Swimming With Whale Sharks in Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte: An Ethical Review
Snorkeling with whale sharks has been on my bucket list for ages. After watching countless videos of these gentle, spotted giants gliding through the sea, I knew I wanted to witness them in person. During my trip to the Philippines, I was eager to find an experience that was more ethical than Oslob, where fishermen feed the whale sharks to keep them in the area year-round, disrupting their natural migration patterns. During my research, I came across the town of Padre Burgos in Southern Leyte.
When is the best time to see whale sharks in Southern Leyte?
November to May is the ideal time to see whale sharks in Sogod Bay. The water is rich in krill and plankton during this period, which attracts the sharks to this area to feed. Sightings are never guaranteed because the animals are not fed by humans, but tours operate during this season when encounters are most likely.
How much do whale shark snorkeling tours in Padre Burgos cost?
Whale shark snorkeling tours in Padre Burgos typically cost around PHP 3,000–3,500 ($50–$60 USD) per person. This usually includes the boat trip, guides, snorkeling gear or wetsuit rental, and sometimes meals or snacks. Prices can vary slightly depending on the dive operator.
Are whale sharks fed in Southern Leyte?
No. Unlike tours in Oslob, whale sharks in Sogod Bay are not fed by fishermen or tour operators. Encounters occur naturally when the sharks gather to feed on plankton and krill.
Why is Oslob a controversial destination for whale shark snorkeling?
Whale shark encounters in Oslob are controversial because fishermen feed the sharks to attract them close to shore, allowing tourists to swim with them year-round. Conservation groups say this may alter the animals’ natural migration and feeding behavior, and the large number of swimmers in the water can lead to crowding and accidental contact.
Where is Padre Burgos?
Leyte is an X-shaped island in the Eastern Visayas region, just east of the more popular islands of Cebu and Bohol. Padre Burgos is situated on the southern left arm, overlooking Sogod Bay. For the past 20 years, whale sharks have migrated through the bay from November to May, feeding on the nutrient-rich waters.
An ethical whale shark snorkeling alternative to Oslob
While Padre Burgos is not a super touristy area, several dive operators offer small-group excursions to swim with these gentle giants, and their websites advertise eco-friendly guidelines that include maintaining an appropriate distance from the animals, no touching or feeding, and no scuba diving. I’d seen a handful of videos online from past visitors claiming the whale shark snorkeling tours in Padre Burgos were ethical alternatives to Oslob, and I was excited to see for myself.
I visited Padre Burgos in February of 2026 — here is my guide to getting to this quiet dive town, and whether this ethical whale shark snorkeling adventure lives up to its promises.
How to get to Padre Burgos
Manila
From Manila, you can catch a regional flight to Leyte’s air hub, the Tacloban Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport. To get to Padre Burgos, you can opt for a private transfer to your hotel or dive resort, which will take about four hours and cost around 5,000 Philippine pesos ($85 USD). Another option is public transportation. This involves taking a van to Maasin City, then boarding a “jeepney” (shared, open-air Jeep) for Padre Burgos. This route takes closer to five hours.
Cebu
From Cebu, catch an OceanJet ferry from Cebu City’s Pier 1. The ferry takes about three hours and docks in the port city of Maasin. (I paid PHP 1,600 ($27) for a business class ticket, and overall had a very comfortable journey.) From Maasin, arrange a private transfer to your accommodation in Padre Burgos, around PHP 1,500 ($25), or take a jeepney from the Maasin Bus Terminal. The jeepneys are crowded, but very affordable, and the one-hour journey only costs PHP 50 (less than $2).
Siargao
From Siargao, you’ll need to take two ferries. The first leg departs from Siargao’s Dapa Port and stops at the ferry terminal in Surigao. There is both a fast (Evaristo and Sons) and a slow boat (Vince Gabriel Liner), but they’re almost equal in price. Depending on which boat you choose, the journey takes 90 minutes to two hours. From Surigao, catch the OceanJet ferry to Maasin, which takes about two hours, followed by a private transfer or jeepney to Padre Burgos.
Where to stay in Padre Burgos
Padre Burgos is quite small, and while it’s not totally off the beaten tourist path (it’s a popular spot with divers), there aren’t a ton of choices when it comes to accommodation.
I booked a room at Peter’s Dive Resort and overall had a comfortable stay. They have a range of options, from private rooms to condos to apartments, and they operate daily dives and whale shark snorkeling (during the season). There’s also a restaurant on-site that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the staff was professional and kind.
Sogod Bay Scuba Resort is another well-rated option in the area, and if you’re in the market for a slightly more upscale option, Burgos Reef Boutique Resort offers modern suites overlooking the sea.
How to Book a Whale Shark Snorkeling Tour in Padre Burgos
When I was in Padre Burgos, three dive centers offered whale shark snorkeling excursions — Peter’s Dive Resort, Sogod Bay Scuba Resort, and Padre Burgos Castle Resort. I booked online by emailing PDR a month in advance to secure my room and snorkeling spot.
