Tjack
May 27th, 2012, 11:00 AM
One of the highlights of my first trip to Philippines was the Lawihan festival at Malapascua. Philippines is known for it’s colorful Fiestas and we were fortunate enough to witness one. Lawihan translates as Thresher shark, so it was appropriate that we got to see the Thresher shark festival after diving with these magnificent creatures. The posters printed up for the fiesta had the Virgin and Thresher shark depicted together, an interesting conflation of religion and the shark which has been such a boon to this small islands economy.
The Fiesta started off with a boat parade around the island, accompanied by the sound of drumming. An armada of boats ranging from tiny paddle bancas to the big ferry, and many of the dive boats was a sight to see. One kid was wakeboarding behind a banca as well! Along the beachfront families were having picnics and all the fighting cocks were tethered to the fence so folks could pick a winner. More than once, groups of Filipinas stopped us to ask “can we take your picture?” Well OK, they would all jump in to have a photo taken with the funny foreigners.
Friday night the town was hopping with a night market and vendors galore. People were lined up out the door of the church to receive the blessing from a small icon of the Virgin de los Desamparados. The basketball court is converted into a disco which goes all night long. The locals were loving it, and the tourists as well.
The following morning there was a parade with dancing and music. Each group of kids had wild costumes and danced in sync to the direction of lady boy coaches. One group was in Seahorse costumes regaled in dayglow chartreuse and orange, others used handkerchiefs as part of their dance. My favorite troupe was what I called ‘team shark’ as they had metallic silver cut outs of sharks which the waved in the air as part of their routine. Each group was led by a beauty queen in formal gown with hoop skirts. Amazing visuals with the blue water and white sand as a backdrop.
Off to Mactan that day we had a bit of trouble finding a boat to take us to Maya as everyone was preoccupied with fiesta. After a slight delay, the helpful staff at Hippocampus found us a small banca. Thank god for good weather, we made it to Maya and again got a Taxi to take us to Mactan for P2500 or $60. With light traffic this only took us three and a half hours.
Mactan is not considered one of the best places to dive in Philippines but I was pleasantly surprised. Tiki_bill of Scubaboard had alerted us to the fact that schooling Sardines were present off Mactan and I was able to confirm this with a call to Kon Tiki divers.
As we pulled in to Club Kon Tiki it was a bit of a shock, after the beautiful beaches of Alona and Malapascua. Mactan is decidedly urban, no beach at all. The approach to Kon Tiki is unpaved and the resort has seen better days. We dubbed it ghetto diving, as we were so used to a more rural setting. We opted for standard rooms which run $26 a night in a wooden building across the street from the main hotel. Once I recovered from the initial shock of this gritty environment, I felt pretty comfortable there. This was aided by the helpful competent staff. Thomas at the restaurant was friendly and let me use the house phone for local calls whenever I needed.
Checking in at the dive shop I met Oli who ended up being an excellent dive guide. Nothing was on the board for the following week, but they offered long range, 2 tank trips to the outer islands for $99 each, minimum 2 people. Well we figured we would have a private boat so the extra money would be worth it, and this included lunch, sign me up. At Oli’s recommendation we opted for the Nalusuan Island trip, a marine sanctuary about an hour ride from the resort. The following morning Neil was out sick, so it was fortunate that Jeremy from Singapore had signed up for the trip, meeting the two diver minimum.
The diving at Nalusuan was surprisingly good, with 100’ vis. and water temps ranging from 84-86f. The reef here was a bit degraded with lots of rubble and few soft corals but the fish life was outstanding.
There were many species of Grouper, Bluespotted stingrays, and a big school of Blackspotted snapper to play with at the end of the dive. There was a light current running so we did a long drift to start the dive, kicking with the current, it was like flying. Oli was go with the flow only stopping once to point out a group of four blue Nudibranchs.
The second dive was highlighted by a large school of Bigeye jacks accompanied by Giant trevally cruising above them. Also had a great close view of Razorfish in a school doing their magic dance, now you see ‘em now you don’t. We did hear dynamite fishing on this dive! The boat crew said it was a boat engine but I’m pretty sure the crack pow sounds we heard were the infamous Filipino fisherman at work. This marine preserve does seem to work in that we saw more big game fish here than at any other local. The marine patrol even came by during lunch to take a head count.
