Photo: Darcy Wheeler / Unsplash
Donsol & Ticao Pass
Donsol sits on the coast of Sorsogon in the Bicol region of southeast Luzon. Its headline is wild whale sharks, but read this carefully: the whale-shark activity is a boat-and-snorkel interaction, not a scuba dive. Sharks are found by spotters in Donsol Bay, and a Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO) puts up to six snorkellers in the water per animal. The animals are not fed or baited — a deliberate contrast to the provisioned feeding at Oslob. Sightings are plankton-driven and not guaranteed; numbers swing year to year. The season runs roughly November to June, with peak numbers around February to May. For actual scuba, the draw is Manta Bowl in Ticao Pass, a separate boat trip: a seamount at 18–30m with reef-manta cleaning stations, strong tidal current and reef hooks, plus thresher and whale sharks recorded on research video. Fly to Legazpi (LGP), then road to Donsol; Ticao is a further boat transfer.
What makes it special
- Wild, non-provisioned whale-shark snorkelling under a regulated BIO program — explicitly not fed or baited, unlike Oslob
- Manta Bowl seamount in Ticao Pass: reef-manta cleaning stations at ~20–30m, one of the Philippines' largest reef-manta aggregations (280+ individuals identified by LAMAVE)
- Thresher and whale sharks, plus occasional hammerheads, recorded on Manta Bowl research video
- Both the snorkel and scuba draws reachable from a single Legazpi flight in the dry season
Price range
$
Trip length
2–5 days
Diver level
Advanced open water
Trip type
Land based, Day trip
Price is per person for a typical trip, excluding international flights ($ = under $2,000).
Budget by dive-travel standards. The Donsol whale-shark interaction is priced per boat, not per person: registration is about 300 PHP (~$7) per person plus a boat fee around 3,500 PHP (~$75) for a roughly 3-hour trip, shared among up to six or seven passengers. Ticao Island Resort dive/stay packages and Manta Bowl day boats are separate and cost more; a week combining both typically stays well under $2,000 per person excluding international flights.
Best time to dive
- Current
- Strong
- Water temp
- 25.5–31.5°C (coldest Feb, warmest Jun)
- Visibility
- 2–30m — Commonly 10–30m depending on tide, but can drop to around 2m during heavy plankton blooms — the same plankton that draws the whale sharks.
- Getting there
- Moderate — Reachable but with some friction: 1 domestic flight.
- Experience
- Two very different activities. The Donsol whale-shark interaction is snorkel-only and needs no scuba certification — you must be able to swim and follow the BIO. Manta Bowl in Ticao Pass is an advanced scuba dive: strong tidal current, upwelling and downwelling, negative entries and reef hooks are standard, and operators expect Advanced Open Water or equivalent current experience. Nearby San Miguel Island reef sites are gentler and suit most levels.
Nearest airports
- LGP — Legazpi Airport (Bicol International) (About 1 hour from Manila (MNL); then roughly 1–1.5 hours by road to Donsol town)
Permit required
The Donsol whale-shark interaction is regulated: register at the Butanding Visitor Centre, and a Butanding Interaction Officer must accompany each boat. Code of conduct enforced — minimum distance from the shark, no touching, no flash photography, maximum six snorkellers per animal and one boat per animal.
Whale-shark interaction registration around 300 PHP (~$7) per person plus the per-boat fee; Ticao/Manta Bowl operators charge their own dive fees.
Marine life
Sightings are never guaranteed — the bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | peak season |
| February | peak season |
| March | peak season |
| April | peak season |
| May | peak season |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | peak season |
The main scuba draw at Manta Bowl in Ticao Pass, one of the largest reef-manta aggregations in the Philippines — 280+ individuals identified by LAMAVE. Present year-round at the cleaning stations, most reliable roughly December to May. Requires the offshore Manta Bowl dive.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Recorded at Manta Bowl on LAMAVE research video and listed among the pelagics of Ticao Pass. Encounters are occasional and not something to plan a trip around; requires the Manta Bowl dive.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | peak season |
| March | peak season |
| April | peak season |
| May | peak season |
| June | occasional |
| July | rare |
| August | not seen |
| September | not seen |
| October | rare |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
The headline animal, encountered by snorkel (not scuba) in Donsol Bay under the BIO program — wild and non-provisioned. Season runs roughly November to June with peak numbers around February to May; sightings are plankton-driven and not guaranteed, and numbers vary year to year. Also recorded occasionally at Manta Bowl.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Schooling jacks and other pelagic fish move through Ticao Pass and over Bobby's Wall alongside tuna and anchovy schools.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
Hammerheads are reported occasionally at Manta Bowl and in Ticao Pass but are far from reliable — treat as a rare bonus, not a target. Requires the offshore dive.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Frogfish are reported on the reef and sand sites around Donsol and Ticao; species and location vary, so treat as a lucky macro find rather than a guaranteed sighting.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Common on the reef and muck sites around San Miguel Island and Ticao, which are noted for macro photography.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Seen on the reef sections around Manta Bowl and Ticao's fringing reefs.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Soft and hard corals cover the fringing reefs around San Miguel Island and Bobby's Wall, with soft coral standing out against the white sand.
Dive sites
Worth knowing before you book
- The whale-shark headline is a snorkel interaction, not a dive — scuba with the sharks is not allowed in Donsol, and sightings are plankton-driven and never guaranteed.
- Whale-shark numbers vary a lot year to year; a half-day trip may produce one animal or none.
- Manta Bowl is a separate boat trip with strong current and is described by operators as hit-or-miss; it needs advanced experience and reef hooks.
- June to October is typhoon season — seas turn choppy and offshore access to Manta Bowl and Ticao becomes unreliable.
- Reaching Ticao Island and Manta Bowl means a further ~2-hour boat transfer, and infrastructure in the area is basic.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.
- Donsol Whale Shark Interaction In The Philippines — Journey Era
- Diving Bicol: Guide to Bicol Dive Destinations — PhilippineDives.com
- Photo Story: Diving Ticao Manta Bowl — LAMAVE (Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines)
- Best Diving sites in Donsol – Philippines — Divezone
- Ticao Burias Pass ISRA — Important Shark and Ray Areas
- Sea water temperature Sorsogon — seatemperature.info
- Ticao Island - scuba diving with manta rays and whale sharks in the Philippines — Expat Getaways
Note on the data: Whale-shark season months vary by source (some cite Nov/Dec–Jun, some Feb–May peak); coded from multiple sources with Feb–May as peak. Reef-manta presence at Manta Bowl is reported year-round with a Dec–May peak. Site coordinates are approximate. Water temperature is surface data for Sorsogon, not measured at the dive sites. Prices are indicative and set locally. Water temperature: Warm year-round surface temperatures for Sorsogon, roughly 26–31°C; coolest in January–February, warmest May–October. Values are monthly min/max surface averages, not dive-depth readings. Access: Fly Manila–Legazpi (LGP, ~1h), then about 1–1.5h by road to Donsol town; whale-shark boats leave from the estuary and reach the interaction area in minutes. Diving Manta Bowl/Ticao adds a further boat transfer of roughly 2 hours to Ticao Island. Independently verified 2026-07-20 (confidence high).