Wild or Fed? 5 Questions to Ask Before a Whale Shark Tour

Both are sold as a whale shark tour. Most operators do not explain the difference, and from a booking page it is very hard to tell.

So instead of looking at the photos, we look at the answers. Here are the five questions we ask, and why each one matters. Where my sources disagree or are old, I say so.

1. Is food put in the water?

This is the big one. Putting food in the water to bring animals close has a name, provisioning, and it changes how the animals behave.

At Oslob, on Cebu in the Philippines, tourists were reported to feed whale sharks with tiny shrimp, locally called uyap. A 2015 PeerJ study found that sharks learned to link the place with food, arriving earlier at the site after each new sighting. A later study found that nine individuals became year-round residents. And a 2020 study, which watched the sharks in the water between 2015 and 2017, reported that fed sharks were less likely to avoid people, that the number of earlier visits predicted their behaviour, and that in 92.7% of its 20-minute observation periods a swimmer or boat holder was closer than the 2 metre limit. That figure stays with me. Once food is involved, the whole meeting is built around the feeding, not around the shark.

For the full story of one place, read our piece on the ethical issues at Oslob.

2. Is a fishing platform involved?

In parts of Indonesia, whale sharks gather under bagans. These are lift-net fishing platforms that use lamps at night to attract small fish. In Cenderawasih Bay, in Papua, whale sharks have been a tourist attraction since about 2011 because they regularly gather at these nets. Researchers linked sightings to the fishers’ catch, which they read as feeding, and an older expedition report described fishers hand-feeding sharks small fish each morning.

The sharks feed on the fish that leak from the nets, and at dawn tourist boats tie up to the platform. A 13-year study across several bays in the Bird’s Head region found that 80.6% of injuries on the sharks came from human causes, including collisions with bagans and tour boats. Saleh Bay in Sumbawa has a similar setting, but I found much less published research on it, so I can only share what I read, not what is happening there today. We have a page on whale sharks at the bagans of Saleh Bay.

So the question for any operator here is very simple. Do you scoop extra bait towards the guests? If the answer is yes, that is feeding.

3. Is it the same spot every day, all year?

As a general rule, wild whale sharks follow plankton, the tiny life drifting in the water. So wild encounters come with seasons, and with blank days.

If a tour promises sharks every single morning, it is worth asking a second question: why? I will not give you a season for every country here, because I could not confirm those dates from official sources. Ask the operator for the months, then ask what happens in the other months.

4. How many people are in the water?

Crowding is the most common failure, even at wild sites. Good places set limits.

Donsol, in the Philippines, has a municipal code that allows a maximum of six swimmers per whale shark and one boat per shark, with no touching or riding, no flash and no scuba. Vera Files reports that the same executive order allows only 30 boats to search at one time. The code has also been broken: a study in 2004 and 2005 found only 44% compliance with the minimum distance. Rules on paper are a start. What the operator actually enforces is the real answer.

If an operator cannot tell you how many swimmers will be around one shark, you already know something. Smaller groups also mean a calmer swim for you.

5. How close can you swim to a whale shark?

A widely used guideline is at least 3 metres from the head and body and 4 metres from the tail, with no touching, no blocking the shark’s path and no flash. Donsol’s sources disagree a little, some giving 3 metres from the tail and others 4, so ask the local operator for the figure they use.

If nobody explains a distance before you get in the water, that is your answer. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Swimming with whale sharks should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

A low-volume mask and snorkel and a rash guard help you float quietly, and if you carry a camera, an underwater camera with the flash off lets the shark swim out of the frame without being asked to pose.

One more question: the propeller

Whale sharks that swim near the surface share the water with boats. In the Maldives, South Ari Marine Protected Area, a regulation reported in 2025 makes propeller guards mandatory on tourist boats on whale shark tours, and the management plan and zoning took effect on 1 February 2025. Older reports describe whale sharks injured by propellers there, which is why the rule exists. A report of a guard being missing on a boat shows that rules and practice are not always the same. We have a longer note on South Ari and propellers.

So it is fair to ask whether the boat has propeller guards, and someone on board watching for sharks.

What we choose, and the conservation layer

We choose wild encounters where the shark can leave whenever it wants. That means accepting blank days, smaller groups and more patience. It also means the shark you meet is living its own life, not waiting for breakfast.

As the box above says, feeding is not always against the law. In 2012 the Philippine environment department asked for hand-feeding at Oslob to stop, while a spokesperson said the town could pass an ordinance of its own. I do not know the legal status today, and I will not guess. That is why we judge a tour by what happens in the water, not only by what is allowed.

If you want to go deeper, our guide to ethical whale shark encounters worldwide looks at more places. If this made you curious to meet the ocean with this kind of care, you can explore our retreats. Our Ocean Match can also connect you with trusted local teams, and you book with them directly.

Questions people ask

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.