WHALE SHARKS LEYTE
Do you want to dive, swim or snorkeling with whale sharks?
Dive safari to Southern Leyte, away from mass tourism.
Diving tourism in the Philippines is increasing year by year. Because of its geographical location, however, Leyte is still completely spared mass tourism today.
We used to do many day trips to Leyte so that our guests could SNORKELING or DIVING with the giants of the sea, the whale sharks. At the request of our guests, we then later added the 6-day liveaboard to Leyte with the diving program.
A complete success, because our guests are enthusiastic about south Leyte.
Whale sharks Philippines at Leyte
The whale shark, a dream of every diver! From November to May is the best whale sharks season. The bays in which the giants of the oceans mostly live have been declared a protected area for many years. South Leyte is the ONLY area in the Philippines, where you can still experience these giants in the sea away from mass tourism. Fulfill this dream!
Whale Sharks Leyte
Dive Safari Philippines - Route Leyte
And Southern Leyte has a lot more to offer than whale sharks
Regardless of the whale sharks, there is a diving area that dwarfs many dive sites in the Philippines. The two steep walls of Napantao. They are not only considered to be the most beautiful steep faces in Asia, they are also considered to be among the MOST BEAUTIFUL in the world. A unique blaze of colors on corals up to 80 m deep, restricted visibility due to many schools of fish, sharks, jacks of up to 2 m, are just a few examples. An unbelievable experience!
Napantao Wall
But South Leyte offers much more and impresses with completely intact hard and soft corals, sky-gazers, ghost pipe fish, eagle rays, tunas, seahorses, turtles, sometimes manta rays, ray red lionfish, porcupine fish, schools of yellow stripe snapper, barracudas, jackfish, nudibranchs, common sea snakes , strange creatures and little monsters and and and. The biodiversity offers every diver an unforgettable natural spectacle.
The pier of Padre Burgos is also world-famous. A dream for a night dive. I have done many night dives around the world, but you have to dive here. Whether sky-gazers, seahorses, froggis, crabs, shrimp, crocodile fish, snails, leaf fish, rocking forehead fins, anemone hermit, decorater spider crab and harlequin shrimp, to name just a few.
Padre Burgos Pier
Limasawa Island
The dive sites around the island of Limasawa are also the absolute delight of our guests.
Diving on Limasawa Island is as if the island appeared from the surface, a stunning marine life with sheer walls / cliffs, overhangs and small caves. There are several dive sites around the island, the most popular of which are the Zachs and Adrians bays, which are now part of the largest protected area in South Leyte. These places are practically bottomless and you can experience absolutely exciting diving from the reef edge at a depth of five meters, past the forest of black coral and into the gorgonian fans. When you come across water this deep you are never sure what will pass the wall, whale sharks, manta rays ... The southern tip of Limasawa is not as steep as the east side, but the large table corals and the diversity of reef fish are extreme rewarding. Here converging currents from both sides of the island meet and with strong currents deep sea fish and eagle rays are more than possible.
Combined with the dreamy nature, every diver is welcomed there with a unique blaze of colors of hard and soft corals. A unique large number of stamp corals provide protection for thousands of reef fish. A pure natural spectacle. Hammerhead sharks can also be seen.
Limasawa Island
Number of Participants
Minimum number of participants: 4 people
Maximum number of participants: 8 persons
Minimum age: 12 years (parent required!)
Without parents no participation under 18 years!
Additional Transfers - Dive Safari
We are happy to organize the transfers to the dive safari - starting point, or from the final destination to the respective resort. (Transfer costs are not included in the safari costs!)
Food / drinks:
Eat: full board
Beverages: Water, coffee, tea and soft drinks included.
Start:
We start this liveaboard at 7 o'clock from East Bohol near Anda. Usually from Blue Star Dive Resort. The crossing to Leyte takes only 3 - 3 1/2 hours. We recommend, if no travel combination was booked through us, to book at least one overnight stay in the area of Anda, so that a smooth departure to Leyte can be made.
Here are descriptions of some dive sites during this dive safari. Click here:
Travel combination with the safari (whale sharks) and resort in the Philippines.
Possible travel combination:
- Transfer Ferry Port / Tagbilaran Airport - Blue Star Dive Resort
- 2 nights at the Blue Star Dive Resort incl. Breakfast in the Ocean View Bungalow
- 6-day whale shark safari to South Leyte (including diving and full board)
- 6 nights at the Blue Star Dive Resort incl. Breakfast in the Ocean View Bungalow
- Transfer Blue Star Dive Resort - Ferry Terminal / Tagbilaran Airport
Price p. P. 1.595 Euro (double occupancy)
Whale Shark, the biggest fish in the world
The whale shark is not a mixture of whale and shark, but rather a shark the size of a whale. Whale sharks are also the largest fish in the world. The reproduction of whale sharks is also extraordinary: the young grow up in eggs but still hatch in the womb. A single female can carry more than 300 embryos in her belly at the same time and control the time of birth.
Whale sharks were first scientifically described in 1828. They are still a great mystery to researchers. Even the data on size, life span and weight vary widely. The knowledge about origin, behaviour and travel routes is even more pitiful. But it is estimated that the animals can grow up to 20 metres long, weigh more than 34 tonnes and can live to be over 100 years old. The females are on average larger and heavier than the males.
In recent years, whale sharks have become known mainly for their popularity with divers and snorkelers. This is because the giants are particularly peaceful and not at all dangerous for humans. Their shape is also fascinating: the sharks have a strikingly coloured blue-grey back, which is covered with white spots and stripes, a light-coloured belly and a 1.5 metre wide, blunt mouth. Through this large mouth, which extends over the entire width of the head, the animals allow 6,000 litres of water per hour to flow through. The gills filter plankton, algae, krill and other microorganisms. Only two other shark species filter mini-food from the sea in this way: the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) and the giantmouth shark (Megachasma pelagios).
Because of this way of feeding, whale sharks, unlike most sharks, glide slowly and comfortably through the water. Most sharks swim by moving their tail fins back and forth. The whale shark, on the other hand, tilts its entire body alternately from left to right and from right to left. It can reach a maximum speed of five kilometers per hour.
