It’s been a while since this blog has seen a new post. Been quite busy lately with my day job and I have to admit that diving took a backseat recently with all the other things I have on my plate right now.
But the “day job” also have its perks and one of them is that you get to meet interesting people not to mention the occasional sea creature or wildlife along the way. It’s quite tasking really but no complaints here since it is also quite awesome.
Last June the “day job” took me once again to the Southern tip of Cebu. It was a gruelling 3 hour overland trip but the view along the coastal highway never cease to take your pains away.
Taken along the highway to Sumilon Island, Oslob, Cebu
One of those interesting people that I’ve met is Ms. Joanna Guy the 2012 Ms. Maryland and top 10 finalist at the Miss America competition in Las Vegas on 2013.
I happen to tag along and was able to take some shots of the activity. It was a great experience no matter how many times you’ve done it.
Ms. Maryland swimming with the gentle giants of Oslob
It was just amazing that I was given the chance to see this very beautiful lady swimming and gliding with these magnificent and gentle creatures of the sea.
Glide alongside Fermin the Whaleshark
My only hope is that they will be protected thru sustainable eco-tourism practices so that children’s children will also be able to enjoy the company of the whale sharks of Oslob.
Diving is all about exploring the unexplored, willing yourself to descend to depths that you haven’t been to before. As a child I used to imagine myself diving underwater to look for treasures long before claimed by the ocean as the ships carrying them sunk to the bottom of the abyss. Exploring wrecks have a certain charm and an element of danger and mystery. It leaves a lot to the imagination and it is this thing that lures divers towards wreck exploration.
One such wreck is just 15 to 20 minutes away from our unofficial homebase at the Aquamania Dive Center at Bluewater Maribago. The Tambuli Plane wreck is still an underwater wreck in a sense and is highly recommended even for entry level divers.
The wreckage is located a few meters from the shoreline of the former Tambuli Beach Resort at a depth of around 18 meters for the tail section. It looks like a single seater-twin engined plane whose make we could no longer ascertain.
A lot of stories are going over my head as to how this plane got here, would love to imagine it being a drug dealers plane that crashed into the sea or some long lost wreckage that could shed light to one of histories greatest mysteries. But it was actually put here to be an artificial reef as well as a dive attraction by an OG Diver Fred Umabong some years back (this according to my source).
Drift diving from the plane wreck and across the coral gardens in the area is an awesome experience especially for the new divers we took with us that day.
This is a really good dive site and is quite close to all the major resort hotels and dive centers in Mactan. It’s a can’t miss part of your dive itinerary when you visit Mactan anytime soon.
As part of Project BLUE most of my dives are conducted at either the Bluewater Maribago House reef or at the vicinity of the Kontiki wall both located inside the Maribago Cove at Buyong, Maribago Lapu-Lapu City.
The main feature of this dive site is the drop off, situated around 20 meters more or less from the edge of the Bluewater Private Island the depth of which is around 9 to 7 meters depending on the tide.
photo courtesy of Bluewater Maribago – Aquamania
The drop-off offers a great vantage view of corals and sea anemones growing on its wall. There you can find fan corals, table corals and other known species. This is also a popular dive destination in Mactan and if I am not mistaken is probably the birthplace of the sport of SCUBA Diving in the area.
The wall and the reef is home to a multitude of tropical fishes, crustaceans, mollusks and other species who inhabits its fissures and crevices. One can also find barracudas in the area as well as the famous sardine run at the Kontiki wall which is quite popular among divers.
Photo Courtesy of Docboy Amores
Testament to its popularity is the huge number of dive shops and dive centers dotting the area catering mostly to the Japanese and South Korean dive markets with local dive guides able to converse in both the Japanes and Korean languages.
There are also a number of resort hotels in the area like Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort as well as other bed and breakfast institutions who are more than willing to cater to tourists.
photo courtesy of Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort
The area is also the main jump off point for dive excursions to the neighboring islets in the Hilutungan Channel. Notable among these are the marine sanctuaries in Talima, Nalusuan and Hilutungan. One of my personal favorites is the plane wreck situated near the defunct Tambuli Beach Resort area.
