Swimming With Whale Sharks In Donsol Philippines
Wow Wow and more Wow. This was how I felt after spending 5 awesome days in Donsol swimming with Whale Sharks and diving in Manta Bowl. The trip was arranged by James of Dolphin Scuba in Singapore and definitely ranks as one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It is on a par with the trip we took to Sabah Borneo earlier this year.
The trip started inauspiciously enough when our flight to Manila was delayed by over an hour. This meant that we were in danger of missing our connection from Manila to Legaspi and our trusty tour manager had discovered that all other flights out of Manila were fully booked that day but fortunately due to a computer malfunction they held the flight to Legaspi for an hour and a half and we got there eventually. This was not the end of my transit problems. On the trip back the flight to Manila was delayed by nearly 3 hours which resulted in my having to make a mad dash to another terminal at rush hour and making my flight to Singapore by the skin of my teeth. Had I missed that connection I was not going to be able to get home to change my suitcases before flying to Cape Town.
With transport and other admin headaches out of the way we made our way to the Whale Shark or Butanding the local name visitor centre where we were introduced to our guide Alan and watched an introductory video on these gentle giants they are plankton feeders so not at all dangerous to humans despite being members of the shark family. The project in Donsol is run by the World Wildlife Fund to create an ecotourism alternative for the local community following the ban on fishing for whale sharks they are not endangered but they are classified as vulnerable as they are hunted for meat and their fins. Finally we climbed onto the boats and set off into the bay.
Very shortly after we arrived the first Whale Shark was spotted a dark shadow swimming beneath the surface and we followed our guide into the water and then it was upon us a silent behemoth swimming towards us and I scrambled to get out the way. Once it had passed I turned and swam along side marvelling at its size and grace. We stayed swimming with the whale shark for about 3/4 mins and when it dived too deep for us to continue following it we were swimming on the surface with fins flippers and snorkels we stopped and waited for the boat to come and pick us up. The whole experience was repeated the next time a whale shark was spotted. After about an hour we had lost count of the number of whale sharks we’d seen but there were at least 10.
On the 4th day we returned to the bay to swim with the Whale Sharks we’d been diving in the intervening days more of that in part II. We swam with 2 sharks very shortly after arriving in the bay and then nothing… The boat went around and around looking for the telltale shadows but the small waves and cloudy skies made it difficult to spot them. Then there was one which we eagerly jumped in to join. While we were waiting to get into the boat another was spotted swimming straight for us so we just started swimming after that one and another and another. Then there was one… it was about 1.5 metres below the surface and didn’t seem to take the slightest bit of notice of us when we joined it. It was moving fast enough that I couldn’t keep up with kicking alone and I needed to use my arms at times but it stayed near the surface. We could swim up ahead and see its open mouth filtering the plankton we held back and swam at the tail and watched it propel its body through the water. At one point the top of its head broke the surface of the water and then it descended back to about 1.5 metres below. Eventually someone piped up “why won’t it go down” as swimming with it was becoming tiring. It listened and disappeared into the murky depths below. Back on the boat we looked at the time of the video’s that were taken and we had swum with the whale shark for 15 minutes. It was aweinspiring. Even at the start of the day I didn’t believe that the experience could get any better but it did! Once again we lost count of the number of whale sharks we swam with but that was immaterial in comparison to the sheer awesomeness of the experience…
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Kim at A Measure of All Thingswww.ameasureofthings.blogspot.com
Seasons Cruise Kerala Tourism Kerala Honeymoon Honeymoon In Boat Seasons Cruise
Leisure Kerala Tourism has distinctly marked Kerala as God’s own country. Backwaters in Kerala better known as the Gods Own Country is one of the prime attractions of Kerala tourism. Backwater tourism in Kerala is very popular among tourists from all over the world. The exciting backwater destinations of Alappuzha and Kumarakom add pride and prestige to our substantive travel and tourism space. Backwater cruising is indeed a magnificent experience of one’s lifetime.
A cruise aboard one of our classy and elegant house boats pleasantly registers impressive views of the majestic expanse of backwater fluttering migratory birds and the palmfringed farmer and fisherman villages in their charming unobtrusive routine. Pertinently our houseboats are luxuriously built bearing the best of world standards in the cruising crafts realm.House boats are ideal for family vacation business meetings conferences parties and honeymoon holidays. For Kerala honeymoon couples house boats holidays are like dream holiday in Kerala. There are lots of worth deserving opportunities for honeymoon couples on board house boats. Honeymoon couples from all over the world if visit Kerala then they surly want to spend few days of their honeymoon holiday on board house boats floating over the scenic backwaters of the state. Floating over the naturepacked waterways of the state boat cruise provides honeymoon couples truly a romantic ambiance as well as amazing sightseeing.
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About the writer: Esther Wambui lives in Nairobi Kenya.
North India- The Mystic Showcase Of Unsurpassed Beauty
omeone has aptly said ‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever its loveliness increases it will never pass into nothingness’. Same can be said of incredible North India which never fails to win the hearts of tourists with its spellbound attractions enveloped in celestial beauty and royalty.
Bewitching and timeless such are the states of North India all standing tall with a variety of attractions in their respective baskets of cultural heritage. From the aura of the royalty of the bygone era to the sheer natural beauty and adventure North India offers a lot to make the holidays of tourists both memorable and pleasurable. Some of the famed North Indian tourist destinations are Rajasthan Himachal Pradesh Uttaranchal Delhi Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
North India encompasses some of the fascinating World Heritage Sites Taj Mahalthe seventh wonder in the world the sacred river Gangathe daughter of heavenopulent palaces magnificent and huge forts exotic wildlife breathtaking adventure lofty Himalayas and boundless scenic beauty evoking a sense of gratitude to Almighty for fashioning ‘a paradise on earth’. Be the spectators to the fairs and festivals of this land and you will realize that North Indians have innumerable occasions to celebrate their rich cultural heritage and that too in a different and a unique way.
Commanding a special place in North India Rajasthan is a mustsee destination of the country. Almost all tourists coming to India make sure that they visit Rajasthan. Rajasthan the land of glorious history interesting legends chivalrous RajaMaharajas royal palaces and majestic heritage hotels is a colorful desert diverse in its riches. The description of Rajasthan is incomplete without the mention of its gastronomic delights. Despite the availability of very limited resources the cuisine of Rajasthan consists of a wide variety of dishes which are simply mouthwatering. Crowning Rajasthan with international fame is ‘Palace on Wheel’ one of the most luxurious trains in the world.
Come to North India to soak yourself in the ‘heavenly’ beauty of Jammu and Kashmir to live in the lap of sheer luxury at Rajasthan to feel the wilderness of nature at Himachal Pradesh to experience bliss at Uttaranchal to get acquainted with versatile Delhi and to treat your eyes to the architectural wonders of Uttar Pradesh.
About the writer: Incredible North India invites you for an unforgettable travel experience by offering a variety of North India Tour Packages. Being one of the most important North Indian tourist states Rajasthan tourism is one of the fastest growing travel destination in north india mustbeincludedintheitinerary destination of North India.
