Hello from Iloilo~! My officemates have been here twice in the past already but I haven’t. Finally, I am able to check out this famed Philippine city, and even inserted some side trips… which I’m going to blog about in the future, so yay. But for now, it’s time to talk about the second time I tried the Butanding (Whale Shark) Interaction Tour of Donsol, Sorsogon.
Once is definitely not enough. I immensely enjoyed the first time I got a glimpse of the gentle giants that, when we found ourselves in Legazpi City, Albay and saw that we had a free day, we just had to head over to Donsol.
We coordinated with the lady on the desk of our accommodations (Andamar Citihomes. Check it out when you go to Legazpi. The place is perfect for large groups. We basically had two houses to ourselves. And access to a pool.)
We left Legazpi City aboard a hired cab at around 8:00 and arrived at the Donsol Tourism Center at 9:30. Again, there were 7 ladies. And we found ourselves in a predicament. Our choice is for one person to sit out and not go on the tour OR wait in case other visitors will arrive and we’ll find joiners.
The second option was quite uncertain, because it was already 10am. We weren’t sure if there are people who will come. And we weren’t sure what time they will arrive. And we didn’t want to get back to Legazpi City too late in the afternoon since our other companions are flying in that afternoon, taking their flight a day later.
The first option was an absolute no-go. We went there together, so everyone must experience it.
So we bit the bullet and paid the fees for two boats. Dividing the costs evenly among 7 of us. Some price we’re willing to pay for the best experiences, and this is one of them.
Registration was quick. We paid, sat down for some film viewing, met our dive master, and boarded the boat!
Hello, Donsol
I’d like to think that I have a charmed life when it comes to Donsol. The two times I’ve been here, the weather was perfect. No other word for it.
It was not as “crowded” as the first time I came here. I think there were only four boats out, including ours.
Our dive master is Jonel. Oh wait, they have an official designation. It is BIO, or Butanding Interaction Officer.
And she’s our spotter. And a very good spotter, too!!!
I was with gung-ho officemates, and they needed no further prodding whenever we were told to jump. We just did it. The other two who had been hesitant at first gamely jumped fearlessly the succeeding times.
It was as good as the first time I had the interaction tour. In fact, I can point out some things that make this actually EVEN BETTER than the first time.
First, there weren’t a lot of boats, so there wasn’t a race for a spot or position.
Second, there were more than just 2 butandings around that time! In total, 6 of them were just swimming around, with a couple of the smaller ones even going up a bit closer to the surface, as if to tease us!
Check out those spots!!!! This is the largest one among them. (I swear if I get to do this again, I have to have an underwater action cam with me.)
In total, there were 6 butandings present when we were in the water. How many times did we jump, you ask? 9 times.
The boat crew were actually laughing at us at how eager we were. The other boat with our 3 companions already headed back, since they were satisfied after 3 jumps, but we decided to stick around a bit longer, and did 6 more.
We’re still non-swimmers. So we relied mostly on Jonel and his buoy. XDD
We boarded the boat at 10:00, and started to head back at around 11:30. But the boat captain had another gift for us, which is some whale-watching time.
This time, we don’t jump. We just stay inside our boat, and look down. Because those smaller whale sharks were in a playful mood.
Happy campers we were! Or should we say “jumpers”? Not divers, no. That would be reaching. And an insult to legit divers, haha!
WWe got back to shore at 12:00 noon, took a shower and attacked the lunch that was waiting for us. The table was filled with excited talk about what we saw, because MAN IT WAS AMAZING.
I am curious about the butanding experience in Oslob, Cebu, although I’ve been told by others (and even read in some blogs online) that it’s not as good as the one in Donsol because the Oslob whales are in captivity, and somewhere in there are several issues that I refuse to get into.
Needless to say, I am simply glad that I got to experience this, and not just once, but twice. Will I do it again? Heck yeah, just bring me anywhere nearby and I’ll find time for it!
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