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Mahan Garden

Last Monday, we were looking for a suitable spot for night diving, and we ended up near the Babak ferry terminal, in front of Mahan Beach (situated to the north of Caliclic Beach Resort). We needed a site that was away from choppy waves, because it was a training session for students of an advanced diver’s course.

Mahan Garden dive site

Having decided on the calm waters in front of Mahan, Carabao Dive Center dive master Richard Rodis led 3 students and one advanced diver down this largely unexplored dive spot. We were also accompanied by SDI dive instructor East Pardillo. The first 20 or so feet presented us with heavily turbid surroundings — we could barely see our own gauges. But below 30 feet, it cleared up to give us a visibility of at least 6 feet (with the help of torches, of course).

Unlike my previous night dive where there was practically no reef to speak of, this one has coral clusters surrounded by sandy patches. Some of the clusters are tiny, ranging from less than a foot to about 3 feet in diameter. But there are also large rock formations, some as high as a man.

We saw quite a few humongous hermit crab — one was about the size of a softball! Other critters that showed up: a crab wearing something on its back, squid, cuttlefish, lots of blue-striped fish with big eyes, a few porcupine pufferfish, and black sea urchin everywhere. Also, the sea was thick with phosphorescent plankton.

Red frogfish

The Eureka! of the night, however, was East’s discovery of a painted anglerfish or frogfish. It was red all over with pockmarks and dark spots, looking as ugly as frogfish can be. But it was so fascinating! Only about 5 inches (127mm) long, it just sat there seemingly oblivious of its captive audience. It had a translucent fleshy projection above its mouth — its lure or bait for catching prey. (It was really dumb luck nobody thought of bringing down a camera; that’s why I ‘borrowed’ this photo from the Web.)

The red frogfish was at exactly 40 feet and was almost perfectly camouflaged. The type of hard coral present were of the same red tinge, and if it weren’t for sharp eyes spotting its pectoral fin we wouldn’t have had the pleasure of viewing this intriguing critter.

After a spell, we all drifted slowly, almost reluctantly, away from East’s remarkable find. A mild current was moving and we rode with it southward. I would’ve wanted to go a bit deeper to explore the coral heads I could make out in the dark, but I didn’t want to veer away from the dive plan.

For night or day dives, I imagine this dive site off Mahan Beach would be ideal for muck diving. Next time, we’ll definitely bring photographic gear!

When I finally got myself certified for scuba diving, the urge to travel became even more pronounced for me. And when I started hearing about far-off places like Tawi-Tawi, I knew I wanted to dive there! (Not that I’m tired of the dive sites in Davao already — in fact, I haven’t even been to half of the sites in the Davao Gulf.)

Fortunately, I was scheduled to give a seminar in Zamboanga City on 3 August 2011, so I resolved to go to Tawi-Tawi from there, no matter what. I had attempted to go on previous occasions, but was thwarted each time due to something or other (but never because of security reasons, mind you). Thanks to Airphil Express, whose marketing people readily listened to my proposal, I got the chance to visit Tawi-Tawi at last! This airline pioneered the missionary route between Zamboanga City and Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, and they now fly there four times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays). I was there from 5 to 8 August 2011.

There is a very active dive club in Bongao, the capital of Tawi-Tawi province. A month before going, I asked my SDI dive instructor, John Neri of the Carabao Dive Center, if he knew anyone in Tawi-Tawi. It turns out he’s friends with some members of the Tawi-Tawi Divers Club, and introductions were made.

Sidebar. People say, if you’re going to remote places in Mindanao, you have to know local residents who’ll accommodate you. This is sound advice, but unnecessary in Tawi-Tawi if the purpose is security. I’m in no position to categorically proclaim that it’s a safe place, but when I was in Tawi-Tawi, people were just as they would be in any other town in the Philippines. They’re probably less used to tourists, but I noticed no hostility or xenophobia or anything like that.