So if you happen to be in Mactan, Cebu for a dive tour be sure not to miss diving at the Bluewater Maribago House Reef and the Kontiki Wall. They have a very proficient dive operation going on at the Aquamania dive shop manned by professionals who have been diving around the area for more than 20 years.
Last June 2014 I had the chance to go swimming with the whale sharks of Oslob, Cebu. I was accompanying a group of friends from Manila who were staying at Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort for a weekend getaway.
Our day started early in the morning as we boarded a chartered boat from Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort directly to the whale shark watching area in Tan-awan. Bluewater Sumilon by the way caters to guest requests for whale shark watching and can provide a boat to take you direct to the site, they also arranged for vehicles to pick us up after as our guests wanted to go to Tumalog Falls for lunch.
The staff of Bluewater Sumilon was kind enough to arrange everything including the fees for the whale shark watching experience as well as camera and gear rentals. They also provided us with a boatload of fresh towels to dry up after we were done swimming with the gentle giants.
We then loaded into the paddle boats that will take us to the spot where the whale sharks are. Motor boats are denied entry into the area and stiff penalties awaits the violators, not to mention that there is a huge chance that the locals are going to lynch you and bury you at sea because their livelihood as of the moment completely depends upon the guest arrivals brought along by these wonderful creatures.
As we reached the site we can already see silhouettes of the giant creatures darting here and there underwater, going from paddle boat to paddle boat as the local fishermen hand feeds them with krill caught during the previous evening.
One by one we eased ourselves into the water, whoever tells you that they “jumped” into the water when they went whale watching is a liar. The boats offers no room for you to go through the motions of jumping, so eased into the water we went and slowly entered the world of the Whale Sharks.
No matter how many times you’ve done this activity, it never ceases to amaze you. There you are, swimming underwater dwarfed by these giant whale sharks swimming before you. If I had not known any better it would have scared the crap out of me, but in reality the whale shark is such a gentle creature.
The municipality of Oslob provided Marshalls who are actually there in the water, policing and telling people not to get too close with the whale sharks. But if you get lucky it’s the whale shark who wants to get close to you and there is not much the marshals can do about that. Experts say that we are not supposed to touch these creatures, so if you have half the brain inside you noggin then you ought to follow that advice with good measure.
Overall the experience is one of a kind, but I will not go as far as endorsing it since there are still issue that needs to be resolved as far as the economic, tourism and most importantly the ecological value of the whale sharks are concerned. On a personal level it is an awesome experience and I am just glad that I am still able to see a whale shark in this lifetime.
Aquamania is a complete aqua sports facility at Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort and Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort. It’s facilities includes a dive shop, jet skis (Maribago only), hobie cat, banana boat, pedal boats, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, parasailing, island hopping and other water sports activities.
Coral Point Dive has more than 20 years of diving experience in the waters around the Visayas and Mindanao regions. They offer diving packages including discovery diving as well as certification courses in PADI, CMAS and NAUI for the Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver courses.
Below is the complete list and rates of the services offered.
When I first opened up to the idea of going out on a night dive, I must admit I felt a bit apprehensive. In my ignorance I was actually thinking as to what kind of psychos would go scuba diving at night, where everything was pitch black and the creepy crawlies are out? Got my answer in the form of 4 members of the Filipino Cave Divers (FCD), hard men who actually find joy diving inside underwater caves where everything is pitch black day in and day out.
With the late Docboy Amores, Andy Berame, Bong Edralin and Mr. and Mrs. Jaime Lapac leading the way, my apprehensions dissolved like bubbles exhaled from my regulator. Docboy maverick as always assured me that after this night dive, I would never want to dive in daylight again. Took his word for it as I checked my gear and my single borrowed flashlight for the nth time, making sure Mr. Murphy is tucked in, gagged and flexicuffed tight somewhere out back.
