Whale Sharks Sighted Off Oslob, Cebu Boost Tourism In The Area

The town of Oslob in southern Cebu noted a sudden increase in the number of tourists. They can only think of one reason - whale sharks.

In the past three months, whale sharks have been seen off Barangay Tan-awan, Oslob. From just one, seven - including two pups - where seen interacting with divers.

Through word of mouth, people have started going to Tan-awan to swim with the whale sharks.

Boost In Tourism

Lives of coastal residents in the town changed when "tame" whale sharks, locally known as butanding, appeared in their waters, attracting curious foreigners and locals and boosting tourism in the area.

Fishermen in the area have been earning more by acting as tourist guides. They take guests aboard their bancas to the spot where the whale sharks congregate.

Tourist feed the whale sharks small fish and  krill to make the creatures stay. But the behavioral pattern of the whale shark has changed. What will happen if people stops feeding them?

According to the Internet, whale sharks inhabit tropical and warm-temperate seas. They migrate to spawn to Australia's west coast, where the supply of plankton, their main source of food, is abundant.

Now, the local government are doing its best to take good care of these creatures and formulating   guidelines that will ensure the protection of the whale sharks and viewers and the livelihood of fishermen in the area.

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Sea Knights Note Lack Of Guidance For Tours In Handling Whale Sharks In Oslob, Cebu

Tourism-wise, the development in Tan-awan would be good for Oslob and turn the town into an alternative destination to Donsol, Sorsogon where tourists can swim with the gigantic but docile sea creatures.

However, what might be good to the local tourism and livelihood of the fishermen may be harmful to the whale sharks.

There were reports that even the boatmen do not know how to handle the whale sharks. Some even rode on them underwater and held their dorsal find and gills.

Upon hearing this, the Sea Knights - a group of divers who consider themselves stewards of the sea - went to Oslob to check.

The group was able to measure the biggest whale shark in the area, at eight meters. The smallest one they found was five meters in length.

The Sea Knights also wanted to observe how the locals handle the creatures and how much information dissemination on proper handling is needed.

Fr. Charlie Orobia, OAR, Sea Knights vice president and also vice president for students welfare at the University of San Jose - Recoletos, noted that tourist who go to Oslob are allowed to touch the Whale Sharks even if the guides tell them not to.

"They should never be touched because Whale Sharks are very rare species and they are susceptible to diseases. The boats should maintain a certain distance. There is a need to educate the boatmen and to let them understand their responsibilities. Tourist also be briefed on the dos and don'ts before taking a plunge," said Fr. Orobia.

He said that while the presence of the whale sharks will usher in mass tourism and help boost the economy in the town, residents should take care of the whale sharks and the marine ecosystem in the sea.

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Whale Sharks Sighted Off Oslob, Cebu

The town of Oslob in southern Cebu noted a sudden increase in the number of tourists. They can only think of one reason - whale sharks.

In the past three months, whale sharks have been seen off Barangay Tan-awan, Oslob. From just one, seven - including two pups - where seen interacting with divers.

Reneboy Sevila, who helped organize a group of fishermen to become tourist guides, said that at first they did not mind the presence of the whale sharks (locally known as tuki). However, the whale sharks started to compete with the fishermen in catching tiny shrimps called uyap.

Sevila said they realized they could turn the phenomenon into a tourism attraction when they learned that they could feed the whale sharks near the sea's surface.

Through word of mouth, people have started going to Tan-awan to swim with the whale sharks.

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