Engr. Rosendo Reyes of the Tawi-Tawi Divers Club (and general manager of the municipal water district) was happy to be my host, and we exchanged emails prior to my trip. I wasn’t expecting to be treated like royalty — and I wasn’t — but they did go out of their way to make my stay comfortable and my diving memorable. I was even assigned a personal dive master!

When I met Dive Master Ramon Tañgon, he immediately asked to see my c-card. He apologized for the necessity, but I was actually put at ease by his action. It showed that the club is serious about safety and professionalism in diving. They don’t have a dive shop or dive center in Tawi-Tawi, so it’s the club members who take care of diving arrangements when the need arises.

And I do hope that the need does arise more for them. Tawi-Tawi is such a beautiful mini-archipelago! It’s not as undiscovered as many people might think, because quite a number of divers have already been there, but not nearly enough. The perception that there are grave security risks in the deep south has caused this stigma to become as pervasive as the common cold. If only a lot more divers would see the wonders of Tawi-Tawi’s true underworld…

Due to bad weather when I was there, I was only able to dive at two sites: Kubbung, which is right in front of my hotel (Beachside Inn Hotel & Restaurant); and Pahut Plane Wreck. Too bad, because there are, in fact, dozens of other sites.

Kubbung Dive Site

The first dive was at the Kubbung dive site, which is accessible from Beachside Inn via shore entry. The disadvantage of such an entry is the distance that has to be traversed, about 200 yards (183 meters) of knee-deep water. I had just climbed Bongao Peak prior to the dive, so I wasn’t about to lug heavy stuff on my back that far, so I towed my equipment all the way to the descent point. (It is possible to hire a boat in Bongao, by the way.)

Descending, I was overcome by an overwhelming sense of achievement: I was diving Tawi-Tawi at last!!

The visibility wasn’t all that great, though, because of the bad weather; it had rained very heavily the night before. Ramon told me that, during summer, they’d get a visibility of 80 feet or more. But I got a pleasant surprise when we approached the expansive sandy-bottom area — the waters cleared up and revealed quite a few critters. It was my first time to see a black-finned snake eel, all but buried in the sand. There was also an elongated fish (or another eel) that was white and had a pointed tail.

Table coral were everywhere, some of which were twice my size, and some looking like great steps because they were one on top of another. There were lots of soft coral as well, showing a vibrant marine ecosystem very much alive in the waters of Bongao.

What’s interesting about this dive site is that, it’s where two weddings have actually taken place. On both occasions, the entire entourage was underwater! An imam officiated both weddings (although the couples were Christian), and the I do‘s were exchanged at a depth of 30 feet (by way of slates, I imagine).

Pre-nuptial photo shoots underwater are fairly common now, but the whole wedding ceremony? Wow!!

Pahut Plane Wreck

Before the first dive, I didn’t know that there was to be a second. I have a feeling the first dive was my hosts’ way of evaluating my scuba skills; after all, I only had an Open Water license. After the Kubbung dive, we had lunch of fresh seafood and local dishes, and for dessert: the sweet announcement that we would dive the plane wreck.

The Pahut dive site is named after the barangay adjacent to it. At exactly 60 feet, three-fourths of a Word War II fighter plane sits in crystal-clear waters. The plane’s tail, I was told, is now about 40 feet deeper. We didn’t go there anymore, but three quarters of the wreck was more than enough of a sight for me.

The entire fuselage and what’s left of the wings are almost entirely encrusted in various kinds of coral, and is now home to a variety of fish. Mostly I saw squirrelfish around the site, but there were also quite a lot of puffers and angels and butterflies.

Here’s a video of the wreck dive, courtesy of Engr. Reyes.

The current at that depth was manageable but very, very noticeable. I felt deeply grateful for my buoyancy training — thanks, East & Karlo! — as I did my best to take photos of the wreck. (I touched the plane to stabilize myself only once… but, unfortunately, it was captured on video.)

