cebu - apo island - siquijor - dumaguete: oslob whale shark watching

Cebu City - Badian Canyoneering - Oslob Whale Shark Watching -
Apo Island Turtle Watching - Siquijor Island - Dumaguete City
3 Friends, 3 Provinces, 7 Days


On the third morning we had our alarm set at 2am, we barely moved. Thanks to the lots of jumping at Kawasan, our bodies were sore and bruises were starting to show up. Nearly paralyzed we all ignored the alarm but I woke up 15 minutes after anyway. As always, my mind wandered, made lists, and organized a couple of things. I went outside and met our hired tricycle driver. We arranged for a 2:30pm pickup the night before through the helpful Sisters Inn staff, and he was early. I went back to our room and turned on the lights (which is the sure way of waking people up hahaha). Another groggy start, we left our room key on the desk and went out.


We dropped by at a 7-11, got my coffee and not for long, an ordinary Ceres bus going to Moalboal stopped at the town terminal. We got on, had my introversion kick in, and sat down on a different row (cos it was the only one available). It was 3:20am and I put my worship playlist on. The moon lit upon the calm ocean and I just kept staring at it. It was my first time to witness a moon drop down the horizon – a moonset! And it was magical. It turned dark orange when it was half hidden and swooped in fully as the light from the east started to emerge. It was the perfect visual to the songs playing in my ears.


At 5am, we alighted at Tanawan Elementary School where Tita Veny’s Chateau de Tanawan is across. The place had a large garden and the inn had these wooden floor and cabinets that I wanted to bring home. They let us check in earlier than 1pm but with the a/c off. It was okay since we were going to see the whale sharks!

Orientation

A few minutes walk is the orientation center where we paid Php 500 for snorkeling session of 30 minutes. There was a long queue but the system was quite okay. At around 7:30am, our number was announced via a megaphone and we joined another small group on the boat. It was gloomy that day with gray clouds and I kind of worried about the pictures.

Cutie pie!

Little did I know, the thing that I needed to be worried about is the fact that the famous Whale Shark can fit the whole 5’2 me in its mouth. Add that to the fact that at some point, there were three humongous whale sharks in our circle of boats. I was laughing and arranging my gear for most of the 30 minutes. There were just a lot of people and the moment a whale shark goes towards our boat, we swim back to our boat too, to avoid being – not eaten, but sucked in. They were cute though, but I didn’t have any good shot so just watch the video below!

Little pet cemetery at the Chateau

At first I thought the 30 minutes was a rip off at Php 500 but we were just so tired afterwards. We went back to our inn and thanked God for a delicious and filling breakfast! Ate Maricel asked us if we would like to go to Sumilon Island or the Tumalog Falls but considering the weather, we just decided to stay in – and SLEPT LIKE BABIES. We had early dinner at a nearby carinderia, went back, and slept again.

We were just SO SORE but happy with the whale shark cuteness overload.

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Expenses and Itinerary

TOTAL BUDGET: PHP 13,000

Accommodation
Chateau de Tanawan booked directly
Tita Veny - 09179127783

3AM, prearranged tricycle from Sisters Inn to Moalboal town terminal, Php 60
3:20M, ordinary Ceres bus, Bato via Barili signage going to Oslob, Php 70
5:00AM, arrive at Bato Bus Terminal (Ceres buses)
5:20 AM, a/c Ceres bus from Bato to Oslob, Php 30
7:30AM, start Oslob Whale Shark Watching / Snorkeling, Php 500/person
8AM, breakfast at inn
4PM, early dinner at Big J’s, Php 200
6PM, SLEEP

Notes
  • Buses start passing by at 3am at Moalboal town terminal.
  • Don’t drink coffee at 3am hehehe.
  • Better do your whale shark watching early on a weekday to avoid crowds.
  • DSLR’s are of no use here (or even for this whole trip haha) so bring a waterproof action cam!
  • Take lots of videos – cause it’s better to capture the experience
  • Don’t push a busy itinerary if you’re not feeling well or if the weather is moody.
  • Don't forget your loofah / scrub because the water is really fishy!
  • Sleep when you can!


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