If you are looking for something new and amusing during your stay at Cebu, then I suggest to drive to the southern part of it and swim with the
whale sharks which is also known as "butanding".
Oslob, Cebu is a 3 hours travel from the city and it's known for its whale shark adventure. Swimming with the whale sharks is just once in a life time experience so I couldn't miss this chance. Well of course along with my friends.
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Look how beautiful it is
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Whale sharks are drawn in a specific area by a "bangkero" or fisherman that feed the gentle giants with krill (small saltwater shrimps) in the morning and in the noon. So our group decided to have a 3am call time to reach Oslob by 6 in the morning. I suggest others to do the same. Why? Because apart from preventing yourself from the raging heat of the sun in the afternoon, the area also has a pleasing sunrise to cite.
How to get there?
From South Bus Terminal located along N. Bacalso Street, Cebu City, one can take a Sunrays or Ceres Bus going to Oslob. As you hop in, just tell the bus conductor to drop you off at Tan-awan Barangay Hall. The bus ride takes 2 1/2 - 3 hours going to Brgy. Tan-awan, Oslob and it will cost you 154.00 pesos if you take air-conditioned buses.
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We're ready to experience Oslob's wonder!
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We needed to pay 300 pesos per head to swim with the butanding and it will take 30-45 mins (actually depending on your guide hehe). The personnel who collected the fees told us that the money goes to the government and to the boatmen who will paddle us in the butanding area. One can also rent goggles and snorkel equipment at the price of 200 pesos per pax. We also paid additional 70 pesos as an entrance fee to the resort we stayed in.
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Let's get it on!
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We don't have an underwater camera but thank God... a local offers us one at the cost of 500 pesos if you have your own SD Card and an additional 50 pesos if you don't. I consider this as a great deal because I want to record and capture this very unforgettable moment. Since 10 of us will pay for it, it will not cost me that much -- perk for travelling in group. *wink
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| The students :] |
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The rules and guidelines
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After paying all those fees, we headed to the briefing area to discuss the do's and don'ts for this whale shark interaction.
Note: Do not apply any sun block (or any lotion) before and during the swim. This is not good for the whales because it might contaminate the water. The talk lasts for about less than 15 mins and after that, we headed straight on our "bangka" and the adventure with the butanding starts from that point!
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I really like the design of the "bangka" here
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When I first saw the whale sharks, I was really terrified and afraid that they might knock me out but I was wrong. They swim gently and I can say these giants are very friendly. :]
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| They may seem like sharks however they are the friendly version of it |
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| They love to eat krill aka "alamang" |
It was really fun swimming with them despite of the large waves and the saltiness of the water. Looking at the photos below, we are proud to say that it was all worthy.
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| Butanding up close shot of Julius |
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| Butanding up close shot of Baron |
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| My butanding up close shot (I did not touched it. Promise) |
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Butanding up close shot of Edward
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But before we had that shots (above), look at the craziness (chaos) we went through. Hahahahaha
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I can easily identify myself with that knee support on my left leg. =]
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Seeing the whale sharks glide about a foot away from me was the most fascinating part of this adventure. This was indeed a remarkable experience for me which will remain in my memory forever.
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The adventure seekers
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Breakdown of Expense:
Transportation: 154 pesos (from South Terminal Bus - Brgy. Tan-awan)
Registration/Boat: 300 pesos (local tourist fee, changes for foreign tourist)
Mask and Snorkel: 200 pesos
Resort Entrance Fee: 70 pesos
Underwater Camera: 500 (without SD Card / good for sharing)
SD Card: additional 50 pesos
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Swimming. It's more fun in the philippines!
