Swimming with Whale Sharks in Oslob, Philippines

While in Panglao, we took a two hour boat ride to Oslob, best known for being one of the only places in the world where you're guaranteed to find whale sharks on any given day.

Well, we went, we swam, and we have some thoughts. Let's jump right in: 

THE GOOD
We had long fantasized about swimming alongside the majestic fish, marveling at its grace in the water despite its enormity. Being in the water next to them didn't disappoint. They felt even larger than we'd expected, and weren't afraid to swim right up to you. A few times, we had to dodge their taller-than-us tail fins as they whipped past. Whale sharks are huge, beautiful creatures. We will never forget jumping in the water with the huge, gentle, beautiful fish and swimming so closely to giants. 

THE BAD
In our aforementioned fantasies, we never pictured any other people around. But reality is a bitch. There were so. many. tourists. It's never fun to feel like just one of a few hundred, being herded around and overcharged. We've done a pretty good job avoiding those kinds of situations, but if you go to see whale sharks in Oslob, it isn't to be avoided. There were even people in our group who couldn't swim. Why people who don't know how to swim would sign up for a swimming-based activity, with sharks, no less... I can't fathom. 

THE UGLY
Just like we try to avoid tourist traps, we really try to avoid any activity that's cruel to animals. We're not activists or even vegetarians, but still wouldn't feel good knowing that we were paying people to continue to mistreat innocent creatures. This is especially true when there are more humane alternatives, such as the elephant rehabilitation experience in Thailand (instead of, for example, riding them). Although the whale sharks aren't being mistreated, per se, they were being fed, which is not natural. One person we spoke with after we'd already been to Oslob said that the feedings are likely harmful to the sharks' natural migration patterns. And at least to us, that's ugly stuff. 

Final thoughts...
Although it was an unforgettable few hours, knowing what we know now, we wouldn't choose the experience again. Hopefully we have more spontaneous encounters with these gorgeous goliaths in our future. Seeing one in the water while diving would be the ultimate surprise. 

All photos taken from video captured on our GoPro

Where Did All The Sharks Go?

Over the last six months of traveling, Grace and I have had the privilege of scuba diving or snorkeling at more than 25 different sites across the USA, South Africa, Seychelles, Vietnam and Thailand. While we’ve seen beautiful reefs and marine life, we’ve also noticed an alarming trend - especially in Southeast Asia - that’s hard to ignore. Shark sightings are becoming more and more rare. And, when they do happen, they are often in low numbers.

We are always excitedly on the lookout for new and different animals in their natural habitats. This is especially true when we dive and our absolute favorite animal to see has always been sharks. In the last six months, we've been lucky enough to spot nurse sharks in Florida, a few white tips in the Seychelles, Great Whites in South Africa and a grey reef shark as well as a leopard shark in Thailand.

Leopard Shark at Koh Bon Point, Similan Islands, Thailand

While we’ve had these experiences, they are notably few and far between. You would probably be surprised to hear that the most sharks we’ve seen in the last six months have been in tanks at fish markets in Vietnam.

Sharks for sale in Phu Quoc, VIetnam

While on a liveaboard in the Andaman Sea off the west coast of Thailand, we talked to our divemasters about this topic. They said that sharks were not always so scarce on the reefs but unfortunately, illegal finning has begun to take its toll on the diversity and quantity of sharks in the area. As an aside, sharks are primarily caught for their fins for use in shark fin soup, a delicacy in parts of Asia. The fins are cut off and the sharks are thrown back into the sea, often still alive. While we had never seen shark fin soup for sale before, we've now seen it on several restaurant menus in Asia and most recently being offered by food vendors at Chinese New Year festivities in Singapore.

Now, I assume finning is not news to anyone who watches Shark Week or has visited an aquarium in recent years. We certainly knew about it before traveling to Asia. But to see the absence of sharks firsthand on an otherwise healthy reef is a wake-up call. Shark overfishing is not becoming a problem, it has been one for quite some time.

As large as the ocean is, it is not large enough for the sharks to hide.

Because Grace and I are interested in this topic and still plan to dive in the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Hawaii on this trip, we wanted to learn more. The research about shark populations and the things that threaten them is expansive and varies based on location, species and legislation. Although it seems unanimously agreed upon that most shark species populations are on the decline, some, such as oceanic white tips, thresher sharks and hammerheads, are disappearing at a much faster rate than others.

In order to understand a bit more, I poked around scientific journals and pulled some information from an article called Global catches, exploitation rates, and rebuilding options for sharks. Below are a couple of facts that really got my attention.

• A conservative number of sharks killed a year is 100 million but could be as high as 273 million.

• Between 6.4% and 7.9% of sharks of all species are killed annually. Anything over 4.9% is beyond their rebound rate and poses a serious risk to shark sustainability.

Another way researchers are measuring the impact humans have had on the shark population is by studying data from fishery logbooks over time. While the sharks are not targeted by the fisheries, longline hooks catch many sharks who attempt to eat either the bait on the hook or the captured prey.  Each fishing boat records the number and species of the sharks they catch, and these numbers give an ongoing estimate of the abundance of each shark species in the region. Of eight shark species studied in the last 15 years, they have seen declines between 50 and 89 percent.

While these numbers might seem depressing, the issue is not out of our hands. There are hundreds of organizations out there dedicated to helping sharks. There is also a record amount of awareness and global legislation to help protect sharks. Scientists have also seen certain populations of shark species, such as the great white, begin to rebound after a concerted global effort.

Juvenile Great White, Shark Alley, South Africa

The issue will remain a complicated one, especially if we begin to factor in things like global warming, pollution, and overpopulation. But if you are interested in learning more about how you can help, check out Discovery Channel's website called Sharkopedia, which has a section completely dedicated to Shark Conservation.

I think as people, we feel the need to protect what we are most connected to. In my opinion, the best way to get involved is to get out there and explore the world’s oceans for yourself. Some of my greatest and most unforgettable moments have been up close shark encounters. Hopefully, with time and effort, we won’t have to be the last generation able to experience these amazing animals in their natural habitat.

Grace and me diving in the Similan Islands, Thailand