My nephew and I were swimming in the water a short distance away from our boat when a woman snorkeling not too far away from us suddenly surfaced and shrieked in terror. A whale shark was headed straight towards her, its faint outline gliding under the waves. I smiled knowing that whale sharks pose no threat to humans and feed almost exclusively on plankton. But when I dropped slightly underwater to snorkel and view the spectacle, I realized just how massive this animal is. No wonder that lady was frightened to death.

Their bodies were sleek and graceful, the skin soft to the touch, their demeanor welcoming even if a bit skeptical. Still, they were more used to this more than I was. But I spread my arms out as instructed and flapped them in the water.

Beginning in 2013, Palawan, Philippines, has been voted as the best island in the world by readers of Travel+Leisure a number of times in its yearly polls and in the top 3 rankings by Condé Nast Traveler. With huge limestone cliffs rising from palm-fringed white sand beaches, gorgeous seascapes, old-growth rainforests, subterranean rivers and impressive aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, the island has been dubbed as the country’s “Last Ecological Frontier.”

Fresh from catching glimpses of playful spinner dolphins navigating their way between Balicasag and Panglao Islands on an early Wednesday morning, we dropped anchor at a beach for a round of coffee and snacks. But our day was just beginning. Within an hour we were hauled off the beach in a small boat to a snorkeling spot not too far from Balicasag Island’s white sand shores.