Adventure Island of Camiguin

~ Text & Photos by Aireen Navarro ~

Camiguin - is this really an adventure island? For seasoned adventure-racers, Camiguin is a challenging 'race-course' of rugged mountains and very tricky terrain. Some adventure-racers failed to finish the race --- either due to their self-endurance not able to keep up or they simply got lost while navigating in and around its verdant forests. A good thing I'm not an adventure-racer -- hahaha!!! Though I once thought about it but the training's too rigorous that involves very early mornings - so, never mind!

Born and raised in northern Mindanao (Iligan City), I've always wanted to go there. But never had the chance until after I finished my undergraduate degree. I had to drag my younger brother Angelo to accompany me two days before New Year's Eve in 2001 (or was it 2002???). We got there all right, but our budget's too low (we underestimated it) and there was no ATM so we're strapped for cash. We had to be very creative on how we haggled for the price of a 'multicab' which was the main transportation for hire when touring/exploring the island. Get this - from PHP 1,400, we brought it down to PHP 750.

As I wanted to visit White Island (sandbar) the next morning - we had to do 'water therapy' (aka skip dinner & breakfast) and stay at a really budget inn at the center of Mambajao (near the church). We made it to White Island - off course!! But almost missed the last ferry out of the island --- a good thing a local dive operator based in Mambajao was nice enough to let us hitch a ride up to the church in Mambajao where it's just a short walk to the jeepney terminal for the Mambajao-Benoni pier. We gorged down a very late lunch at Limketkai in Cagayan de Oro City after finally able to withdraw some cash, then got to Iligan City at 1800H on Dec 31st!!!

Years after that experience, my younger sister Charity had a school trip (combined BS Biology & BS Zoology classes). Since I was on a three-weeks vacation at home in September 2005 - I tagged along! Yup, I had to hang out with teen-agers.....hehehe. I was their official photographer but it's not a problem since I was able to take advantage of their 'student package rate.' That's an opportunity I simply cannot miss!!!



So what happened? I had a grand time in Camiguin - of course!!! I took a lot of photos at Tarzan'a Nest, Cold Spring, Hot Spring, Soda Water, Katibawasan Waterfalls, went snorkeling around White Island (sandbar), and trekked up to the Old Volcano where the Holy Week 'Panata' is held annually.

The gradually rising trail is dotted with 15 'stations of the cross' and at the 15th station of the cross - you're awarded with a beautiful view of the sea and the Sunken Cemetery (Guiob Church is not visible though as it's covered with trees).

My sister, her classmates and Professors left the island 2 days ahead. I stayed behind for my own R & R as I wanted to visit Mantigue Island and go diving. I arranged to dive 2 dive sites with 'Camiguin Action Geckos.' Our Dive Master - Barbie's a very nice lady who's originally from Bohol. She's very patient especially during the time when I had trouble with my bouyancy.

First dive of the day's at the 'Old Volcano' - it was FUN!!! The currents were a bit strong but when we got down to more than 22 meters underwater, the marine life's just fantastic! We saw a lot of very healthy soft corals especially sea fans. Also saw the elusive 'pygmy seahorse' bluish/purplish in color. This species is sooooo tiny if you don't know what you're looking for, it's very easy to miss out! Barbie and another divemaster definitely knew where to look coz we saw it!!! It's only seen 20 meters underwater or deeper.

I had to pull out of the second dive of the day. I got seasick during our surface interval. Man - those waves were strong!!! I puked out all my breakfast - eeeewwwww!!! I was so weak but I still wanted to dive - they patiently waited for me to get my bearings. But when it's time to jump-off the boat, I was just too weak. They went ahead and dived 'nudibranch city' while I and the boatman just waited for them. Lesson of the day -- never eat too much breakfast especially when you go diving!!!

Before leaving the island - I arranged for a local boatman to take me to Mantigue Island. The boat ride from Camiguin Island to Mantigue island only took 30 minutes (faster if via a bigger boat with more horsepower). This island has 3 dive sites around it (mostly coral gardens) and is protected. About a third of the island is composed of mangroves and you can even walk around it in just 10 minutes!!! There's a small community with an elementary school living on the island but they don't own it the land as it's government-protected.

I just contented myself in snorkeling but when I spotted 'poachers' - they were spear-fishing!!! I backed off. Better be safe than sorry! Left Mantigue Island and Camiguin sadly - I will surely be back!!! I had a great adventure - it's definitely an adventure island!!

A weekend in Bohol....is it too short or just about enough?

