I never imagined that I would find myself just a few feet from a whale shark, swimming in open water with nothing between us but the clear blue sea. For someone who has always been intimidated by large animals, the encounter with whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines, was both terrifying and exhilarating. I never believed that I would be able to write and say this, because I am deterred by big animals, even more than my wife's fear of cockroaches
What began as apprehension quickly turned into one of the most extraordinary wildlife experiences of my life.
As a child I have read the masterpiece Moby Dick, the imaginative descriptions of the novelist Herman Melville had planted in my mind the fear of whales. The closest a person like me gets to whales, is when we add to the food blessing on Sukkot holiday the verse "The Lord will allow us to sit in a Sukka made of the whale skin of Leviathan".
Years ago, I took my young children to Sea World in Orlando, where we also saw the performance of a trained killer whale. It was caged in a huge pool with transparent walls. When I was recently invited to swim and dive with whale sharks in the Philippines, I felt like a child who is used to seeing lions in cages in the zoo, and now is invited to the safari for an open walk among the lions and tigers.
In retrospect, swimming with these gentle giants was a powerful and unforgettable experience. We arrived to Donsol Bay at night, and we were given our rooms to stay in at the Vittom Beach resort
The Quiet Morning Before Meeting the Giants
I woke up in the morning, left my room, and found myself right on the ocean shore. The water is quiet and smooth without any waves. There were only a few small boats in the sea, tied to anchors stuck in the sand on the beach. Picturesque silence around me. In the distance I could hear the tweet of birds and the faint shrieks of monkeys far away in the thick jungle that surrounds the resort. I was able to pray my morning prayer privately there, and study the "Daf Yomi". i
Setting Out to Find Whale Sharks
.Later on, my friends woke up as well, and we went to the pier adjacent to the nearby building
Firstly, we are required to watch an instructional and safety video, which reminded us of the stewardess briefing before a flight. Then we receive fins, diving mask and snorkels, and onward! We board the boats and go out into the open sea
The narrow, long boat is called a Banca. On each side there are stretched bamboo arms holding bamboo rolls as stabilizers of the boat. There are only four passengers on each small boat, except for three crew members. On the mast there is a spotter watching the open sea and looking for whale sharks. After a short while, he signals the instructor (BIO) that he has spotted a whale, and the instructor instructs us to jump in
We swim after him, we lower our head into the water, look through the goggles, and see nothing. The water is very clear. At the depth of the upper two meters it is completely clear, but the deeper it gets darker and dark blue. Below us everything is black and we do not see the bottom at all. After a few minutes, the instructor gestures us excitedly towards down right and shouts: "Dive!".
The Moment a Whale Shark Appears Below Me
I dive less than a meter and suddenly I notice that on the right side agiant bus-sized fish is approaching us. Its mouth was wide open, and it swam towards us very slowly and quietly. Its skin is black with light freckles colored white, the size of a medium plate
This enormous sight is frightening and paralyzing at first. I'm Stuck, completely frozen and the whale is just a meter below me. This huge, clumsy beast progresses slowly with incredible tenderness which does not match its size. This sight reminds me of standing on a bridge at the train station when a train passes slowly under the bridge. Only in the water it happens in silence, and here we don't have anything steady under our feet that will separate us from the giant fish. The fish goes on and disappears, and the instructor signals us to return to the boat
I swim back to the boat, climb it, take off my fins and sit down. Only then do I realize that my heart is beating wildly as if I've sprinted a whole kilometer
I try to digest the intense experience I have just undergone. It reminds me of the prophet Jonah from the Bible. I realized that now I had the privilege of seeing with my own eyes what he had seen before the whale swallowed him. Inside the open mouth of "our" whale, three people can enter without huddling. For the first time in my life I could identify with the prophet Jonah, despite two differences: One - the whale did not swallow me. The other - the Mediterranean waters in the Jaffa area are not as clear as the waters of the Donsol Bay, and we can see clearly for about twenty meters inside the water.
My biblical thoughts are interrupted when the instructor shouts to get ready for another dive. Another whale shark has been spotted nearby. We rush to wear our scuba fins, tighten our diving masks, and jump into the water. Soon enough we find another whale shark in the water. We swim quickly towards its path. We witness again the astonishing look of the giant fish beside and under us again.
