Sorsogon Philippines

Swim With The Whale Sharks At Sorsogon Philippines

Have you tried swimming with the whale sharks on your next summer adventure trip? If not, then this is your once in a lifetime chance to dive into their world and swim together with them as if you are a mermaid in a fairy tale story. This is an extraordinary summer adventure trip different from common wind surfing, sun bathing, snorkeling, and other common summer activities every summer.

So if you happen to be in the Philippines, take your chance to experience this extraordinary adventure at Sorsogon Philippines. Where is Sorsogon Philippines? Sorsogon Philippines is one of the six provinces of Bicol Philippines located at the Southern part of Luzon Philippines. It is 50 minutes away from Manila Philippines if you are taking a flight into it. However, if you are taking a tourist bus from Manila Philippines into Sorsogon City Philippines, it will surely take hours to reach Sorsogon City or according to Sorsogon city’s travel time guide, it will take 12 hours before you reach the city if you try to reach it by land.

After hitting the city, you can hire a motorized bancas to go to  either Donsol Sorgon, Pilar Sorsogon, Castilla Sorsogon or Magallanes Sorsogon where the famous “Whale Shark (or locally called “Butanding”) Interaction” activities took place. However, it is said that Donsol is the most visited because of the satisfaction it gives to tourists.

There two things you can do when you reach these places, one is of course have personal interaction with these Butandings or Whale Sharks, second, just stand by and watch. However, if you are planning to have personal interactions with these Whale sharks, you have to attend first the Butanding Interaction briefing, wherein you will be assigned to a particular boats and boat crew, including the Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO) where you will submit your Butanding Interaction Research Form after your briefing, which you will fill-up of course.

Once you saw these whale sharks, you do not have to freak due to its very huge body or just because it a shark, because these Butandings are gentle and friendly creatures, thus you will surely enjoy interacting with them and swim and play together with them on the waters. Furthermore, if you like to document your rare and once in a lifetime summer adventure trip, underwater video cameras are allowed but not with artificial illumination device or gadget for it may distract the Butandings.

This Whale Shark Interaction activity only happens every October, February, March, April and May. For these months, the Butandings appears in the waters of Donsol Sorsogon. Thus, this is really a rare experience. However, despite of its rare happenings, Sorsogon Philippines have been dubbed already as the “The Whale Shark Capital of the World” Thus, due to this rare phenomenon, the local government of Sorsogon has created a feast or festival for these creatures, they call this festival “Butanding Arriba Festival” This festival is to welcome the return of the Butandings or Whale Sharks at the waters of Sorsogon. This is held every first week of March at the town of Donsol.