page_title: Donsol
section_title: Whale shark (butanding) viewing
hierarchical_section_title: Donsol / Tourism / Whale shark (butanding) viewing
caption_attribution_description: The butanding or whale shark is the biggest fish in the world. In 2004, Time magazine has ranked interacting with those gentle giants as &quot;The Best Animal Encounter in Asia&quot;. Olympus Camedia (PRRYA Summer Camp and RINCOMESA Provincial Forum on Sustainable Agriculture, April 2005). Slightly improved with Picasa.
context_page_description: Donsol, officially the Municipality of Donsol, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 49,711 people.
context_section_description: Swimming with whale sharks, locally known as butanding, was featured as the Best Animal Encounter in Asia by Time magazine in 2004. Whale sharks can be seen between November and June, with presence peaking between February and May.
  The presence of whale sharks in the town of Donsol was known to the local residents for more than 100 years, but the locals believed these gentle giants were dangerous. This wrong notion changed when on December 26, 1997, a group of scuba divers led by Romir Aglugub – a PADI diving instructor, discovered their presence, interacted with, and came in contact with the whale sharks. Even the members of the diving group of Romir were having second thoughts about whether the fish is docile, until the instructor led the way into the water and came in contact with the whale sharks. Copy of video footage taken by the group was passed on to the media and the WWF-Philippines. By March 1998, Donsol became world-class tourist destination and now known as the “Whale Shark Capital of the World”.
  Interaction with the whale sharks is regulated by the local Department of Tourism (DOT) office. WWF guidelines are generally observed to protect the sharks. Rules include limiting the number of swimmers per boat to six, prohibiting scuba divers, and requiring staying farther than three meters from the sharks.
  In recent years the number of male sharks have out-numbered female sharks by 20:1. Generally, the females that are seen are large mature adults in the 7m ~ 9m range. Increasing numbers of sharks show propeller marks on their backs. Anecdotal evidence from local fishermen suggests that prop strikes are from fishing boats in the off-season, rather than from tourist boats during the main February–June tourist season.
  In 2006 five sharks were found dead on the surface of the water, within 30 miles of Donsol. They had all been shot at close range. One shark had 13 bullet wounds to the head. The locals blame this on commercial fishermen shooting the sharks if they are caught in their nets. Manta rays, which are also protected in the Philippines, are also over-fished and sold in local markets in the Sorsogon area.
  Groups from Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines make up the largest groups of visitors. Most tourists book guided tours with dive centers familiar with whale shark interaction.
caption: Butanding whale shark (Donsol, Sorsogon)
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