Hi all
I´m going to be travelling Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Thailand during feb/mar and would really like to go snorkeling with whalesharks. I´ve heard Donsol in Phill. should be the best place, but we don´t have the time to squeeze in an extra country. I´m not expecting to find a place as good as Donsol, but tips to where theres a pretty good chance within our planned destinations will be greatly appreciated.
March / April / May is often a good time to spot them here on Koh Tao - but due to where they are seen snorkeling opportunities are limited. We tend to see them while diving...
I saw a whale shark at Richilieu Rock in the Similan Islands (Thailand) in March a few years back. However, this site is really only accessible by liveaboard dive boats and sightings of whale sharks at this location are not exactly guaranteed. You might also try at Palau Weh (Sumatra) but again it's not certain you will see a whale shark. Frankly, if seeing whale sharks is important to you, then make time for Donsol or Southern Leyte in the Philippines, where your chances of whale shark interactions are very high at that time of year.