August seems to be a celebratory month, we have National Day, National Dog Day and on August 30 we have International Whale Shark Day - a day to celebrate, educate and promote whale sharks' conservation.

Some interesting facts about whale sharks:

• Whale sharks are the largest fish on the planet. An adult can grow up to 14m  - the size of a double decker bus.
• While the name confuses many, whale sharks are actually sharks and not whales.
• They are filter feeders and feed mainly on plankton, krill and small fish.
• They have tiny 6mm long teeths.
• Each whale shark has a unique skin pattern, which make it easy for researchers to track them.
• It is still unknown how whale sharks reproduce which pose serious extinction concerns.

Back in 2013, we had our own personal encounters with these gentle giants in the beautiful Philippines island, Cebu. This is something I have in my bucket list ever since I saw it on a travel documentary. The experience is just so amazing, I would never imagine having a chance to get so close up with these beautiful creatures. Whale shark tourism has always been controversial, please do it responsibly and make sure you do not harm them in any way.




There are a few places in Philippines to see whale sharks but we chose to visit Oslob in Cebu as it allowed you to snorkel and swim with them.

Before the swim, participants are briefed on the dos and donts (no sunscreen, flash photography, petting...). Sadly, most visitors do not adhere to the guidelines. We witnessed people swimming close up to the fishes, some even try to touch them. Another concern was the number of boats vs whale sharks vs visitor ratio. There were too many boats and too many people! We went on both a Sunday and Monday and there were significantly more people on a Sunday. Another major concern was the whale sharks dependent on the fishermen for food which may jeopardize their hunting nature - without these fishermen, will they know how to hunt for food?



On the other hand, the whale shark tourism has also contributed tremendously to Oslob's income (around 1000 peso/pax for a 20 mins swim). In the past, fishermen detest these polka dots creatures as they eat up their bait or scare away the fishes they have been trying to catch. Now, they are compassionate to them and learn to live and 'work' with them. We even heard stories about how local fishermen protect them from illegal hunters.




If you do want to swim with these gentle giants, do remember the dos and donts. And if possible, avoid going on a weekend.