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Additional tip: Sumilon Island is nearby this area. It will be a good side trip for your Cebu exploration. Now you have an idea on my next post. ;]
Nice post!!! I've been there last year and better if you have a companion lived near the area and just spent 100 pesos each (all expenses included). Just let your local bisaya companion do the talk and shut your mouth(to hide your identity that your just a visitor from Manila) before paying. :)
ReplyDeleteNice tip :] If only we knew it before, we could have tried it also. hahaha
Deletewhat is the name of the resort? :)
Deleteat my knee pad ka pa...ahahaha
ReplyDeleteLIKE! this will be a great reference for our trip this april. keep it up! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Elaine. More Cebu trip/getaway will be posted on the following days. =]
Deletein the last photo, then why show your thing?
ReplyDeleteme and my girlfriend suffered allergy.. kainis
ReplyDeletesorry to hear that...
DeleteLooks fun with its clear waters! takot lang ako baka kagatin na lang ako bigla :D
ReplyDeleteyes it fun and really an unforgettable experience. At first natakot din ako to swim with the whale sharks pero nung bandang gitna na hinahabol ko na sila para makakuha ng maayos ayos na photos :P
DeleteHi I'm planning to go there this Sunday. And we don't have an underwater camera either. How did you grab the pictures in the camera? :) Thank you, would appreciate a reply :)
ReplyDeleteJust bring your own storage device (usb, external hdd, etc). The owner of the underwater camera has a laptop. After the swim with the butanding we transfer the photos to our storage devices using his laptop. :)
DeleteGood day sir..Anong name ng resort?need ba magpabook?thank you sa info..
ReplyDeleteHi Freal. Sorry I forgot the name of the resort but it is just near the briefing center for Butanding Watching. There's no need for reservation sir... pwede po kahit on the spot.
DeleteHi! nice post! kelangan bang marunong lumangoy? I tried scuba diving before at may flippers naman so keri lang, gano kalalim ang tubig?
ReplyDeleteNope, di naman po kailangan marunong lumangoy. Yung ibang friends ko na nasa photo ng blog na to ay non-swimmers. You'll know who they are kasi nakasuot po sila ng life vest. Pero mas may advantage yung marurunong lumangoy kasi nakakalubog sila sa ilalim. On my approximation, water is about 15-20 ft deep po. Wow, nakapagscuba ka na pala. Kakainggit naman. Btw, salamat po sa pagvisit sa blog ko :]
Deletehi geejay, may i ask lang po kung what time kayo umalis from the city to go here and what time na din po natapos un butanding watching?
ReplyDeleteWell 3am po call time namin. By that time nasa road na kami papuntang Oslob. 6am kasi start ng feeding ng butanding and it lasted for an hour. So mga 7 or 7:30am na kami natapos
DeleteI see! Ok salamat! Oo try mo magscuba sa Davao! Mura and sulit. San kayo natulog sa buong travel niyo? Sorry ang daming tanong.
ReplyDeleteWhere exactly in Davao? :] Yup, ok lang po yan. Hanggat kaya kong sagutin. tanong lang ng tanong. Sa Cebu City kami tumutuloy, name ng hotel is Robe's Pension House. 900 Pesos yung room na kinuha namin which is good for 3 persons. So lumalabas lang na 300 per head lang siya per night. Fully AC and may sariling banyo. Plus may security like guards and CCTV so, walang worry sa mga iniiwan naming gamit.
Deletethanks geejay! laking tulong ng info na binigay mo :)
ReplyDeleteWelcome po. Yan po talaga ang purpose ng blog ko. - makatulong po :)
DeleteHi! Sa Samal Island kami ngdive, 2 spot yung diving site, for 1 hour yung dive mismo, pero whole day ang activity kasi sa kaputian isalnd pa mglunch, sulit sia infairness para sa 850 php (kasama na gears etc, underwater cam).... Ay thanks! Nacheck ko na Robe's. Plan namin mgbohol, nagbohol ka na? Salamat!
ReplyDeleteAstig naman nun. Thanks sa info. Nope di pa ko nakakapunta sa Bohol. Madami ngang magagandang spot dun. Ingat po sa trip!
