How I felt while I was swimming with Whale Sharks in Philippines?
Imagine you’re in the deep blue water in the ocean having the mask and the oxygen tank and the suit, floating and diving here and there to find something interesting. But can’t find something really nice but some beautiful coral and fishes are all you can see. And all of a sudden you look downturn your head and a meter wide, giant open mouth coming towards you. Though you know you’re not in danger but you can still find an electric shock in your body. The Philippines has a lot of tourist attractions but this experience kind of took my life for a second.
There are many good reasons to visit the Philippines, it has
large options for tourists. Also, you will find a lot of websites or you may
also ask your travel consultants to guide you through the same. Pramod uncle
and Tanmay - PKT Tours USA, are my best buddies for any help. My tour to the
Philippines was also planned by Tanmay. He only pushed me to experience
swimming with the whale sharks of Donsol, Philippines. Though I wanted to kill
him when I saw a giant mouth coming to me, once I experienced - I would thank
him for the same.
The Brief :
Most of the people get scared when they hear Shark but they
aren’t a big threat. Only 12 out of the 375 shark species in the world are
considered dangerous to humans. And Whale Shark is not among this 12. According
to a survey, shark attacks happen an average of 5 to 15 a year, and none of
these attacks can ever be made by a whale shark.
How does it go? :
When we booked this adventure we were told about the
experience and the risks and safety. The people here are also very well trained
for every situation. But I would say, nothing can prepare you for the thrill
which is going to come your way.
The boat from a jetty takes us at the spot where this giant
animal is mostly found. The name of the place is Bankga, which is about 10 minutes ride. We had our guide
with us on the boat. He gave told us to be ready and we quickly put on our
masks and fins. The next thing was to jump on the word ‘go’, and we jumped into
the sea.
We were in the group of six and the guide was also with us.
If you are wondering what you can’t swim and so, it is really not necessary for
you to be an expert. The trainers train you for the mask and the signs and
other important things. So we were all getting settled in the water, little
scared and excited. We saw a tail disappearing into the distance. In just 30 -
40 seconds we saw the other one! And it was a huge creature - Whale Shark. I
don’t have words to describe this - It was beautiful and scary, I was taken
aback! No photo, video words can tell you how it is like. My heart was beating
like a hammer. I swam as fast as I could to be near the shark. The swift and
speed were unbeatable. As soon as the second one went deep in blue water I saw
one more right below me. Though I knew that they don’t have teeth, I am safe
but this huge creature in front you can take your breath away for a moment.
She saw me and I felt like it was a welcome sigh! We were there for around 10- 15 minutes. There were other fishes and corals but once you see this giant beautiful creature, you really don’t feel excited about the small ones.
The guide showed us the “Time Up” sign and I was really upset. I felt like sending an hour more. But had to go. And the whole day I could not think of anything else.
It’s a lifetime memory and a treasure which will be remembered through my life.