Back at Kon Tiki I noticed a group of Koreans doing a bunch of shore dives on the House reef as part of some kind of training. Oli had told me that the Sardines were hanging out there as well, so my last dive of the trip was the Kon Tiki house reef, $24. Finally a shore dive! Well after gearing up at the dive shop Oli, Raymond from Manila and myself headed down the stairs to a buoyed off area in front of the hotel. Out across grassy flats we hit the wall in no time. Big wall right off the resort and there they are 1,000s of Sardines above the reef in a cloud with the sun’s rays streaming down through them. We head down the vertical wall to 90’ where we encounter a small group of sardines in a ball. After a nice cruise along this surprisingly good wall with healthy hard corals we turn back towards home.
Following the top of the wall at 20’ there they are again, the Sardine school, this time hanging just off the wall. After a look at Oli, lets go, we slowly swim out towards this giant organic mass. Approaching stealthily, controlling our exhales as not to spook them, we are right upon them. Wow, the polarized school would move as one, shooting turning dividing then regrouping. An amazing experience, as Raymond and Oli approached the school they would explode towards me en mass, blazing silver, phenomenal! Totally psyched we pack it in and head for shore, but one last treat of Philippines diving was waiting for me to cap it all off. As Oli and Raymond surfaced I look over to see a huge Crown jellyfish pulsing by, what an amazing creature with its purple crown and white mane below. I did not want this dive to end, one of the best of the trip by far.
In the end I loved the Philippines. The diving was excellent, at moments mind blowing even overwhelming. The biodiversity is truly outstanding, yet there is a lack of big critters. Two Greater barracuda, and a few turtles were notable, other than Monad’s Threshers no sharks were seen. For beautiful healthy reefs bejeweled with clouds of reef fish this is the best I’ve seen. We saw at least 20 species of Nudibranch, so if that’s your thing, you will love it too. The diving ops are full service you never have to tote your gear, small dive groups, excellent local dive masters, all good. Diving off the outrigger bancas is comfortable, exotic and fun.
Travel was easy, and the price is right. The real bonus though is the Filipino people, sweet and unassuming, never in your face but truly warmhearted. I never heard a voice raised in anger, and a good sense of humor is abundant. This is the real world, and some who have not traveled much out side the ‘west’ might be freaked out a bit. If you are looking for adventure, and some world class warm water diving, this is it.
Hope this long ass report provides some useful info, especially for those considering diving the Philippines for the first time. I would like to thank all those who have posted trip reports and helpful advice on Scubaboard, my main source of info in researching this trip. Also Mike and Neil for making this a great trip and putting up with my dive obsession. Maraming salamat to all the great crews and staff at the dive ops we used.
Some photos from Nalusuan Island here http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/5714
I welcome questions and corrections from anyone interested in diving the Philippines.
The Fiesta started off with a boat parade around the island, accompanied by the sound of drumming. An armada of boats ranging from tiny paddle bancas to the big ferry, and many of the dive boats was a sight to see. One kid was wakeboarding behind a banca as well! Along the beachfront families were having picnics and all the fighting cocks were tethered to the fence so folks could pick a winner. More than once, groups of Filipinas stopped us to ask “can we take your picture?” Well OK, they would all jump in to have a photo taken with the funny foreigners.
Friday night the town was hopping with a night market and vendors galore. People were lined up out the door of the church to receive the blessing from a small icon of the Virgin de los Desamparados. The basketball court is converted into a disco which goes all night long. The locals were loving it, and the tourists as well.
The following morning there was a parade with dancing and music. Each group of kids had wild costumes and danced in sync to the direction of lady boy coaches. One group was in Seahorse costumes regaled in dayglow chartreuse and orange, others used handkerchiefs as part of their dance. My favorite troupe was what I called ‘team shark’ as they had metallic silver cut outs of sharks which the waved in the air as part of their routine. Each group was led by a beauty queen in formal gown with hoop skirts. Amazing visuals with the blue water and white sand as a backdrop.
Off to Mactan that day we had a bit of trouble finding a boat to take us to Maya as everyone was preoccupied with fiesta. After a slight delay, the helpful staff at Hippocampus found us a small banca. Thank god for good weather, we made it to Maya and again got a Taxi to take us to Mactan for P2500 or $60. With light traffic this only took us three and a half hours.
Mactan is not considered one of the best places to dive in Philippines but I was pleasantly surprised. Tiki_bill of Scubaboard had alerted us to the fact that schooling Sardines were present off Mactan and I was able to confirm this with a call to Kon Tiki divers.
