Whale sharks!!!

I took a minivan from Legaspi to Donsol, where I stayed in a small bungalow in cozy resort, Amor Beach Farm Resort, 5 min walk away from the visitor centre that organizes boat trips to see the whale sharks. Although it is the season the see them, there is of course no guarantee. Indeed, one couple I met at the resort hadn't seen any whale sharks that day when they went out. The unstable weather the last couple of weeks have also made sighting less common than usual.

The next morning I woke up to the all too familiar sound of rain... Luckily it soon stopped and the skies cleared. I went out in bangka boat with 6 others, and then we waited and waited and waited. Suddenly we saw something! A big fin! Wohoo, whale sharks! But no, it wasn't that big a fin, it was a dolphin. Probably the only time in my life that I've been disappointed to see dolphins.... Then we waited. And waited. And waited some more. When we were almost ready to give up after 4 h on the boat, the spotter shouted that he saw one. But once I got into the water, the whale shark had already disappeared.... Luckily, we soon spotted another shark (or possibly the same again), and this time I did see it! It swam maybe 2 m under me, and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! I was very happy when I returned to land :) It also felt like a perfect way to end my stay in the Philippines. I now only have a few days in Manila and Hong Kong left, then I go home....