Monday, March 06, 2006
Close encounters with gentle giants
By Edwin G. Espejo
THEY were gone as surreptitiously as they came. But for more than a week, they treated us to a rare once in a lifetime spectacle.
They weaved and bobbed above the surface. Sometimes very menacing. They would occasionally but gently bumped their bodies into us. Flipped their tails and teased us with their dorsal fins.
For the more adventurous, they would open their wide mouths when approaching only to veer away from directly colliding into us at the last moment.
Whoa! On the third day they were here, they even gave somebody a freed ride five meters deep into waters off the wharf of Sarangani Agricultural Company Incorporated.
Meet the whale sharks -- the world's biggest fish species.
Surprise visit
Mid afternoon last February 23, I received a call from Junjun Gieto asking me to come over and see for myself "two very big fishes circling around oil tanker Harvest Moon.
"Lantawa abi be kay ila silik daw sobra sa dupa," he graspingly told me. (Please take a look because they are so huge their fins are more than arm's length)
I immediately thought they were whales.
They must be gate crashers to the Kalilangan Festival, which happens to also be the founding anniversary of the former undivided South Cotabato province.
Well, what a way to gate crash into the party! In fact, they almost stole the show from General Santos City.
I called Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez to take a look for himself as the sightings were located off the shore of their family-owned company.
Thirty minutes later, he sent text messages confirming the presence of these creatures.
"Positive", "Butandings." These were his text messages.
The governor was referring to whale sharks, more known to the Filipino marine life society as butandings.
Largest fish species
Whale sharks, which scientific name is Rhiniodon, are pelagic (open sea) species very widespread in distribution and occurring in all tropical and warm temperate seas.
The whale shark is the largest living fish. They are believed to grow up to 20 meters. So big their smallest is "just 55 centimeters."
According to existing marine life journals, whale sharks could live up to 60 years old and they reached adult life upon reaching nine meters long.
Marine life scientist however could still not ascertain the life expectancy of these fish species.
They are known to be aggregate on the continental shelf of the central western coast of Australia, particularly in the Ningaloo Reef area. But they are also all over the Philippine archipelago.
In fact, in Donsol, Sorsogoon, a festival to usher their sightings, and perhaps, mating season is held every April. It is called the Butanding Festival.
Whale sharks feed on plankton and "nektonic (larger free-swimming) prey, such as small crustaceans, schooling fishes, and occasionally on tuna and squids."
Also, phytoplankton (microscopic plants) and macroalgae (larger plants) may form a component of the diet.
Unlike other sharks, the butandings do not have razor-sharp teeth to crush its prey.
"Rather, they rely on a versatile suction filter-feeding method, which enable them to draw water into the mouth at higher velocities than these dynamic filter-feeders, like the basking shark."
This enables them to capture larger more active nektonic prey as well as zooplankton aggregations.
Rich marine life
This prompted Governor Dominguez to explain that microorganisms present in Sarangani Bay may have attracted the whale sharks to feed on the shores.
Incidentally, the whale sharks -- there were two of them -- were seen swimming along the area where the drain of SACI ponds flushes excess brackish water.
"Plankton," explained the governor.
The following day, on February 24, the governor again called me to immediately proceed to the wharf as a manta ray is seen flipping its dorsal fins on the surface of the bay!
"Punta ka rito (Come over there), I don't know what's happening!" he exclaimed.
By the time I reached the wharf, a sizeable crowd was already gathered.
Close encounter
Having read that butandings are gentle and tame creatures of the sea, I volunteered to take a closer look at and perhaps touch them.
Bringing along with me my digital camera and three of Sun.Star staff, we boarded a motorized outrigger boat.
Governor Dominguez, still in his polo barong joined us.
Just 50 meters from the shore line, the butandings approached our boat. The ladies of Sun.Star were petrified.
I flapped my hands on the water hoping to attract the butandings and prod them to get near the boat.
True enough, one of them sidled on the port side of the boat. As I was reaching its back, the butanding suddenly dove, missing a chance to have a touch of it.
We tried vainly to go near them but they seemed in no mood to cooperate.
It was at this time the governor called Guiseppe Chew, provincial agricultural officer and a marine biologist, to proceed to the wharf and bring along with him some diving gear.
"I will wear shorts. I will dive," the governor told us.
Tourism attraction
Both the governor and Chew said if these whale sharks continue to visit the bay, they could serve as tourist attraction.
"It is proof that our efforts to preserve marine life in Sarangani Bay is paying off," governor told reporters who also rushed to the scene.
The governor said, aside from the recent visit of the butandings, sea cows, dolphins, marine turtles and other rare specie are now found in the bay.
"Sarangani Bay is now back as rich spawning ground of marine life," Chew said.
"As long as the people are made aware that these creatures should not be harm, we may be able to offer Sarangani as premier destination for environment lovers," Governor Dominguez added.
It could well be. On February 25, Junjun Gieto did what others have never done before in Sarangani.
He dove from his banca and approached one of the butandings from the back.
With a flip, he rode the back of the rough-skinned gentle creature.
To everybody's astonishment, the whale shark seemed to enjoy the back rider.
The ride however gave Junjun some fits.
Who would not if you are driven more than five man's length deep into the bottom?
For which he received a thundering applause from the governor and curious and awed onlookers.
Chew said the butandings were probably male and female. "They are so big," he exclaimed.
This writer reckoned one of them must be at least six meters long. The one other one was probably less. Nevertheless, it was one occasion to celebrate nature's beautiful bounty.
The close encounter may be brief. (The butandings were gone by Wednesday, March 1. They were gone in their Feench adieu).
But nevertheless, they provided us exhilarating sight in the short time they were here. Next time they pay a visit, bring along with you your kids.
It is one hell of experience worth topping your list of must see in your lifetime.
For Bisaya stories from General Santos.Click here. (This section is updated every Monday)
(March 6, 2006 issue)
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