As we pulled in to Club Kon Tiki it was a bit of a shock, after the beautiful beaches of Alona and Malapascua. Mactan is decidedly urban, no beach at all. The approach to Kon Tiki is unpaved and the resort has seen better days. We dubbed it ghetto diving, as we were so used to a more rural setting. We opted for standard rooms which run $26 a night in a wooden building across the street from the main hotel. Once I recovered from the initial shock of this gritty environment, I felt pretty comfortable there. This was aided by the helpful competent staff. Thomas at the restaurant was friendly and let me use the house phone for local calls whenever I needed.
Checking in at the dive shop I met Oli who ended up being an excellent dive guide. Nothing was on the board for the following week, but they offered long range, 2 tank trips to the outer islands for $99 each, minimum 2 people. Well we figured we would have a private boat so the extra money would be worth it, and this included lunch, sign me up. At Oli’s recommendation we opted for the Nalusuan Island trip, a marine sanctuary about an hour ride from the resort. The following morning Neil was out sick, so it was fortunate that Jeremy from Singapore had signed up for the trip, meeting the two diver minimum.
The diving at Nalusuan was surprisingly good, with 100’ vis. and water temps ranging from 84-86f. The reef here was a bit degraded with lots of rubble and few soft corals but the fish life was outstanding.
There were many species of Grouper, Bluespotted stingrays, and a big school of Blackspotted snapper to play with at the end of the dive. There was a light current running so we did a long drift to start the dive, kicking with the current, it was like flying. Oli was go with the flow only stopping once to point out a group of four blue Nudibranchs.
The second dive was highlighted by a large school of Bigeye jacks accompanied by Giant trevally cruising above them. Also had a great close view of Razorfish in a school doing their magic dance, now you see ‘em now you don’t. We did hear dynamite fishing on this dive! The boat crew said it was a boat engine but I’m pretty sure the crack pow sounds we heard were the infamous Filipino fisherman at work. This marine preserve does seem to work in that we saw more big game fish here than at any other local. The marine patrol even came by during lunch to take a head count.
Back at Kon Tiki I noticed a group of Koreans doing a bunch of shore dives on the House reef as part of some kind of training. Oli had told me that the Sardines were hanging out there as well, so my last dive of the trip was the Kon Tiki house reef, $24. Finally a shore dive! Well after gearing up at the dive shop Oli, Raymond from Manila and myself headed down the stairs to a buoyed off area in front of the hotel. Out across grassy flats we hit the wall in no time. Big wall right off the resort and there they are 1,000s of Sardines above the reef in a cloud with the sun’s rays streaming down through them. We head down the vertical wall to 90’ where we encounter a small group of sardines in a ball. After a nice cruise along this surprisingly good wall with healthy hard corals we turn back towards home.
Following the top of the wall at 20’ there they are again, the Sardine school, this time hanging just off the wall. After a look at Oli, lets go, we slowly swim out towards this giant organic mass. Approaching stealthily, controlling our exhales as not to spook them, we are right upon them. Wow, the polarized school would move as one, shooting turning dividing then regrouping. An amazing experience, as Raymond and Oli approached the school they would explode towards me en mass, blazing silver, phenomenal! Totally psyched we pack it in and head for shore, but one last treat of Philippines diving was waiting for me to cap it all off. As Oli and Raymond surfaced I look over to see a huge Crown jellyfish pulsing by, what an amazing creature with its purple crown and white mane below. I did not want this dive to end, one of the best of the trip by far.
In the end I loved the Philippines. The diving was excellent, at moments mind blowing even overwhelming. The biodiversity is truly outstanding, yet there is a lack of big critters. Two Greater barracuda, and a few turtles were notable, other than Monad’s Threshers no sharks were seen. For beautiful healthy reefs bejeweled with clouds of reef fish this is the best I’ve seen. We saw at least 20 species of Nudibranch, so if that’s your thing, you will love it too. The diving ops are full service you never have to tote your gear, small dive groups, excellent local dive masters, all good. Diving off the outrigger bancas is comfortable, exotic and fun.
Travel was easy, and the price is right. The real bonus though is the Filipino people, sweet and unassuming, never in your face but truly warmhearted. I never heard a voice raised in anger, and a good sense of humor is abundant. This is the real world, and some who have not traveled much out side the ‘west’ might be freaked out a bit. If you are looking for adventure, and some world class warm water diving, this is it.
Hope this long ass report provides some useful info, especially for those considering diving the Philippines for the first time. I would like to thank all those who have posted trip reports and helpful advice on Scubaboard, my main source of info in researching this trip. Also Mike and Neil for making this a great trip and putting up with my dive obsession. Maraming salamat to all the great crews and staff at the dive ops we used.
Some photos from Nalusuan Island here http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/5714
I welcome questions and corrections from anyone interested in diving the Philippines.