What I found extremely exhilarating was when we were about to surface. From the wreck, we gradually ascended up a short wall, then faced a roller-coaster ride underwater. At about 20 feet, there was a surge so strong that, no matter how much I kicked, I couldn’t move forward at all. (That’s when I decided I wanted jetfins.) At least I wasn’t being sucked in back to the deep. But when the current rushed inland, I rode with the shore-bound current like crazy! The finning techniques I picked up from the SDI dive instructors, and my swimming training from way back, came into play like instinct! It was actually a lot of fun dodging coral heads like I was in a watery maze. How I wish that had been caught on video!

Tawi-Tawi Divers Club

The divers of Tawi-Tawi are an accommodating bunch, and they’re very eager to share their awe-inspiring dive sites with anyone who wants to visit. They have about a dozen sets of complete gear, and maybe 20 or so tanks available. They have their own compressor — and their air is pretty good, I’m happy to report.

The day before I arrived, the group did a scubasurero at the dive site between Bongao and Sanga-Sanga islands. These divers are passionate about their marine environment and strive to protect and conserve it. They do need some help, though, because environmental problems are slowly creeping into Tawi-Tawi’s islands.

The province is booming economically, if we measure development in local terms. And when development happens, the environment usually suffers from the ill effects of progress. I hope that, as a growing number of people get to know about — and get to go to — Tawi-Tawi, more locals and visitors alike will realize the importance of protecting the aquatic resources of the deep south.

{Click here to read the first part of this post}

After dinner on my first day, Ramon and I had a few beers. I’m happy to report that Bongao Town has SanMig Light (usually ₱30/bottle). Red Horse and Pale Pilsen are available almost anywhere, too.

After the nightcap, I went out to the seawall to try and talk the sea into letting me dive the following day. The waves were angry and sporadically splashed salt water onto the road, but did not touch me where I stood. Silently, I implored the raging sea to calm down so I could descend to her depths. When I turned around to head back to my room, a spray of sea foam stroked my cheek.

Day 2

I woke up early on Saturday to find the waves even angrier. Then dark clouds rolled in and within minutes sheets of rain dashed all hopes of seeing Tawi-Tawi underwater.

But I was in Tawi-Tawi, and I consoled myself with that achievement.

After a light breakfast, I tried connecting to the Internet via my SmartBro dongle, which had given me quite a good 3G signal the previous day. No luck this time — probably due to the heavy rain. The locals say, though, that they get good Internet connectivity in town. (Smart Communications is the better mobile network out here.)

When the rain let up around noon, I hired a tricycle to take me around. I needed to buy a jacket because I didn’t think of bringing one (I was going to the beach after all). Then I gorged myself on local sweets (again) at the market, but this time along the old pier. After walking around a bit and chatting with some friendly marketplace hawkers, my driver-cum-guide gave me a joy ride across town.

We went up a hill where I thought stood a majestic mosque. Turns out it was Tawi-Tawi’s provincial capitol. The proud structure overlooks the governor’s mansion and new housing developments on Bongao Island.

Upon returning home, I met up with Ramon again and we had a grand time swapping diving stories. He has much more, of course, and I was growing more and more eager to experience those Tawi-Tawi dive sites he was so colorfully describing.

He told me about Sitangkai Island, which is dubbed the Venice of the Philippines, and how he never tires of diving that site. He and Engr. Reyes have seen great pelagics there, and sharks, and huge schools of different types of fish. Sitangkai is the outermost island of Tawi-Tawi and is a stone’s throw away from Malaysian Borneo. The thing is, if you do go to that remote island, you’d have to plan for an overnight, because the ferry does only one roundtrip a day.

Saturday breezed damply by and then it was nighttime again. I was going to fly out on Monday morning, so any chance of diving had altogether evaporated for me.

Day 3

Sunday, 6:00am. The sky was clear, with only wispy clouds, and the waves were tranquil! Knowing how strict Ramon was about scuba rules, I didn’t think they’d let me dive anymore, because my flight was going to be less than 24 hours hence.

At around 7, Engr. Reyes and his family picked me up from Beachside Inn and told me to bring my diving gear. My host informed me that we wouldn’t go deep and stay less than an hour underwater. I was ecstatic!!

