If you find yourself in a country where Chinese New Year is celebrated, this trip report is for you! If you’re eager to see whale sharks but are concerned about the unethical practices in Oslob, and don’t mind spending money on a non-guaranteed sighting, this adventure is ideal for you. Additionally, if you’re a beginner in macro photography or a seasoned enthusiast who loves nudibranchs, you’ll find this trip particularly rewarding.
Sogod Bay
Located in Southern Leyte, Philippines, is a fantastic destination for divers and snorkelers alike, offering a chance to see whale sharks in their natural habitat without the crowds and ethical concerns of other locations. The bay is also known for its abundance of frogfish, making it a haven for macro photography enthusiasts.
Getting There
Journey is comprised of two legs: getting to Tacloban and then getting to Sogod Bay.
We started our journey from Manila where we took a plane from Manila’s NAIA to Tacloban Airport. Trip took, at most 2hours of flight time. Add to that hours needed to get to Manila’s airport and through the processes needed to get to your boarding gate and we pretty much used up our entire morning.
After we landed, we had to look for our arranged van. The trip took a little under 4 hours. We had to go through mountains and bridges. Lots of bridges.
By the time we got to the resort, it was already afternoon.
- Air-fare: ~7,000Php two way per person.
- Arranged van: ~5,000Php one way, for everyone.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Sogod Bay Scuba Resort. Located in Padre Burgos, this Filipino co-owned resort has a restaurant, lodging, and diving amenities. We took a room adjacent to the beach. The resort is just walking distance away from the town proper of Padre Burgos.
For meals, we ate at different places. On some meals, we ate at the resort. On other meals, we went to restaurants around the town’s municipal hall.
In case you need to buy grocery or you need to go to the drugstore, there is one near the town’s plaza.
- Lodging: ~2,500Php per night for a room
- Food: depends on your appetite
Day 0: Unpack and Prep
Unpack and stock up on supplies. We took a 5KM walk from our resort to the nearest town to stretch our legs and get some supplies. We had dinner at a local grill restaurant around the area.
Day 1: Limasawa, House Reef, and Night Dive
Our first day of diving included:
- Morning: 2 dives at Limasawa Island.
- Afternoon: 1 dive at the house reef.
- Night: 1 night dive.
I recently got curious about macro photography thanks to my dive club’s influence. But for this trip, instead of buying a new camera, I opted for a macro lens.
Day 2: Whalesharks, Jelly fishes, and LAMAVE
We headed out with high hopes of seeing a whale shark because previous trips had been successful. We started excitedly! When we arrived at the first spot, we put on our snorkeling gear and sat at the edge of the boat, ready to jump in. Volunteers from the LAMAVE organization gave us a briefing and held a Q&A session with us.
The boat slowly stopped at each known location while our dive guides, who also served as spotters, dipped their heads underwater to look for signs. We were searching for schools of wide-mouthed mackerel because they eat the same food as whale sharks.
As lunch passed, a group of young French kids energetically volunteered to help spot as we continued revisiting the sighting spots. We were losing hope when finally, the spotter shouted, “A fin! I saw a fin!” The boat gently positioned us far enough not to cause a disturbance. We jumped into the water, and the sting of jellyfish hit us all, but it didn’t stop us from swimming. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough food for the whale shark, so it quickly left without a trace.
We went back on the boat and continued circling. The rain didn’t stop until we finally had to return to the main island. Not seeing the whale shark made it more mysterious and kept the anticipation high.
Day 3: Final Dive
We visited the best dive spot, Napantao Island, where I reached a depth of 41 meters and saw a white tip shark. Although we didn’t see the whale shark, I delved deeper into macro photography and achieved my second 41-meter dive.
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That’s it for now! Stay tuned for more adventures and tips on balancing work and travel!
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