Botubarani: the whale sharks come to the beach

Botubarani is a beach village in Bone Bolango, Gorontalo, where whale sharks come close to shore. They are not drawn by chum from a dive boat but by local fishermen feeding them small fish, a practice that has turned a stretch of ordinary coast into one of the few places in Indonesia where you can see the largest fish in the sea from a small boat.

The sharks are wild and the sightings are not guaranteed. Some mornings there are several; some mornings there are none. The village has organised itself around the visits, with boats, guides and a set of rules, and the experience depends a great deal on how those rules are followed on the day.

Why the sharks come in

Whale sharks are plankton feeders, but at Botubarani they are attracted by handouts. Fishermen cleaning and sorting their catch, or deliberately throwing small fish, bring the sharks in close to the beach. The practice began informally and has become the village economy, with boats and guides taking visitors out.

The sharks are young, mostly a few metres long, and they cruise slowly at the surface with their mouths open. That is what makes the site work: you are not chasing an animal across open ocean, you are watching one that has chosen to be there. The feeding is also the reason for the arguments about the place. The sharks are around through the year, though the numbers shift with the weather and the fishing, and the busiest mornings are at weekends and in the dry season.

The rules on the water

The viewing rules are straightforward and are posted at the beach. Do not touch the sharks. Do not ride them. Keep a few metres away, do not block their path, and do not swim directly in front of the mouth. No flash photography, no drones close to the animals, and no standing on them, which happens more often than it should.

Boats should keep their distance and their engines slow, and the number of boats around a shark should be limited. If a guide is pressuring the animal for a better photograph, you are allowed to say no. Choose a boat whose crew follows the rules, and report the ones that do not. The site is not a zoo, and it will only stay worth visiting if visitors behave.

A morning at the beach

The sharks are most often seen in the early morning, when the water is calm and the boats go out. Arrive by seven if you can. You wait on the beach or in a warung, the guides watch the water, and when a shark appears the boats go out in turn. Some mornings the wait is short; some mornings it is a lesson in patience.

Bring a rash vest, reef-safe sunscreen and a waterproof bag. Life jackets are provided, but check the fit before you leave the beach. The water is shallow near shore and the sharks come close, so most viewing is done by snorkelling rather than diving. If you are not a confident swimmer, say so, and stay near the boat. Most trips last an hour or two on the water. If the sharks are not there, the crew will usually wait a little and then call it a morning; nobody pretends otherwise.

• No touching, no riding, no flash.
• Keep a few metres away and never block the shark.
• Go with a crew that limits boats around the animal.
• Early morning is the best chance, not a guarantee.
• Bring a rash vest and cash for the boat and warung.

The village behind the sand

Botubarani is a fishing village first. Nets dry on the beach, children play in the shallows, and the warungs serve rice, fish and coffee to visitors and locals alike. The whale sharks have brought income, but they have also brought traffic, noise and a steady argument about whether feeding the animals is the right thing to do.

Conservation groups have raised concerns about boats crowding the sharks and about the effect of the feeding on their behaviour. The village and the local government have responded with rules and patrols, but enforcement is uneven. Go with realistic expectations, tip fairly, and treat the beach as somebody's workplace rather than a set. The money is real and so is the pressure: too many boats, too close, and the animals leave. The village knows this, and the guides who have been there longest are usually the strictest.

Getting there, and doing it properly

Botubarani is about forty minutes by road from Gorontalo city, on the coast towards Bone Bolango. There is no public transport to the beach, so a car or scooter is needed. Most people come for the morning and are back in the city by lunch. Entry and boat fees are modest and set locally; pay them at the beach and ask what they cover.

The site is worth combining with Olele, which is further along the same coast and has the reef and the wreck. Do not expect to swim with a shark on demand, and do not book with anyone who promises it. The best visits are the quiet ones, with a good guide, a patient wait and a shark that decides to stay for a while. Allow a full morning rather than an hour, and keep the afternoon free in case the sharks turn up late.

Questions people actually ask

Are whale shark sightings guaranteed at Botubarani?

No. The sharks are wild and come and go with the fishing and the weather. Some mornings bring several; others bring none. Go for the experience rather than the photograph, and give yourself more than one morning if the sharks matter to you.

Can you touch the whale sharks at Botubarani?

No. The rules prohibit touching, riding, blocking their path and flash photography, and boats should keep their distance. Choose a crew that follows the rules, and do not let a guide pressure an animal for a better shot.