Divemaster Jaime Lapac and Docboy Amores prepping up our gear
I also wiggled into my wetsuit, cracking as it went because it is barely used. I prefer diving in my skivvies, so the wetsuit had seen as much action as a 40 year old virgin living in his parent’s basement. Docboy warned me that sea urchins of every denomination, nationality, gender, ideology and political leanings love to come out at night and if I want to save myself from the pain I should squeeze myself into that wetsuit like my life depended on it.
Of course he mentioned that the local cure for sea urchin pricks is for someone to urinate on the injured limb as ammonia dissolves the urchin barbs, I war gamed that thought inside my head and concluded that it only works best if the urchin stuck you on your foot. What if I get it all over my body? Scenes of weird Japanese porno urination shit flashed before me and decided it is not my thing, besides we were all boys so the chances of that local cure happening is as much as me poking myself in the eye with a sea urchin. So wiggle into the wetsuit I did.
Box crab – Photo courtesy of Docboy Amores
We did a beach entry towards the Bluewater Maribago House-reef our target destination for the evening. Bitch entry should have been the more appropriate word since we have to haul our gear like a bunch of waterborne pack mules in ankle deep water in the hundred or so meters towards the dive site. After reaching chest deep water, Andy a fellow asthmatic and I wished for a least a single puff from our medication.
Diving in was as easy as any regular dive, my fears of getting lost at night went away as I found out that basically the only thing you can see are your fellow divers and the spot on the seabed where they are aiming their lights.
Crab – Photo courtesy of Docboy Amores
There are basic etiquettes to follow when you are going on a night dive of course. First and foremost among them is to never aim your light directly in the face or the eyes of your fellow divers. This will disorient them and may cause problems you do not want to tackle in the given situation.
It took a few minutes for me to get myself accustomed to the dive environment. But once things started to settle down I begin to appreciate this grand spectacle before me. Compared to a regular dive wherein you tend to get disoriented with the smorgasbord of things you see underwater, night diving crystallizes and reduces your focus to the beam of your spotlight. You tend to pay more attention, things that you might normally miss out on a regular dive is highlighted before you in a single beam of light.
Octupos – Photo Courtesy of Docboy Amores
Nocturnal creatures are a sight to behold, it is indeed a totally different world underneath after sunset. Things tend to get more colourful with the help of a simple flashlight. Eels, box crabs, nudibranches, shrimps all come out to party at night, guess it is the best time to watch them as they let their hair down and relax after office hours so to speak.
It also helps that we have a great spotter with us, Jaime Lapac of Jaime Diveshop is one of the best in the business. Docboy, Andy and Bong took a lot of great photos that night. Docboy Amores, a friend and a mentor even shared some of the shots he has taken. Sadly it is some of the last photographs he took in a storied life full of adventure.
Ol’ Blue Eyes – Photo Courtesy of Docboy Amores
That evening was also the last time we saw each other, I was just glad that we were still able to share a meal and great conversations together before calling it a night.
In this blog entry I am sharing the photos he took. Some of the last mementos we have of the great man we call Docboy and it is what made my first night dive even more memorable.
Sumilon Island is located in Oslob town at the southern edge of Cebu. It is approximately 125 kilometers away from Cebu City, 3 hours away based on your timepiece or at least 2 movies to watch depending on how you look at it.
The island has a total land area of 24 hectares or about the same size as the Cebu IT Park only better, because of its surrounding crystal clear waters in varied hues of blue depending on the weather, it’s shifting sandbar and the oldest marine sanctuary this side of the country.
The shifting sandbar of Bluewater Sumilon (photo courtesy of Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort)
You see the beauty of Sumilon Island lies on both sides of the surface and even if you are going to judge its book by the cover alone, then it is already a runaway bestseller.
There is only one resort-hotel in the island and that is Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort. This luxury resort offers 27 rooms including the 3 villas that are built on top of the imposing limestone cliff overlooking the Bohol Sea.
Each villa has its own private veranda and personal dipping pool (photo courtesy of Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort)
Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort offers a varied mix of activities as well as the regular luxurious amenities you come to expect from an exclusive island resort. They offer spa services with your choice of location whether you want it by the beach or inside the comfort of your own room. Dine at the Pavilion restaurant with their delectable fare of local and international cuisine, as a tip please sample their lechon kawali as it is the best you can ever find in this side of pork recipes.
