even have to be a diver to see one, the place is purely for snorkeling. Whale sharks don't seem to mind (i'm not sure i did not ask the shark) the snorkelers and have been visiting that area for years. They like to come near the surface for plankton and maybe sunlight, so its easier to snorkle with them, than dive.
While they like to guarantee shark sightings (because it sells tickets), i would like to emphasize that there is no 100% guarantee when it comes to nature. Whale sharks don't have phones, and like cats, they don't come when you call them. It was good that our dive trip organizers (Great Ocean Divers) had the foresight and booked us on 2 sessions. The first was unsuccessful. We circled the waters for 3 hours but was only greeted by ocean spray and hot sun. We didn't even realise the boat had snacks so we starved. HOWEVER, our second time there, it was a success.
Whale shark snorkeling is NOT a leisure activity. You have to be like a SWAT team, ever ready to go. Once the shark spotter spots a whale shark you will see 5-10 boats start to beeline for the area. There is tension in the air and you near the area, the guide will tell you NOW NOW NOW!
So there you will be, like a clumsy oaf strapping on your fins, mask, snorkel and camera, while the guide as already plunged into the water, and is screaming at you to hurry the fuck up! As you take the plunge your self (during which i realised i still had my dry land clothes on) there is NO time to adjust your gear, the dive guide will tell you LOOK DOWN NOW!!! And as you do, there it will be, A HOLY MOTHER ITS A WHALE SHARK I CANNOT BELIEVE MY EYES OMG I HOPE MY CAMERA HAS BATTERY AND MY MASK DOESN'T FOG!!!!.
Absolutely thrilling experience. Then the swimming starts. If you look like a weak swimmer, fear not these dive guides know what to do. What happened for me was i felt a strong arm latch on to mine, and suddenly i was propelled forward, right after the shark, as if i had grown an engine for an ass. It was bloody amazing. We saw the same shark 3 times that day, the same frenzied gear up and jump in moments. And i took some videos i hold so close to my heart like this one here.
Donsol isn't the only place to see Whale Sharks. Whale sharks are generally oceanic and if your diving around their chosen route or feeding area, you might just see one. Pulau Tenggol off East Malaysia has recorded many sightings, and so has the Koh Tau, Koh Lipe area off Thailand. Other major hotspots are the Maldives, Similan Islands, Christmas Island and etc. Happy whale shark hunting!
No comments:
Post a Comment