While I am thrilled by the spectacle of the whale shark's head passing just below me, I notice that its upper fin is approaching me on my right, and may "run over" me. I swim forward quickly, and the fin passes behind my legs. My diving mask fills with seawater. Because of my careless movement, water go inside my nose and I rush up to the surface
Later it turns out that one of the photographers in our group did not notice the big back fin approaching him, and the fish's fin was rubbing against the photographer's belly. If Bastian had been a foot lower, he might have been hit and dragged by the big fin. Scary
As we climb into the boat, Bastian tells us that the fin's touch on his abdomen was very rough and very strong. "Like a grater in the kitchen with big teeth that rubs the skin" he describes
Swimming with the Whale Sharks is called "Butanding" here. In fact it's not a whale, but a giant shark. It is the largest fish in the world. These whale shark's reach the Donsol Bay from March to June each year, and from there continue to wander to the shores of Australia and the Galapagos and so forth
And so the boat continues to sail, the spotter stands on the mast and searches for more whale sharks. About half an hour later he spots another one. We sail towards it, and jump off the boat again, and dive. Three meters below us lay the huge fish the size of a truck. Not moving. Apparently our movements in the water disturb it, and it begins to move away. This time I've gained confidence, and I'm not as scared as the first few times. But the excitement still remains the same. I start to swim above the giant fish. I was right above it for about a minute. Yet I do not reach out to touch it, because the instructor warned us "to keep distance" (as if he was "Mashgiach" in a Yeshiva).
The whale shark is faster than me. As I swim over it, I See its body passing by slowly below me, until I see only its tail moving away in front of me. I felt quite comfortable with it. Suddenly the whale shark starts to slow down, as if playing with me and letting me close the gap between us. I keep swimming until I am above it again, and we both advance at the same pace as my swimming. I have a feeling that the whale feels comfortable with me too. So I dive over and next to it for about 100 meters. There are no words that can describe this amazing feeling
We board the boat again to continue sailing. The cruise lasted for about three hours, during which we saw five whale sharks. Friends who dived under the whale say that its belly is completely light colored, creamy or white
It was our honor that we shared the boat with a "human shark" - the Philippine ambassador to . Israel, Mr. Nathaniel Imperial
There are many types of tourist attractions in the world and in the Philippines, but this amazing experience of diving with whale sharks is available only in the Donsol Bay. It is worth flying to the
Before planning the trip, it is worth reading about responsible whale shark encounters in Donsol and the conservation rules that govern the experience.Philippines just for this reason, except for all the other tourism benefits of the Bicol Islands
It was a very exciting and memorable experience. I got to personally uphold the verse "This whale, which you created to play with" (Psalm 104/26). I am convinced that from now on, on every Rosh Chodesh (Beginning of the month) and on every holiday, when I pray the psalm of "Praise the Lord, my soul", it will hold a different meaning than before. It will never be the same again
My encounter with whale sharks in Donsol was far more than another item on a travel itinerary. Swimming alongside such an enormous creature made me feel both very small and strangely privileged. Long after the boat returned to shore, the image of that enormous spotted body gliding silently through the blue remained with me. For me, Donsol transformed a childhood fear of whales into an unforgettable encounter with one of nature's most remarkable creatures. But Donsol is only one of many remarkable experiences in the region, and you can discover the best places to visit in Bicol in my broader travel guide.
FAQ Questions and Answers
Where can you swim with whale sharks in the Philippines?
Donsol in Sorsogon, Bicol, is one of the Philippines' best-known destinations for guided whale shark encounters.
What are whale sharks and why are they called whales?
Whale sharks are sharks, not whales. They are the world's largest fish and are known for their enormous size and distinctive white spots.
When is the best time to see whale sharks in Donsol?
Whale shark sightings in Donsol are seasonal and depend on wildlife movements, weather and sea conditions. The official tourism authority recommends flexibility because sightings are never guaranteed.
Can you touch a whale shark in Donsol?
No. Current Donsol Tourism guidelines prohibit touching, riding, chasing, feeding or crowding whale sharks and require visitors to follow the instructions of trained guides and boat crews.
Is swimming with whale sharks in Donsol guaranteed?
No. Whale shark encounters depend on nature, weather, sea conditions and conservation requirements, so even during the season there is no guarantee of a sighting.
Photographs: Uri Magnus Dotan www.polmagnus.com, and Golan Yosifon
Translated by Neta Shermister