~ Text & Photos by Aireen Navarro ~

Bohol is known as one of the top and unique island destinations in the Philippines. A lot of people from all walks of life, be they local or foreign tourists, have been continuously drawn to its beauty - yours truly included :)

What's in Bohol? What activities can we do there? Hey, you can choose from a variety of activities to do and places to visit depending on your interests. As they say, no two travellers are alike!!! I agree - with a resounding YES!!!

Growing up in the northern parts of Mindanao, I've been curious about it especially the mystical beauty of the Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers. Back then, I only see the Chocolate Hills and tarsiers on TV, magazines/newspapers and postcards. Even while pursuing my university studies in Manila - the ferry I used to take usually makes a few hours stop in Tagbilaran to drop-off/pick-up passengers and I just take the local public transportation to go around the city and buy local delicacies.

It's only in early November 2006 that I and close friends from college finally had the time to visit Bohol for a weekend. We set off at the wee hours of the morning on a Saturday - took a 2-hour ferry ride from Cebu to Tagbilaran City, then another 1 hour private road transfer to Panglao Island where we stayed at Bohol Divers, located on Alona Beach.

I was supposed to dive with Genesis Divers but due to some misunderstanding which wasted almost 2 hours of our time (including tempers flying....) - I opted out and settled in spending the rest of the day with my college friends snorkeling in Balicasag - approx. 45 minutes by outrigger boat/banca ride from Alona Beach, Panglao Island.

Now, Balicasag is truly special!!! It's a haven for divers and snorkelers alike! What more, if you get lucky and go there at a certain season (I forgot the exact months), you'd see whalesharks - the gentle giants of the ocean!!! We settled in and had a blast snorkeling and watching divers underwater - photos below do not give justice to Balicasag's amazing underwater world!!!

After our 'snorkeling adventure' - we rushed to Dauis Church to catch the anticipated Roman Catholic mass in the early evening. This church dates back to hundreds of years - to the Spanish Colonial period and its architectural facade and interiors are testimonies to that. Saturday night's supposed to be 'party time' bar-hopping along Alona Beach's cool bars & restos, but we're all just too tired to go out - only had enough strength to just eat dinner and ice cream of course!

Sunday's a rush of activities. We had to compress several attractions in a few hours as we need to catch our 1800H ferry back to Cebu. As usual, we started with a lazy breakfast and enjoyed a walk on the white-sand stretch of Alona Beach, before we set out for our mad dash from one tourist attraction to another! Hey, it's FUN being a tourist in your own country!!! More fun as well as I know the local language, so it's easier in terms of haggling when buying souvenirs :)

Among the places we rushed in and out of include the 'Blood Compact Site' where you can also get a better view of Pamilacan Island where dolphin/whale-watching is highly popular, and a famous Spanish-era church - Baclayon Church and its museum.

Then we're off to a very late lunch - hopping on one of custom-made bancas that ply Loboc River. That ride got us PHP 250 poorer - but the buffet lunch with a local group serenading us was worth it!!! It's also along Loboc River that we made a short stop to get a close look at tarsiers in captivity. The local government tried to stop this practice but tourist-demand just makes it impossible -- we're guilty as well :(

Our last stop's in Carmen - the home of the famous Chocolate Hills. We had to rush as it's past 1500H. On the way to the viewpoint, we sadly saw a few hills being quarried - really hope the local government will do something about it! We only had an hour to spare before departing for Tagbilaran which takes approx. 45 minutes by road from Carmen. We just made it in good time since our ferry was delayed for 1 hour - whew!!!

So, is a weekend in Bohol too short or just about enough? For me, it's about enough....hehehe...But if I plan to go diving next time - I'll ensure that I spend at least 3-4 days and reserve 1 full day just scuba diving!

Wreck Dives in Coron, Palawan

~ Text & Photos by Aireen Navarro ~

I went to Coron on 4-9 April 2007. Loved the islands!!! Where is Coron??? It's in the northern tip of Palawan - Philippines.

There are actually two "Corons" ---- the island of Coron - the ancestral domain of one of the 4 indigenous ethnic groups in Palawan - the Tagbanua and Coron town, located on Busuanga Island - the largest in the Calamian Group of 47 islands.

The "Wrecks of Coron" in this area are renowned among divers especially wreck divers!!! The area is quite unique with 9 WWII wrecks which can be dived in 3 days. Most of the wrecks were sunk on 24 September 1944 by fighters and dive bombers of US task force 38. History be told, about 24 Japanese supply ships had tried to hide among the Calamianes Islands in an effort to evade attack - but a number weren't successful. The best part for me - these wrecks have been under water for more than 60 years and have become coral reefs in their own right --- now it's full of aquatic life, my favorite!

