Where to Ethically Swim with Whale Sharks in the Philippines
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You’re here because you want to swim with whale sharks in the Philippines and you care about doing it responsibly. That already sets you apart from the crowd, and I’m so glad you’re researching ethical snorkels first.
Every year, thousands of travellers head to places like Oslob in the Philippines without realizing the impact their visit can have. I’ve been in your shoes, excited for the chance to see these gentle giants up close, and unsure where to start. The truth is, not all whale shark experiences are created equal, and some can do more harm than good, as I’ve learnt the hard way.
As a qualified divemaster who’s spent the past decade living across Asia, ethical animal tourism isn’t just a travel preference, it’s something I take seriously. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the well-intentioned-but-damaging when it comes to wildlife encounters.
Learn why not to visit Oslob and why Leyte is the best place to see whale sharks ethically in the Philippines.
What’s Wrong with the Oslob Whale Shark Experience
As visitors we can have a positive influence on tourism in a country when travelling. When I first visited the Philippines, I am ashamed to say I participated in the Oslob whale shark experience. It was many years ago and I am happy to say I have now had amazing ethical whale shark experiences in the Philippines and around Asia that do not include whale shark feeding.
At the time I was aware that Oslob whale shark experience included feeding, but that the local community used to fish them for meat and instead are now protecting them. This has become a huge boost in the local tourist economy. As always, wildlife encounters in Asia are not always so simple as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and there are often grey areas.
However, awareness is now growing, and it’s partly thanks to tourists driving the demand for responsible practices. If tourists stop supporting unethical practices like whale shark feeding, local communities will be encouraged to adopt more ethical ways to interact with these magnificent creatures.
This is possible in a few places in the Philippines like Leyte so you can experience these amazing gentle giants without worrying about the negative impact.
The sheer numbers of tourists in Oslob is another detrimental factor. Hundreds of snorkellers all splashing on top of whale sharks can stress the animal, as well as being a horrible experience for us.
Luckily Leyte has none of the crowds and no harmful whale shark feeding.
Why Whale Shark Feeding is Harmful
Feeding whale sharks might seem harmless or even beneficial, but it can have a negative impact on animal behaviour and health. Whale sharks are migratory animals, traveling vast distances to feed on plankton. Feeding them disrupts these natural patterns, causing them to remain in one place and become dependent on human-provided food.
This dependency can lead to malnutrition since the food provided is often not nutritionally adequate for them. There are also suggestions that these whale sharks in Oslob are not breeding and therefore after the current Oslob whale sharks die out, there will be no more there and the local economy will suffer in the long term.
Furthermore, I was disheartened to learn on my recent Philippines trip that Oslob is not the only place that is feeding whale sharks. At the time of writing, there are now two additional locations in Bohol that are feeding whale sharks as part of a Bohol whale shark tour in Lila. Many of the locals I spoke to know that whale shark feeding is detrimental yet understandably feel they must follow the tourist dollar. Imagine if we could change that by selecting ethical whale shark encounters instead.
Moreover, the feeding process draws in huge numbers of tourists, with so much splashing and stress in the water for both the tourists and the whale sharks. Wouldn’t it be great if we could still swim with whale sharks in a small group where the whale sharks are not fed?
Better Alternatives: Where to Swim with Whale Sharks
Luckily, there are a few places in the Philippines where you can swim with whale sharks in an ethical way and I cannot recommend this enough.
In southern Leyte there is an amazing area called Sogod Bay.
Peters Dive Resort run these ethical and responsible trips, employing the local community as spotters to help find the whale sharks. As always it is not guaranteed because these are wild whale sharks and it is the ocean. However, you have a very high chance from mid November to early May.
We visited during April and did not see any the first day trip so 7 of us from our boat booked again for the next and that’s when we had our magical moment with the whale sharks.
Compare prices on Agoda here for Peters Dive Resort
My best tip: Book minimum 3 days in Leyte as it takes a while to travel there and whale sharks cannot be guaranteed but if you have an extra day or so then you have more chance like we did!
What it’s actually like to swim with whale sharks in Leyte
My ethical whale shark experience was one of the best marine moments I have ever had (and I’ve had a few!). We visited Leyte and we saw two whale sharks in Sogod Bay, just off of Pintuyan.
It was ocean magic. We were able to snorkel with one of the female whale sharks for 45 minutes, she was so relaxed around us and came from the deep to very shallow.
There were only 2 boats on the water and approximately 20 people.
The first day that we tried to see the whale sharks we were so excited, the spotters had seen them, one swam under our boat so we all slipped into the water when the guides told us to find…nothing.
The whale sharks had disappeared and we were left disappointed and sad we had missed them, especially given the fact that they had been seen and around our boat!
A group of us on the boat decided to book a second tour the next day. At first the dive resort were unsure whether they could provide a boat for us but luckily we persuaded them and thank goodness we did!
There were some people on our boat who had only booked to visit for a day so they hadn’t allowed time to book a second trip . That’s why I really recommend you at least book 3 days so that you can have multiple chances to go out on the whale shark tour. As they don’t feed them there is no guarantee you can see them!
On the second day we saw 2 whale sharks and one of them was so relaxed we were able to snorkel with her for a long time slowly following her as she cruised around the area.
It felt so special, you could tell she was completely relaxed and unphased by us. There were only around 12 snorkellers in the water at any one time (and at one point it felt like it was only me and her! Although my sister said the same thing…I guess that’s the magic of the ocean!).
When to Go and How to Book an Ethical Whale Shark Encounter
Peters Dive Resort is the best place to swim with whale sharks in the Philippines. It is a small dive resort, right on the edge of Sogod Bay.
If you are a scuba diver then book some dives as they were some of the best dives I’ve ever done!
There is a high chance of seeing whale sharks in Leyte from mid November to early May (I went in April).
Sogod Bay has the best coral reefs I have ever experienced – so much colour and marine life there. The snorkelling is also excellent at Medicare and we saw a huge pod of dolphins from the boat on the way to see the whale sharks.
Please note that this area does not offer diving with whale sharks. These encounters were for whale shark snorkel tours only. There are alternative areas such as Donsol that are on my future list where I believe you can dive with them but it is not possible here.
Favourite Whale Shark Encounter…EVER
Put Leyte on your bucket list if you haven’t already so that you can have an amazing experience like mine. Here is my two week Philippines itinerary that includes this incredible whale shark encounter.
Where to Stay
Peters Dive Resort has cute basic rooms overlooking Sogod Bay. It has a restaurant with amazing views over the water and you can walk straight onto the snorkel and dive boats which pull up just infront. It also has a pool, some veggie options (better than most in the Philippines!) and a bar. We met amazing people during our stay and the staff were great!
Ethical wildlife tourism is so important to me and is one of the main values when I travel. I therefore have a whole series of blog posts written for ethical animal adventures around Asia!
