Close Encounters with Sharks and Stingrays

 

I never imagined swimming with sharks and stingrays. It's quite impossible and a dream actually unless i became a total madman and go deep sea diving, and go nuts swimming with these predators of the sea. Good thing Manila Ocean Park offers that experience and you dont have to go deep sea diving  and put yourself in a cage! You can have your close encounter with sharks and stingrays with minutes away from the metro! I am one of those, along with my officemates, who we're lucky enough to experience this bucket list kind of an experience that surely i wont forget! 

Here we are inside a huge pool where sharks and stingrays are swimming. You can actually feel the stingrays play with your feet and sniff your legs! Its quite an experience. The stingrays are safe. Thats the 1st question that I asked upon briefing if the stingrays are safe and wont go steve irwin on us. Steve Irwin, that crazy guy who loves to have close encounters with different kinds of animals was unfortunately killed by a stingray when the barb on their tails struck him real bad. Good thing those barbs are removed from the stingrays swimming around us.  

This is actually my first time to hold a live stingray. Stingrays or "Pa-ge" in local dialect is a local delicacy. Usually they are captured and cooked with coconut milk! And actually it tastes really good. When i held them in my hand, i felt sorry for all those times that i ate one their kinds... It gave me the thought that stingrays are friends, not food.  

they are very friendly. they swim around you. play with you. I never knew they were so gentle.. and slimey! I even gave this one a kiss! I never even dreamed of kissing a stingray! That was really something coz that dude is lookin at me straight in the eye and im waiting for it to freak out any moment. Good thing he was very still :D

That was quite an experience for me. Too bad they didnt let me bring my GoPro with me and capture some videos. Its kinda their company policy to leave all cameras behind. Before i went home, i had the chance to have a photo-op with the shark and stingray handlers. I believe they have the best jobs in the world! This experience is one for the keeps. I would like to give thanks to the travel team, to sir jojo  and the managers and most specially to the management of Manila Ocean Park for the great photos and the wonderful, unforgettable experience every one of us had.