But first, we were to climb Bongao Peak. I was about to protest, but I suddenly recalled a local myth about the mountain. Some of the inn’s staff who kept me company the previous night had told me about paying one’s respects atop Bud Bongao. They said that, before doing anything adventurous in Tawi-Tawi, one has to climb the province’s highest peak first. (I don’t know how high it is, but it took us a little over an hour to climb it. Maybe 1,500 feet or so?)

Bud Bongao is famous for its resident monkeys. At about the halfway point, these furry troops start to emerge out of the trees and demand a pass-through fee of bananas.

Near the top, there are two Muslim tombs that are regarded as shrines. You can enter one of them and pay your respects. It is said that people who enter the shrine can ask for forgiveness for all transgressions.

Since it was raining the previous day, the way up was muddy and slippery. The last leg of the ascent had cemented steps all the way near the top, but that didn’t make the climb any easier.

But the view from the summit — it will take your breath away and at the same time fill your lungs with joyous fresh air!

My host was telling me that, on really clear days, you’d be able to see Borneo to the south. Sitangkai Island was thinly visible then, but a few errant clouds were hovering over the horizon.

I almost forgot all about scuba diving up there… but then the scintillating blue waters beckoned.

Diving Bongao

It took me half the climb time to go descend Bud Bongao, I was just too excited to finally be able to dive Bongao! When the whole party was at sea level, we proceeded to Engr. Reyes’ beach resort, called Mountain View, to prepare for the dive. My host’s nephews were in town from London, Manila and Zamboanga, and they were also planning on doing intro dives.

The waters of Bongao did not disappoint. After two days of pining for the sea, I was finally rewarded with my first dive! And then another one. Read about my scuba adventure in Bongao here.

I can’t wait to go back to Tawi-Tawi! Three days there certainly weren’t enough. The next time I’m back, I’ll be sure to visit Sitangkai, the turtle sanctuary, the dive site off Sanga-Sanga Island, the Napoleon Wrasse nursery, and so many more…

I’d like to thank my host and dive master, Engr. Rosendo Reyes and Ramon Tañgon, Mr. Lando Lim of Beachside Inn, and Airphil Express for having made my first trip to Tawi-Tawi a memorable and exhilarating adventure!

Magsukul & As-Salaamu `Alaykum!

Two weeks ago, I was at last able to fulfill a long-time dream: to travel to the southernmost point of the archipelago, the province of Tawi-Tawi. Ever since the start of the Mindanao Bloggers Community, I’ve been grabbing every opportunity to see as much of Mindanao as possible, so that I could share with the world the beauty of the Philippine South.

Sadly, except for a few people, the first thing out of the lips of friends and relatives who found out about my trip to Tawi-Tawi was “Is it safe there?”

I’m no expert in national defense situations, but as a private citizen I can positively say it’s safe in Tawi-Tawi. As safe as any city or town could be, I would imagine. The moment I arrived at the airport, I could see how relaxed people were. There were military personnel outside, but then I realized it was because a ranking officer had arrived on the same plane. And during my entire stay, I didn’t sense anything untoward or unusual. All I could feel the whole time was a sense of newness, but at the same time a feeling of familiarity — I was still in the Philippines after all.

Not counting my visits to Kuala Lumpur, Tawi-Tawi was the second place I’ve been to that has a largely Muslim population (the first was Basilan). That’s what my friends and family were referring to when they cautiously asked about the safety condition in the deep south. The perception that Muslim areas in the Philippines are dangerous still prevails, even among Mindanaoans. Allow me, then, to show you what I experienced in Tawi-Tawi (or at least the parts of it that I was able to see).

Day 1

I arrived on Friday, 5 August 2011, at 8:00am from Zamboanga City via Airphil Express flight no. 2P 243. (The airline pioneered this route and now flies between Asia’s Latin City and Bongao, the municipal capital of Tawi-Tawi, four times a week.) I was already scheduled to be in Zamboanga for a speaking engagement, so I took the opportunity to visit the country’s southernmost province from there.

