For anyone interested,on jan 31st there will be a documantary about the whale sharks in oslob on national geographic at 7pm. I was there recently and was a circus,couldnt even park in carparks as was so full. There must have been a thosand people there and queing to get a boat out to them. There must be millions of peso being made there each week,i wonder wnere that lot is going. Could be interesting to watch.
A glowing review I'm sure...unless Nat Geo wants to be deemed a "persona non grata". Or maybe they were there just to get a few cut-scenes?
Oslob mayor said in that documentary that they've added 3 high schools and a tech college. I think 60pct revenue went towards civic improvement. There was some talk in the docu that what's going on is disturbing natural feeding of the whale sharks but they only feed them a little and stop at noon. A whale shark site in southern luzon has lost whale shark population since Oslob started in 2012. That Luzon site doesn't feed the sharks at all and charges $85 with no guarantee of seeing one
The docu mentioned one mayor who wants to kill those whale sharks. A member of the Garcia tribe Mayor in Philippines: "I Want to Kill Those Whale Sharks" - The Daily Catch
I think his views boil down to the crab mentality and a lack of proper education....or he knows what he is saying is complete bolloks and is only saying this nonsense for votes.
Took the kids a couple of years back and a more well oiled money making machine I have yet to see. Yep you get to see these beautiful creatures but the sight of Dong paddling up and down in his banka spooning fish feed is a downer for me. I much prefer the chance encounter (only happened the once to me in Oman and it was fantastic. I was the lone tourist with guide. We spent about 15 minutes with a baby at 16m. I remember squirting my octopus underneath it's belly. Apparently they like the feel of bubbles. I wonder if that is illegal now.) I dived Ningaloo reef back as a young 'un in Oz. There they fly spotter 'planes and its first come first served to the tourist boats. Had 10 minutes with two of them...but that felt contrived. I doubt if the good burgers of Oslob would sacrifice their peso making machine for that type of deal. It seems they've got stuff pretty sewn up. My jury is out. Yes it doesn't feel natural and you are a very small cog in a money making operation but the raising of awareness, the conservation and the income for locals sort of creates a balance for me. No doubt someone is getting rich off it, but that strip up towards Cebu (I forget the name of the town just beyond the site) does seem to provide employment for loads of folk. Regular employment means a lot and no-one is hunting the butanding anymore. Sort of ok then... C