Bluewater Sumilon Island also offers extensive diving facilities through their Aquamania dive shop. Just look for Junie the dive master and tell him what you need to happen and it will happen. Whether you want to explore the dive sites surrounding the island, go to Apo Island for a diving excursion or even dive with the whale sharks. Whatever your diving itch is, Junie and the crew at the Aquamania dive shop will scratch it for you.
But just a word of caution though. Diving in Bluewater Sumilon Island resort can be very physically demanding due to the strong currents in the island. If you plan to dive there just make sure that you are in top physical shape as the island is going to demand the best out of you.
But the rewards are all worth it. Try diving at the Bluewater Sumilon Island Marine Sanctuary where you can find pristine coral formations, meet probably all of the cast in the animated movie Finding Nemo including the bit characters, or who knows you might get lucky and get to see that 5 meter hammerhead shark that Junie told me about but never had the luck to encounter.
There are also black tip and white tip sharks if you prefer to dive in the area fronting the lagoon and the rooms. I also spotted a few rays as well as an octopus there. There is also that elusive resident giant turtle that calls that area home.
Anyway you got to see it to believe it, so if you happen to have the time. Feel free to drop by the island and experience what makes it one of the best kept secrets in Cebu.
Believe me when I say it, but one of the things I love about going to Bluewater Sumilon is the drive down south. I fully understand how most people feel about the almost 4 hour drive to the southern tip of Cebu, but I guess not all of us are “most” people.
The south coastal highway
There is just so much to see and mind you so many things to discover in the stretch of highway that winds down from the industrial towns of Naga towards the quaint coastal towns starting in Argao. There are old churches, Spanish era structures that bear witness to the sometimes violent yet romantic history of the southern coast.
Oslob’s Balwarte
Don’t even get me started about the food, yes food, glorious food. Every town you pass by has its own specialty, some even specialties.
Carcar offers you the chicharon as well as their own version of the venerable lechon which according to a fellow traveller who goes by the name of Anthony Bourdain is the Holy Grail of Pork. Carcar’s version is special because they drizzled it with its own lechon sauce, gathered from the drippings of the hundreds of succulent pigs roasting in the pits.
Carcar’s Lechon
Then there’s the chicharon, a little piece of heaven that made the name of this historic little town. Chicharon is a native delicacy made out of deep fried pork rinds whose science the locals of Carcar has long since perfected. One must also try the Ampao or sweetened rice crispies that is a personal favourite.
Torta Cebuana
The town of Argao takes pride in its Torta Cebuana, a dessert creation that includes the venerable “tuba” or local coconut wine. Best paired with “sikwate” the local thick and rich chocolate brew made from home grown Cacao seeds. You can also buy local produce by the roadside, bananas, langka, papaya and other farm produce that the locals are peddling along the highway underneath a lush canopy of century old acacia trees.
Even when you are not salivating over these luscious treats, just driving along the coastal highway along cliffs overlooking the ocean or through white sand beaches complete with wind swept palms that totally complement your pacific island fantasies is already a treat in itself. It never fails to soothe the weary soul and takes your mind off the grid that connects you to that matrix they call city life.
The Rock of Boljoon
There’s also the architectural monuments that holds the every story of every town from the old stone houses in Carcar, to the old churches in Argao, Boljoon and Oslob, as well as the ancient fortifications that protected the communities from the marauding pirates of the sultanate of Sulu during the Spanish period.
Argao Catholic Church
Well just like what they say in the Navy, getting there is half the fun. So regardless of what your flavour is what vibe you are tuned into, what the inner voice is telling you. Driving down the Southern stretch of Cebu is probably one of the things that you must do.
One of the oldest streets in the Country, Calle Aragones, Oslob, Cebu
P.S.
Not done just yet, next time let me tell you about the destination.
September 20, 2014 saw one of the biggest gatherings of divers, volunteers and supporters for the annual International Coastal Clean-up Day held at Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort.