On the plane before touchdown, the alluring coastlines and sparkling sapphire and emerald waters were a sight to behold! The province is made up of 107 islands and islets, including the fabled Turtle Islands. I couldn’t wait to get underwater!

The people at Sanga-Sanga Airport behaved as any group of people would in any airport (although this one is small and looks more like a warehouse from the outside). There were expectant relatives and well-wishers outside and the whole setting had a business-as-usual atmosphere. I was met by my host’s driver, who then brought me to the Beachside Inn where I would stay for the next 3 days. It was about a fifteen-minute drive on cemented roads from the airport to the inn. (Most roads on Bongao and Sanga-Sanga Islands are cemented.)

The Beachside Inn is untrue to its name only because the expansive beach is actually in front of the property. It’s in a sprawling compound, with about 22 or so rooms after the owners finish constructing the new wing. They have meetings facilities and a kitchen that can whip up a mean escabeche and tinola.

The rooms, while really basic, are air-conditioned and also outfitted with electric fans for when they’re using the generator (which is super silent). Scheduled power outages are common; on the flip side, Bongao’s water is good and reliable.

When I was there, the tail-end of a storm was threatening to ruin my stay, but from the inn it was awesome to watch the waves slam into the breakwaters and spray foam into the air. I was witnessing the rage of the Celebes Sea — a far cry from even the worst weather in the Davao Gulf.

My main objective in Tawi-Tawi was to go scuba diving, so the looming bad weather was very worrisome for me. I didn’t want to have come all the way here and not be able to dive…

Long before the trip, I had myself introduced via email to Engr. Rosendo Reyes of the Tawi-Tawi Divers Club, thanks to my instructor at the Carabao Dive Center, John Neri. When I finally met Engr. Reyes and two other club members (dive master Ramon Tañgon and Mr. Lando Lim, who owns Beachside Inn), I was instantly put to ease because the first thing Ramon asked me was to see my c-card. That showed their professionalism and concern for my safety as a diver. Still, it didn’t assuage my growing fears of not being able to dive due to the inclement weather.

In the afternoon, Ramon brought me to town on his motorbike. The main mode of personal transport there is the motorcycle, and tricycles are the best way to get around if you don’t have one. Although, Japanese- and Korean-brand sedans and SUVs are also present.

Too bad I wasn’t able to take a photo, but there’s a good-sized Catholic Church (complete with belfry) sitting right across the street from a mosque. I don’t know how reliable this figure is, that Christians comprise 30% of the total population of Bongao. Judging by what I’ve seen, it could be quite accurate. What I found interesting, though, is that Christians in Tawi-Tawi observe some Muslim traditions, like touching one’s chest after a handshake. Also, they speak the Tausug dialect, even among themselves.

Near the mosque and church is a relatively new mini-mall called Midway Plaza. It’s about one-fourth the size of Gaisano South in Davao, but it’s pretty self-sufficient: it has a grocery, a pharmacy, appliance store, clothing shops, a computer sales outlet.

Other things I spotted around town: internet cafés; schools (the Notre Dame of Bongao is in this area, while the other notable tertiary school, Mindanao State University at Bongao, is on Sanga-Sanga Island); banks (I can only remember seeing Metrobank, but I’m sure there are others); dress shops; repair shops. Except maybe for the calls to Islamic prayer that can be heard early in the morning, at noon and just after sunset, Bongao felt like any other town to me.

At around 4:30pm, we went to the public market to buy fish and have it cooked at the inn. It was astounding the innumerable varieties of fish and other seafood that were being traded at the mercado! I found it really difficult choosing which fish to have for dinner that day, but I settled for a rabbitfish (a.k.a. danggit).

Locals don’t usually buy fish on a per-kilo basis — each fish or squid or what-have-you is sold at a certain price, depending on the vendor. Of course, haggling is expected. (Due to the increased entry of buyers from Zamboanga, however, more and more Tawi-Tawi traders have already started selling their goods by weight.)

