Whale Sharks in January?

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rjjj111

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Are there any locations in the Philippines that should have whale sharks in January?

I would love to see some while i am there.
 
Hi

the sharks start to head into Donsol in January - by the middle of the month you are fairly sure of seeing the sharks. The season is at it's peak by March and April, so while there are less sharks in January there are also fewer people. Plan on going out at least for two days

Cheers

Rick
 
WOW.....really?

I did not know that. I could likely set up things to be in Donsol around 15th to 21st of January, I think? I have been to Donsol twice already, both times around April. I did not know the whale sharks were in Donsol at the end of January also.

We went on the firefly trip the second time to Donsol and frankly, it was amazing. I thought it would be cheesey but it was worth the money and evening time to go. I never saw so many fireflies before.
 
yup donsol would be the place to be for almost assured whaleshark sightings.
 
Maybe I will head back to Donsol, what about going to Ticao Island? Does anyone know about that place?
 
Hi.. I went to Donsol towards the end of January last year.. We went out into the bay on both days that we were there.. On the first day we jumped four times, swimming with two different sharks. The second day we didn't see any. So a little hit and miss... The peak tome is indeed March and April when apparently it is not unusual to see ten or more sharks in a typical three hour trip.. The downside of course is that it is likely to be a lot busier than in January. We stayed at the Vitton Beach resort which I found disappointing for the price.. Although it is right next door to the whale shark centre. If I went back I would stay at Giddys place in Donsol town itself. It's only a ten minute trike ride to the whale shark centre and was being refurbished with new rooms and a roof top bar. That said the old bar was great for good food and a few drinks. They also have a dive shop which runs trips to Manta bowl weather permitting...
 
thanks..........Dive-Boarder

I have been to Donsol twice already. The first time in March 2009 was excellant, we must have had 15 to 20 encounters with the whale sharks and long encounters with serveral of the great fish. The second time in April 2011, we only saw 2 animals and the encounters were very short. So I guess it is hit of miss sometimes.

I actually stayed at the Vitton both times. They have now built and added serveral new buildings, bar, nice pool, new rooms, restuarnt and office. The first time i went to the Vitton we stayed in the original hotel room sections and I still thought the rooms were fine actually. With the new rooms and other things, frankly I love the place. So I am not sure what issues you had there at the Vitton?

I will only be there in January 2012, so I am sorry I can not pick a better time to go there. I am thinking about if I even want to go to Donsol based on the whale shark action there? For me a great interaction with 2 whale sharks would be fine with me *if* they are long and great interactions. That you never know till you try. So I am still thinking about if I want to try Sogod or another place.

The Manta bowl is a big hit or miss situation there in Donsol.

Thanks for the report on your trip in January time range. I hope others can give me some more reports for January time range.
 
Fair point regarding The Vitton Resort. I suppose it all depends on your perspective. When I went i stayed in one of the old rooms. I remember it being relatively expensive for me on that trip.. My visit was part of a two month trip so I was on a definate budget.. Generally paying upto 1000 peso per night or less if possible. I think the Vitton was 2500 per night.. And the room didn't seem to be that much better to me. I suspect the new ones are a little fresher. It was also very quiet, probably reflecting the time of year.. There just seemed to be more going on in Donsol town / Giddys. Certainly the Vitton is located in the tourist end of town and is thus in a vert sanitised area compared with the main town. We also found the breakfast included a little hit and miss.. Mainly because the girl serving tables didn't speak any English which resulted in some funny moments!! There was an American couple opposite who asked for a pot of boiling water for their tea.. And got.. Ten minutes later.. A glass of iced water.. It was funny though. So, yes, there was nothing wrong with the Vitton, and it's probably a lot different in season, and also with the new rooms and pool. Just not quite what I wanted or expected for the price . Oh, and they also insisted on full payment on check in which was odd!!
 
Oh.. And regarding the whale sharks, I would offer the following advice. Plan for more than one day, since you may not be lucky on your first day. You can have a boat to yourself for the first trip.. This is more expensive obviously, but you will have a better experience if you see a shark. For the second or subsequent trips, piggy back onto a larger group, which is a lot cheaper, and you will be less peeved if you are unlucky . Oh, and keeping up with fast moving sharks is very hard work.. Maybe get some training in!!!
 
was in sogod bay last few days before the closing of 2010. Although my main purpose is scuba diving, the japanese and korean divers we were with were raving about their snorkelling with whale sharks in that area. Although I myself didn't go whale shark inter-acting (as I don't see the need anymore of doing the same since I was very lucky already to sight one while scuba diving at mainit-anilao, batangas), the dive operators were claiming that whale shark sighting is almost guaranteed during that time. Maybe you should also consider sogod bay, the downside though is the 3 1/2 land travel from the airport to reach the dive resorts in sogod bay.
 
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