Cebu! Day 3, Part 1: Tumalog Falls and Whale Shark Snorkelling

Last night, while showering, I realised that my upper thigh and butt hurt. Ya, I was sunburnt too. I had applied sunblock but had done so while still in my shorts. Looking at this picture, I realised why my butt was sunburnt. Lol. My poor butt was so exposed to the sun.

After much consideration, we had decided to make the brave choice to drive 3 hours south of Cebu for more exciting activities. The kids had been asking to do canyoneering and that is only available in the south of Cebu, where the great waterfalls are. Here we go! Which also meant that the driver was picking us up at 3am. He had actually asked to do so earlier at 2.30am but I reject. We need to sleep. 

Bcos the tour with Cebu Tour turned out ok, this tour was also booked with them. We had originally opted for the shared tour but there weren’t enough people (signed up) and we converted our tour to a private one by paying more $$. It is about the same price as Klook.

We were up at 2.30am and were down at the lobby at 3am. The driver was already waiting. I was reminded of the sunrise hike in Bali; we did this crazy hour drive too. The driver was driving very fast as we were supposed to go to the whale shark place to get some Q number. I can’t really tell how fast he drove bcos I was sleeping most of the way. 

We arrived at 5ish and were told that a local guide will bring us to get the Q number and tell us what to do next. J was our local tour and we were brought to join a Q. There was already a crowd - people queuing, leaving, having bfast, vendors selling their wares. Yes, when it was still 5am. J told us that the Q starts as early as 4am. Some pickups were at 2am and there were many who were staying in nearby hotels. 

Fortunately the Q moved very quickly. We sat for a 3 mins briefing - no touching of the whale shark, keep a 4m distance, no sunblock as the chemicals are harmful to the whale sharks. J helped us to get a number - 237. He said that our turn will probably be at about 9.30am. The 1st boat will go out at 6am. I am actually glad that our turn is later in the day. I cannot imagine how cold it would be to be in the sea at 6am. Are the sharks so accurate in keeping time to begin with? 

We were then sent to somewhere nearby for bfast. On the way, the sky started brightening. 

Bfast was a simple affair of egg, toasts and Nana favorite banana. The hot toasts were good. We had plenty of time for bfast. 

As the whale shark snorkelling will have to wait until 9.30am, J suggested that we do the Tumalog fall 1st, which is about 10 mins drive away. Once alighted, we saw another Q - it was the Q for the motorcycle. The waterfall is not very far away, but a steep downhill before a small climb. A 2-way trip would cost PHP50. Daddy Lim decided that we would walk instead, given that we had a lot of time. 

The 1st thing that greeted us was a natural fish foot spa. Free de. 

While Daddy Lim and Nana was happily “feeding” the fishes, Zaky and I took pictures. Zaky used to like the fish spas but not anymore. This trip, I learnt so much about his dislike for fishes. 

We did go into the waterfall. It was very, very cold. Nana’s expression tells it all.

For $5, Zaky took the challenge to go under the waterfall but he had to drag Daddy Lim along.

Nana backed out originally but realised that $5 is too much to let go. She also dragged Daddy Lim along. Daddy Lim entered the waterfall 2x but got no $$. Hoho.

It was a fun experience. 

The waterfall was definitely more magnificent than the one we had visited in Bali. Rainbow!

Still for PHP50, we could take a one-way motorcycle ride back to the entrance. Again, Daddy Lim decided that we would walk. J said that he would see us at the entrance and while we were huffing away, we saw him zoomed past on a motorcycle. Haha. 

The steep downslope has now become a steep incline. 

The driver sent us back to the whale shark place. We had 20 mins before we were to meet J at the tentage waiting area. It must be for coffee and snacks. 

There was another long wait before our number was called. It was about 9.30am, just as per what J had guessed. After that, we headed to collect our life vests and again waited for our turn to board the boat. J directed us to the right boat when ready. Their local guide system is working very well and effectively, given how many people were queuing and waiting to see the whale sharks and the number of boats that went out and come back at the same time. It looked messy but actually very organised.

Each boat has 6 rowers and can take 10 passengers. 

There are several condoned off area and in those areas, boats were throwing baits to lure in the whale sharks. These are whale sharks who live in the wild but definitely attuned to come to the area for feeding. Even from the boat, the whale sharks were very obvious. The boatman said that we were very lucky and had 6 sharks come in, when there was only one the day before.

We were given snorkelling mask, then jumped into the water that see the sharks underwater. 

The water was super choppy and for sure very deep. The good swimmers, aka Daddy Lim and the kids, took off their life vest, so that they can properly submerged into the water to see the whale sharks. I kiasi and kept my life vest firmly on.

Nana again had the camera. See how big and magnificent these sharks are. These are the juvenile sharks and the adults will obviously be much bigger.

While we snorkelled on the surface, the scuba divers 包 the deep waters. Can you see them?

The kids also attempted selfie. 

I dun think they were successful. Where are the sharks? Lol.

We were given 30 mins and time passed so quickly bcos it was so fun and we were very much in awe most of the time. We climbed back onto the boat and made our way to shore. The boatmen had such hard work rowing the boating, manually steering near shore and also rescuing inexperienced snorkelers and bad swimmers who veered off course. 

We couldn’t stop talking about the whale shark snorkelling. It made the long car ride worth it. We were ushered off for lunch at the same bfast place. All the water activities were making us hungry. Chicken, soup, vege, noodles and rice were served. Yum, yum. 

This was the little kitty who left his cute little paw print on Nana’s lap. 

Done with lunch, we headed to our next activity - canyoneering. 

Mummy Lim