Ramon also introduced me to local delicacies, which were in abundance then, thanks to the observance of Ramadhan. During this holy month of fasting, Muslims break their daily fasting with sweets and sticky-rice treats after sunset. There’s the tamparan, or the local hot cake but much bigger, served with sweetened grilled coconut meat. I also liked the pitis (looks like suman, filled with sweet toasted coconut meat) and the pasong (a cone of delicately flavored sticky-rice cake).

Back at the inn, we had the rabbitfish (about 1.5 kilos) stuffed with onion, tomatoes, garlic and other spices, and grilled in a banana leaf. I believe this preparation is called pinaputok in Tagalog. It was heavenly! (And so did the other meals prepared for me at the inn.)

Beachside Inn Hotel & Restaurant is in Barangay Pasiagan, Bongao Municipality. Tel. +63(68)268-1446. Room rates: ₱700~1,000 per night.

To contact the Tawi-Tawi Divers Club, get in touch with Ramon Tañgon via his mobile phone: +63(918)699-2822.

Next up: Day 2 & 3 in Tawi-Tawi...

It had been quite a spell since I was first invited to talk about “blogging for peace”, so I was happy to have had the chance again two weeks ago in Zamboanga City. The first time was in Hong Kong in November 2009 — it wasn’t really my assigned topic, but I emphasized in my talk that blogging could become an instrument for achieving peace. This time in Zamboanga, it was for a multicultural group of high school students.

Blogging workshop in Zamboanga City

The group of 20 students were invited from different high schools, with a few out-of-school youths as well. They were a good mix of Christians, Muslims and lumad (or indigenous peoples). They were all talented, eager to speak out and ready to learn. It was a pleasure talking to them about blogging and showing them how to go about creating their own blogs — although, as I expected, about half of them were already blogging on their own.

This activity was part of the seminar-workshop on The Use of ICT in Conflict and Post-Conflict Areas, organized by the Asian Institute of Journalism & Communication and funded by UNESCO. It was held at the National Computer Center in Zamboanga City, from 3 to 5 August 2011.

Before my workshop, each participant was asked to write an essay on peace: their own take on it and how they thought it could be achieved. I then asked them to post their essays on their blogs — here are some of them:

buildpeacethroughict.blogspot.com
peacetayodito.wordpress.com
soupforthebrain.wordpress.com
blastedbananas.wordpress.com
joan-pangan.blogspot.com
zcgirl.wordpress.com

A few of those young people certainly had unique and very thoughtful ideas. Listening to them, I felt that our future isn’t so bleak after all, what with future leaders possibly from among that group.

I do hope that more of such seminar-workshops would be held, and in other areas of Mindanao.

After the event in Zamboanga, I went to Tawi-Tawi. Although I had a different objective there, I had hoped I’d get to meet bloggers there. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to. Still, I did get to meet a handful of college students who were knowledgeable in blogging. None of them blogged, however, because they said they didn’t have internet connectivity at home.

Going around Tawi-Tawi’s capital, Bongao (which can be reached via Air Philippines from Zamboanga City), I noticed quite a few internet cafés in town. Some of the locals told me that, sadly, those places were used more for computer games than anything approaching educational. (This problem sounds really familiar…)

On the other hand, I saw a number of academic institutions on Bongao Island. Mindanao State University has a campus there, and there is also the Notre Dame of Bongao College. There’s even a computer school, called the Abubakar Computer Learning Center.

My wish is to be able to go to more places in Mindanao and spread the word about blogging and the power it holds for promoting peace.

I had done one night dive sometime before (at the Leticia by the Sea resort), and it gave me such an entirely new and exciting experience. So as a belated birthday celebration, my friends and I spent the night at Babusanta Beach to see its seascape after sunset.

We went diving with the Carabao Dive Center organized dive tour on Saturday, 30 July 2011, and had ourselves dropped off at Babusanta afterwards. The beach has been around since I was a kid and it looks pretty much the same now: wood-and-thatch open huts which can double as rudimentary quarters, and not much else. There’s a store for your basic needs — bottled water, softdrinks, canned goods, junk food — but they close at around dinner time. You can bring your own food or order from the caretakers (limited to a few basic Filipino dishes). There’s a grill that you can use or you can have the caretakers cook your food for you.

