Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 3220 October 2016 Some are more than 12 metres long and weigh as much as 11 tonnes. They certainly seemed gigantic when I was underwater, a meter or so away, frantically reminding myself they eat only plankton and krill. Filter feeders, like the baleen whale, they are completely harmless to humans. According to locals, you are almost certain to see a whale shark, despite the fact that they are a migratory species. There are six or so at Oslob when I visit, but 12 to 15 is not unusual. February to April is the best time to see them. Oslob is an experience in itself. As so often in the Philippines, what appears to be a scene of utter chaos somehow runs quite smoothly. We travelled there by boat from Panglao island, a beautiful three-hour trip across turquoise seas on a large motorised double outrigger, accompanied by flying fish. Oslob is also easily accessible from Cebu City. A wade ashore from our boat through small breakers left some of us sprawled in the shallows. Eventually, we emerged to join other, more athletic, tourists waiting under shelters or on pebbly beaches to board the canoes to visit the whale sharks. These tiny outrigger canoes, crewed by locals, seem frail and sit low in the water. The boatmen seem to know what they are doing, however, and everyone wears a life jacket (although snorkelers and scuba divers can take them off before they enter the water). Our group included some young children who enjoyed the trip as much as anyone else, with the boatmen keeping a close eye on them. Take reef shoes but forget sunblock — this not allowed, as it is not good for whale shark digestion. If you have sunblock on, you will need to shower before entering the water. There are also strict rules about how close you can get to the whale sharks. Four meters is the limit and tourists receive a briefing before they board the canoes. Unfortunately, no one has told the whale sharks and, as I found, they can sometimes come very close. What appears to be a scene of utter chaos somehow runs quite smoothly Photo: Arco Images — F. Schneider Photo: 500px — Ferran Vega