The International Coast Clean-up began in 1985 as an environmental study undertaken on the behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Toxic Substances. The first volunteer-driven Clean-up occurred in 1986 at South Padre Island, Texas.
It was first observed in the Philippines in 1994 in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary. Then in 2003, the Philippines officially adopted the observance of the 3rd Saturday of September of each year as a National ICC Day pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 470 signed in September 15 of the same year. Since then the Philippines, which consistently ranks second in the world next to US, has been an active participant in this worldwide environmental event.
Divers from the Sea Knights, Philippine Coastguard, PNP-Maritime Group, LLCPO Task Force Kalikasan, Free Crew Divers, Boyla Diveshop, Coral Point Divers, Crimson Resort, Cebu Divers, Lapu-Lapu City LGU Divers and other volunteer groups and individuals who took time off their respective busy schedules to conduct the annual coastal clean-up dive. Take one for mother earth they say.
This year’s incarnation of this annual event saw the collaboration between the Lapu-Lapu City Government, Bluewater Maribago and Project BLUE. Project BLUE is a dedicated group of diver volunteers coming from the ranks of Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort who is now the spearhead of the resort chain’s coastal resource and marine conservation efforts.
Established in 2012, Project BLUE has already initiated several projects geared towards the protection and stewardship of the seas. The group conducts weekly underwater clean-up dives in the vicinity of the Maribago cove as well as coral rehabilitation efforts in Panglao, Bohol and Sumilon, Oslob, Cebu.
The total haul in the day long activity which spanned a total area of 2.4 kilometres amounted to 455.75 kilos of garbage composed mainly of trash irresponsibly disposed in the coastlines of Mactan. The underwater debris that the divers brought to the surface includes 446 pieces of plastic food wrappers, 176 bottles of assorted beverages, 170 pieces of clothing, 156 plastic water bottles and around 125 beverage cans all strewn underwater in an area equivalent to the entire stretch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The hosting of this year’s International Coastal Clean-up Day demonstrates the strong resolve and cooperation between the city of Lapu-Lapu, Bluewater Maribago, tourism stakeholders and the SCUBA Diving community in Cebu in the protection, conservation and rehabilitation of the city’s coastal and marine resources.
The Seaknights, guardians of the ocean.Lapu-Lapu City LGU’s Andy Berame and Project BLUE’s Erik MonsantoA volunteer diver from Crimson Resort Mactan hauling trash for mother earth.Lapu-Lapu City LGU CENRO collecting dataPNP Divers collared underwater debris like a boss.Project BLUE divers after a successful dive
My Dive Crew after a successful dive cleaning up the bottom.
January 25, 2013 – Bluewater Maribago is going full blast with its monthly coastal clean-up activities as part of its Blue Earth initiative. It was a Friday so my dive crew is the one’s tasked to do the underwater clean-up component of the activity.
It was a rainy day and the water temperature was enough to send chills through our 3mm shorties. But thankfully we were blessed with good visibility underneath. Our entry point was the Buyong side of the Bluewater Private Island and from there we made a beeline towards the Dakit-Dakit dive site. From that point we just allowed the current to push us towards the University of San Carlos Marine Bio Facility surveying where the concentrations of the underwater litters are.
Gearing up for the long day
We were not disappointed as we were able to haul about 20 kilos worth of garbage from beer bottles, tin cans, ladies underwear, ropes, plastic wrappers and even soiled diapers. It so disappointing to know how irresponsible some people can be.
Is this yours?and we thought you were supposed to return this to the store?
It is gratifying that in our own little way we were able to contribute towards efforts in saving the environment. I know it isn’t much but with continued training and support from our employer Bluewater Resorts | Maribago | Panglao | Sumilon Island we will be able to do more.
20 kilos worth of the worlds refuse
Looking at my crew I could not help but think that this is the birth to a new breed of divers. One’s that dive not to sight see, spear fish or just take pictures. They are trash haulers maybe but they dive to conserve the things that makes diving a worthwhile experience for the rest of the diving community.
Diving in Cebu Philippines 