I dived with "Dive Calamianes" and the first dive for the day was OLYMPIA MARU - a Japanese freighter 122m long ('Tangat Wreck'), located in Tangat Island Bay (known locally as Sangat Island). The wreck sits upright with easy to penetrate cargo holds with a lot of available light - though a torch would have been better. Visibility was around 10 m and we averaged our depth at 18 m/max at 29.8 m (dive time: 43 mins.). It was actually eerie checking out cargo rooms. What made it more fun was the aquatic life - has a large variety of marine life. Species I recognized include:
- scorpion fish;
- batfish;
- groupers; and
- sea squirts.

Second dive for the day was TAIEI MARU? - 110m long in Tangat Island Bay. A question mark after its name as there were 6 ships in the Japanese navy with this name and dive operators in the area think this is one of them. We penetrated cargo holds and engine room - same as Olympia Maru, this wreck has lots of available light. In the engine room, we checked out large boilers. Visibility was around 10 m and we averaged our depth at 14.9 m/max at 24.4 m (dive time: 54 mins.). We spent some time at the top of the ship (14-15 m) as this is covered with hard and soft corals containing a large variety of marine life.

Species I recognized include:
- barramundi cod (juvenile);
- lion fish;
- nudibranchs (a few were mating);
- six-banded angelfish;
- batfish;
- groupers;
- red snappers;
- pufferfish;
- ribbon sweetlips; and
- many spotted sweetlips.

The last dive for the day was supposed to be at LUSONG WRECK but our DI opted to go for EAST TANGAT GUN BOAT (a Japanese submarine hunter 40 m long located in the east side of Tangat Island) as Lusong Wreck developed strong currents around mid-afternoon. The East Tangat Gun Boat - a non-specific name which is still used until today as the name of this boat (Tirukaze Maru) was not known until February 2002 - identified by 6 Dutch divers. The wreck is at a shallow depth - its outline quite visible from our boat while we were preparing to dive. Snorkelers also visit this wreck - we actually encountered 2 boats with snorkelers leaving the area when we arrived. This was actually a wreck and reef dive in one as the boat is positioned tight against a reef thriving with marine life. Visibility was around 5-10 m and we averaged our depth at 6 m/max at 13 m (dive time: 50 mins). We only spent a little time checking out the boat and focused on the colorful marine life hanging out at the reef --- masses of branching corals, hard and soft corals, multi-colored/vivid miniature reef fishes, etc. We searched for the elusive mandarin fish - but luck wasn't on our side.

Species recognized include:
- blue flat worm;
- upside-down jellyfish;
- red snappers;
- groupers;
- clown anemonefish;
- hawkfish;
- cardinal fishes;
- spine-cheek anemonefish;
- pufferfish;
- pyjama cardinal; and
- damselfishes.

I Only went diving for a day, went island-hopping/snorkeling for 2 days and snoozed/read on a hammock then short hike up Mt. Tapyas for the last day. Island-hopping/snorkeling for 2 days was very fascinating -- a lot of islands to choose from! Lakes are just fantastic!!! Took awesome photos of breathtaking scenery including the area's glorious sunsets! One day hopping from CYC island, then off to Coron Island for Banol Beach, Twin Lagoons, Barracuda Lake, Kayangan Lake, Kalachuchi Beach, then off to Siete Pecados (Seven Rocks Reef).

One day we went to Calumbuyan Island and Popototan Island. On our way to Calumbuyan Island, we tried to locate a less-renowned dive site called LANDING CRAFT - as per our DI, it's the only American ship sunk in the area, but we missed it since our boatman's not familiar about its location (he knows it by another name). Currents sweep around Calumbuyan Island which makes it great for drift diving --- but it's not for me! Opted to just go snorkeling :) According to the island's caretaker, a sea turtle just laid around 200 eggs but they had to dug it up and transfer to a safer location as visitors to the island might accidentally trample on the eggs. We're supposed to visit Treasure Island but it was getting late so off we went straight to Popototan Island -- had lunch and snorkeled at the house reef of Evergreen Diving Resort. Loved their house reef!!! Even saw huge batfishes and a batfish (pinnate???) at its intermediate phase! Loved the vivid colors of clams and soft corals swaying along with the currents. Was hoping to find sea turtles but they're usually in the area in the evenings and early mornings including "dugongs." Even the ghost pipefish was elusive!

Overall, the Calamianes Islands are divine! Will definitely be back and hope to dive Barracuda Lake as well - they say it's very special --- I will have to see that for myself!!!