Comments on: Swimming in Shark Infested Waters… :)

By: Girl golfing

Girl golfing — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:14:42 +0000

The Butandings are such gentle creatures. The last time i swam with them was in Leyte where they are sighted between November and late January. That was why i was so sad to see this picture this morning… of a whale shark at a Chinese restaurant.

httpss://www.facebook.com/Divezone.net

Thanks for sharing your lovely photos….

By: Connie C

Connie C — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:06:21 +0000

I do not know enough of animal behavior but having the “better safe than sorry” attitude for most things I would stay on the safe side by not feeding any wildlife for some of the reasons mentioned by some of the commenters.

In a recent visit to South Africa, there are signs warning tourists not to feed or go near baboons who have become so aggressive (as they are already). Apparently, after having a taste of what is not normally their diet in the wild, they have acquired the taste of what they have been given and expect to get it from the “distant” relatives who come near them and attacking them in the process. In vineyards, baboons have been known to literally “go ape” over the grapes and have menaced wine crops in South Africa.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/7517257/South-Africas-baboons-learn-to-enjoy-pinot-noir.html

Could or would the butandings then behave in a similar manner?

By: corrine

corrine — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:57:34 +0000

I had excitedly planned to travel to oslob and experience the whale sharks swimming around me. However, when I read articles about the negative effect of the Oslob practice, I changed my mind having read about the better way Donsol manages their whale sharks tourism. I am now confused about the pros and cons. Oslob was also soooo far from Cebu City, one other reason why I changed my mind. I just hope we take great care of these awesome creatures.

By: PITS, MANILA

PITS, MANILA — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:35:59 +0000

WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! YOU’RE SO LUCKY!!!
can’t wait to hear about the lamb … :)

By: kristin-on-kidney-diet

kristin-on-kidney-diet — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:48:54 +0000

someday…. included in bucketlist :) thanks for another view of the country…

By: Marketman

Marketman — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:54:21 +0000

titabuds, some sites say the whale sharks migrate, and extremely LONG distances for some. But other data suggests whale sharks might not stray as far as previously thought and may stay in areas with sufficient food for long periods of time… so even the migration argument isn’t necessarily clear at this point, or at least it isn’t clear to me or even the experts it seems… many sites simply state we don’t KNOW ENOUGH about the habits of whale sharks, period.

By: titabuds

titabuds — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:48:58 +0000

There are indeed concerns now about how Oslob fishermen have been feeding the whale sharks. As I understand it, the practice supposedly interferes with the natural migration patterns of the butandings because instead of just passing through the area, they are enticed to stay (longer) and thus they get to the waters where planktons are naturally in abundance (as in Donsol) much later.

I am, however, glad that MM experienced this with a clearer eye (than most tourists) on the issues surrounding it and he has (maybe inadvertently) provided us with a forum where our concerns can be vented and maybe somewhat alleviated. :)

By: Betchay

Betchay — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:47:22 +0000

Well said MM. I also think that the practice should be studied well and a good program be establish ASAP. I think in South Africa and Mexico they have that White shark feeding while you are in steel cages. I think that is more scary and dangerous!

By: Marketman

Marketman — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:28:03 +0000

Betchay, no, I don’t have a firm position on for or against the feeding. But I must say, more precautions than I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED in these nascent stages do seem to be in place. The bangkeros seem more organized and less outright competitive to get your peso at any cost… folks all do have to sit through a brief seminar on proper etiquette which includes the suggested distances from the sharks, no touching, no flash photography, no boats with engines nearby, no loud splashing, no suntan lotion while swimming, etc. The hours of viewing have been recently limited to 6am-1pm only. Fees are uniform and regulated… so it isn’t the “free-for-all” you might think it is…

As a numbers guy, I thought this as well. Fishermen have mostly stopped fishing, perhaps saving the fish stocks in the immediate area. With say an average of 500 tourists a day for the past six months, that may mean some 80-100,000 tourists so far, all spending some PHP500 on average in the little town, buoying the economy with the PHP50+ million in funds without multiplier effect. I would probably rather see more of this than muro ami style fishing that wipes out fish stocks, ruins reefs, and abuses young workers… and that, incidentally, was started by someone (or at least led by someone) not too far away from this Southern town on the Eastern side of Cebu…

By: mabuhay

mabuhay — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:26:24 +0000

lamb, lamb, lamb!!! hahaha