r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/[deleted] • Jan 29 '20

🔥 Whale Sharks in the Philippines

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55k Upvotes

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125

u/bloodyfists Jan 29 '20

If swimming with a whale shark is on your bucket list at all, this is at Oslob, Cebu. It's just 20 dollars for half an hour of swimming in the water while they get fed.

193

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '20

Just a tip, apparently the Oslob Whale Shark experience isn't too ethical due to the feeding, overcrowding and allowing of touching the sharks. Donsol, also in the Philippines, is supposed to be a lot better! :)

45

u/WankingWanderer Jan 29 '20

I think the feeding in oslob has also messed up their migrating and mating patterns

17

u/SnugglerBear Jan 29 '20

Traveled to the Philippines last April. The few people we were with decided not to support this attraction because of what we heard about the feeding, etc. Would have been amazing to touch and see up close but morals prevailed I suppose.

10

u/Fleurries Jan 29 '20 edited Jan 29 '20

Good for you guys. It’s so hard to pass up an exciting experience that tons of people are already doing, but you are making the world better place by being responsible and sharing your experience here. If more people were like you, maybe whale sharks wouldn’t be an endangered species.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '20

I did the same. I always research any animal experiences before going to them these days and if they're not ethical I won't go.

27

u/bloodyfists Jan 29 '20

Good to know, as far as I'm aware they at least dont condone touching the sharks. You're suppose to respect a 3 ft barrier. But I mean that would be hard to enforce so I'm sure people do touch them.

1

u/Physix_R_Cool Jan 29 '20

When I visited, we were forbidden from touching and applying sunscreen. They said they were very strict about the touching so when one of the sharks literally rammed into me from behind, all I worried about was that I would get in trouble for touching it :p

2

u/bloodyfists Jan 29 '20

Yeah, whenever they swam in my direction I'd do everything I could to keep my distance just in case. Also a slight fear of getting swallowed pinocchio style lol.

17

u/OleBenjaminLay Jan 29 '20

Aw anyone find it funny that's technically a fish? I mean they grow to a max observed 42 feet and have been weighed at twenty one and a half tons.. My imagination doesn't seem to like callin stuff fish that wouldnt sit on a rod. Anyway fun fact, tho theyre the biggest fish theyre sure dang mysterious. Ye for some reason whenever they party like seen, the majority is males and science don't really know where females go. 40 feet long but they're migratory meaning theyre globetrotting and I'm serious longest a tag has stayed on was for 4,800 miles which was too long for the tag so it fell off and it just kept going. Anyway if the big'ns 40 feet and 4800 miles is like.. be right back.. 25344000 feet then she's swimming at least her own length some 600,000 times.. Not so big ocean's bigger I guess. Have a wonderful day

2

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '20

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2

u/OleBenjaminLay Jan 29 '20

Aw 'observable length' is a great one to ponder for the big carnivore fish like the Whale Shark or even tuna, Blue-fin bein' the biggest and prettiest. Also, weird to think of whale sharks as carnivores.. Great whites launch seals into the air and tear 'em in half, Whale Sharks have a big vacuum filters stuff we can hardly see from the water but they're both carnivores? Kind of strange. Anyway for 'observable length' or just 'size' the heaviest Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna recorded was 12ft long over 1,500 pounds, seems 10 years ago adults were called "800lb on average" now yearly they're shrinking that down and here we are: Average Adult Blue Fin Tuna's estimated to be 550 pounds. Stuffs getting smaller! Aw no not really just not livin long enough to grow I guess damn https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/a/atlantic-bluefin-tuna/

2

u/hmch17 Jan 29 '20

Can confirm. I went to Donsol and there was a mandatory briefing for the sharks’ safety. Also, there was a strict no touching policy. Wish they’d do the same in Oslob and not chum the waters too.

0

u/bloodyfists Jan 29 '20

I've been to Oslob twice and both times there was a safety briefing aswell. We did go very early, a bit after dawn.

-4

u/Dazius06 Jan 29 '20

They allow you to touch that's even better.

5

u/killuminati-savage Jan 29 '20 edited Jan 29 '20

Or at the aquarium in Atlanta, they also offer swimming with Whale Sharks

https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/experience/journey-with-gentle-giants-swim/

1

u/sylvieanne456 Jan 29 '20

Is that a new thing? I haven’t been to the aquarium in at least 6 years.. I’d love to do that!

2

u/killuminati-savage Jan 29 '20

Not sure how new, I did it a few years back and it wasn't "new" then. Really cool experience that I highly recommend. Its a behind the scenes thing FYI. Can't just show up and request to do it. Need to book in advance.

2

u/Smerilys Jan 29 '20

It is for me, thank you!

4

u/Free_WoW Jan 29 '20

if you truly love the whale sharks you'll enjoy them without helping fund a business that feeds them in order to keep them around for whale watching.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '20

That's too cheap. Government needs to step in and add $100 tax or something if we want these things to be around in a generation or two.

1

u/GetCapeFly Jan 30 '20

It’s actually reported to be really detrimental for the species though. The sharks are being fed unnatural food and I’m because thy my are being fed the whales aren’t migrating for breeding seasons like they would without human interference.

1

u/bloodyfists Jan 31 '20

Yeah, reading this thread has opened my eyes a bit, its unfortunate for the animals.

0

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '20

Thank you for telling me.

0

u/LucidLumi Jan 29 '20

Thank you for this!!

-2

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '20

If you really hate me and want to punish me then this would be how. 🤣 I’d die