Babusanta and Dayang dive sites

At around 6:20pm when the sun had finally set, Rodney and I, together with our dive guide, Niño, plunged into the surprisingly warm sea (about 80°F/27°C). The weather wasn’t quite cooperating, however, and we found ourselves buffeted by strong currents right after beach entry. After only a few minutes underwater, Niño aborted the dive when he saw Rodney and I were struggling. The current running parallel to the shore was way too strong. We surfaced, went back to our hut and decided to wait it out.

There’s another beach beside Babusanta, called Dayang, and its shore doesn’t run parallel to Babusanta’s. Thinking that the underwater current might be behaving differently there, we trekked a good 200 meters (with our gear on) to Dayang, but were quickly disappointed. The waves looked even more threatening there. Niño didn’t even let us descend.

Dejected, we made our way back to Babusanta. But halfway, the waters suddenly calmed down. We wasted no time getting back in the water! We had a bottom time of 75 minutes, having stayed at an average of only 15 feet or so; the deepest we went to was less than 30 feet.

Babusanta is generally a muck-diving site. Since it’s a very popular beach on Talikud Island, with countless boats anchoring there every weekend, the area’s coral reefs have long wasted away. What’s left now looks like an underwater wasteland: sand, fragments of dead coral, sea grass. But to the experienced night diver, as our dive guide showed us, the dive site is a wonderland.

We saw critters that we had not seen before — creatures that probably don’t go out while the sun is up. We spotted a fish that at first looked like a frogfish, but I think it was a stargazer. There were eels, sleeping lionfish, sea snails out and about, and quite a few hermit crab wearing sea anemones on their backs.

Cleaner crab that were bigger than usual were everywhere to be seen. Stonefish, too, were out in plain sight.

My favorite part was when I spotted a tube anemone with lots of shrimp living on and around it. According to literature, this type of anemone is the favorite host of squat shrimp, and they were there indeed — maybe about a dozen. But there was also a few graceful anemone shrimp (transparent body, with white spots), and another type that I have yet to identify.

Sole (similar to flounder, but more oblong-shaped) were in abundance, and I had actually wanted to catch one for dinner. But I realized it was already late and we hadn’t brought any charcoal for cooking.

Despite the seeming bleakness of Babusanta’s sea floor, coral are struggling to come back. There are clumps of coral heads here and there, from 30 to 10 feet below sea level. These clusters are amazingly full of life, with fish and sea snails and sea urchins.

The problem is, boatloads of people keep coming here, quashing young marine life and smothering them with garbage. Everywhere during our night dive we saw foil wrappers, discarded plates, plastic sheets, bottles….

I wish beach-goers would be more respectful of nature, especially of life in the sea. I don’t think we can stop people from going to beaches, but there should be a way to get them to stop littering at the very least.

The following day, we had another dive, this time entering via Dayang. It was supposed to be a dawn dive, but the habagat winds (southwest monsoon) were in full rage. Thankfully, the winds let up at around 8:25am. After lunch, we rode with the Carabao divers again for yet another dive in the afternoon. That’s five dives in all for that weekend!

During the Dayang dive, we saw juvenile sole everywhere! Probably not very good at camouflaging themselves yet. It was fun watching them scurry off just below the sand. I also saw my first cowfish — it stood its ground when we approached and wasn’t intimidated by us at all. Most fascinating find that day was this white eel-looking fish about a foot long. Niño touched it lightly and in two blinks it had backed itself into the sand tail first! (Update: It was a crocodile snake eel.)

Total spend for the five dives: ₱1,850 (5 tanks, boat transfers, dive guide fee). Overnight fee (use of the hut) at Babusanta: ₱300. Cooking charge: ₱100 (for everything we asked them to cook!). Not bad, no?

Babusanta Beach is on Talikud Island, Samal. Pictures courtesy of Rodney Jao.