At the southern tip of the island of Cebu, the sea turns a luminous blue and the mornings begin early. Just offshore near Oslob, the ocean hosts some astonishing residents: whale sharks.
The whale shark, or butanding, slips through the water with a grace that belies its size. They can attain a length of up to 40 feet and weigh in at more than 40,000 pounds. They are neither a whale nor a typical shark in the toothy, terror-of-the-deep sense. They are gentle, filter-feeding fish and, in fact, the largest fish in the world. They attain the size of a bus by dining on tiny plankton, as if sipping cosmic dust through a sieve.
Yesterday, we crossed the waters to Cebu by way of an early morning ferry so we could see the whale sharks for ourselves. The sharks are accessed by means of non-powered longboats. The idea is to jump in the water nearby and swim alongside these giant fish. I had every plan to do this, but an ongoing upper respiratory infection kept me firmly in the boat. Fortunately, I gave Desiree’s daughter, Ina, an underwater camera before she slipped into the water.
I am sharing a few of my photos here today, along with one Ina captured as she swam with the gentle giants.
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—Mitchell
Hegman
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