DeleteWhat time did you take the bus from Cebu South station to go to Oslob? Do you need to get round trip bus tickets in advance if returning to Cebu city that day? Are there local motor taxis there you can take to get to Tumalog Falls and heritage Oslob? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi! Well we actually rented a van going to Oslob since we were in large group but buses going to Oslob starts as early as 4am. Im not really sure about buying tickets in advance. And yes, there are locals in Oslob who offers a ride going to Tumalog Falls. I just don't know how much will it cost because we did not avail it.
DeleteHi Geejay, yung breakdown na nilagay mo, yun na lahat ng fees na dapat bayaran? nag inquire kc ako sa isang resort dun, almost 3,000 per head including the gov't fees. Til what time ang whale watching? dating kc namin ng cebu 6am eh. then deretso na kmi ng terminal papuntang oslob.
ReplyDeleteYup, yung naka state sa taas na breakdown is yung total ng gastos namin for this trip. Overprice po yung 3k per head. Btw, Hindi po kami nagrent ng room or nagstay ng overnight sa resort. Entrance fee lang po yung binayaran namin sa resort which is worth P70. Tapos registration/gov't fee is 300 pesos per head for tourists.
DeleteSa pagkakasabi samin until 1 pm yung feeding ng whale shark. Pero mas maaga mas maganda para masulit nyo. Have a safe trip! Enjoy! :]
thank you for this wonderful post. is it okay to share this in our fb page?
ReplyDeleteok it is fine but please include a link that it came from Geejay Travel Log. Also, please reply here the link on where you put it. :]
Deletewould this be more for a daytrip sorta thing, or did you stay down there?
ReplyDeleteThis was just a day trip. =] We started at 6am and ends at around 7:30 or 8am. After that we proceed at Sumilon Island:
Deletehttp://geejaytravellog.blogspot.com/2013/03/side-trip-sumilon-island-oslob-cebu.html
Nice! Thank you Geejay, me marerefer kaba local bangkeros..na pwede kong macontact pagdating sa Tan-awan Oslob?
ReplyDeletePasensya po pero wala po eh. Don't worry very trust worthy naman yung mga bankero dun at the same time protected ng DENR ang place kaya ayos ang singilan dito.
DeleteCebu Best Rent-a-Car
ReplyDeleteEASY, SAFE and RELIABLE
pls contact (032) 520 2710
sun - 0933 416 0460
smart - 0999 949 5616
yon lifevest included na ba sa 500 sa boat
ReplyDeleteyup included na po ung life vest dun
DeleteIsland Hopping? after whale watching in Tan-awan Oslob Cebu?
ReplyDeleteWe have a boat duly registered by the MARITIME INDUSTRY AUTHORITY and authorized to ply to Sumilon Island, Siquijor, Panglao Island, Apo Island and Dumaguete City.
For more information please text or call 0932 737 5972 (arvin).
thanks.
arvin
Hey! Inggit ako because you have group of friends with same interest. Napka laking tulong if your travelling with a group! Less cost, More fun! Haha
ReplyDeleteGreetings.
ReplyDeleteOur tour package here in Tan-awan Oslob Cebu are as follows.
A). Whale Watching
Viewing (above boat)....for filipinos...300.00 pesos per person...and for
foreigner.....500.00 pesos.
Snorkeling....for filipinos 500.00 pesos per persons...and for
foreigner 1,000.00 pesos.
B). Side Trip Boat Service toSumilon Island
Tan-awan to Sumilon Island (back and forth service)
a. for 1 to 5 persons………..1,500.00
b. for 6 to 10 persons……..2,000.00
c. for 11 to 15 persons……2,500.00
Note:
This is a drop-off and pick-up only…no waiting when you reach the island of sumilon…..but
your checkout time you will be
ask by our crew what time you want to check-out from the island…so that they will record your tentative
checkout time in their log book…meaning NOTED.
C). Foods
Foods are also available to our food house located right beside the whale watching
briefing area……we serve Filipino foods at reasonable prices.
Thanks for giving us to quote.
Arvin/ Anne
arvindesign2014@gmail.com or
0932-737-5972