The resort recommended booking in advance, and I overheard several people trying to join tours for the following day to be told they’re sold out. Peter’s Dive Resort does most bookings over email, while you can contact Sogod Bay Scuba Resort via email or WhatsApp, and Padre Burgos Castle Resort offers several booking methods on its website.
Tours cost in the ballpark of PHP 3,500 (around $60). I paid PHP 3,375, which included the boat, guides, a packed lunch, tea and coffee onboard, and a wetsuit and fins rental (I already had a mask and snorkel). I was hesitant to rent the wetsuit given the warm tropical water, but the day of my tour, the bay was teeming with small jellyfish, and I was glad for the extra layer of protection.
What to Expect on a Whale Shark Snorkeling Tour in Padre Burgos
Departure from Padre Burgos
On the day of my tour in early February, we were fitted for wetsuits and snorkel gear at 7 a.m., then boarded the boat and departed around 8 a.m. Pintuyan Bay, where the whale sharks feed, was around a two-hour ride away, and we saw schools of flying fish and the elusive dorsal fin of a dolphin along the way.
Arrival and safety briefing in Pintuyan Bay
When we arrived in Pintuyan Bay, our local guide boarded the boat and gave us a rundown on the rules and regulations and the history of the area. Whale sharks started arriving in Pintuyan Bay around 20 years ago, though the number has dwindled in the past few years.
They are not fed in this area (unlike in Oslob), so sightings are based on chance and strictly seasonal, according to plankton blooms between November and May. We were given a safety briefing and advised to maintain an appropriate distance from the animals (3 meters from the body and 4 meters from the tail) and not to touch them or use flash photography.
The whale shark snorkeling experience
After the safety talk, our guides stood at the mast and scanned the water as we circled the bay, while small traditional boats (barotos) from Pintuyan village acted as “spotters,” rowing around and dunking their heads in the water to check for whale sharks. When one was spotted, we were instructed to sit on the side of the boat, and one at a time, everyone jumped into the water.
We spent about two hours in the water and saw two whale sharks, though it felt like more as we had multiple encounters with the same shark. We regularly took breaks and got back on the main boat to cruise the bay, and the smaller spotter boats also allowed snorkelers to rest and hold onto them or hitch a ride. After our time was up, we boarded the dive boat and had lunch, then headed back to the resort.
Are the whale shark snorkeling tours in Padre Burgos Ethical?
While there was all the framework in place for this to be an ethical experience, the execution missed the mark. Pintuyan Bay has excellent guidelines that are on par with other premier ethical whale shark experiences like in Ningaloo, Australia. They follow the same distance rules and group size limits, and prohibit flash photography and scuba diving. However, unfortunately, these weren’t all respected during the tour.
Group size
First, Pintuyan Bay outlines a maximum of six swimmers per shark (which is actually more conservative than Ningaloo’s 10 swimmers per shark). However, our boat had 11 snorkelers, and the group size would’ve been even larger, but several people didn’t show up the morning of the tour. Everyone was allowed in the water at once, which felt like we were overcrowding the sharks.
Additionally, when a shark was spotted, chaos ensued as everyone jumped in to catch a glimpse of it, resulting in a wild frenzy of flailing arms and fins. I felt stressed in the water, and I imagine this was disruptive for the animals as well, with so many humans splashing around while they tried to feed.
Distance regulation
Furthermore, some swimmers got far too close, within a foot or two of the whale sharks, and I even saw a man reach out to touch one. Although the local guides gave us clear instructions to keep our distance and even warned that touching would result in suspension of snorkeling trips, this wasn’t always respected in the water.
Final verdict
While the whale sharks in Sogod Bay aren’t being fed and exhibit normal feeding behaviors and disinterest in the boats, it wasn’t quite the minimally invasive experience I’d hoped for. Several other people I spoke to after shared the same sentiment, including those who went on snorkeling trips with other dive resorts.
In my opinion, for these excursions to live up to their eco-friendly potential, distance rules and group-size limits must be followed. Pintuyan Bay has guidelines in place to ensure this is an ethical encounter. But it’s up to local operators in Padre Burgos to regulate the number of people on snorkeling tours, and participants are also responsible for maintaining space and acting with respect around the whale sharks.
ethical whale shark snorkeling in the Philippines — Alternatives
I predict that Sogod Bay and Padre Burgos will continue to rise in popularity as destinations for ethical whale shark snorkeling in the Philippines, especially for people seeking alternatives to the encounters in Oslob.
So, if you’re set on swimming with whale sharks in Sogod Bay and ethical wildlife observation is important to you, here are a few suggestions for a quieter experience.
Charter a private boat from Padre Burgos
One option is to charter a private boat from Padre Burgos to Pintuyan Bay. Check at the local port or with your accommodation for prices.
Stay in Pintuyan
Another option is to stay in the town of Pintuyan instead of Padre Burgos and go out on the “spotting” boats operated by KASAKA, an NGO and local fishermen’s association. This, to me, seems like the more sustainable option, as each boat only accommodates about three passengers, making these tours almost semi-private.
These whale shark experiences can be organized through the Pintuyan tourism office at the municipal hall, and cost about the same as the tours that leave from Padre Burgos. If I were to do this again, this is the option I’d choose.
You May Also Like
