Scuba-Diva-Doo: March 2008

I have not been diving for a while. Have been missing it but I have not had the right opportunity. I could only dive on weekends and most of the past weekends have been rainy or had sullen gray skies. An overcast means no diving for me. Nobody wants to be blind underwater.

The weather has been my constant excuse and then I realized it's my ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) that's preventing me from diving. I have seen most of the local dive sites and have become tired of seeing the same thing. It's time for me to explore new marine territories.

Now that we have a car it's easier to move around. It ain't easy to carry around a set of Diving gear while jumping from a public transport to another. And what better timing for my boss to leave the country. A week before my boss' flight I contacted my friend RJ (whom I met in Siargao) if he would be interested in going out of town with me. The car could accommodate 5 so I told him he could invite a couple of his friends. We decided to go to Argao since be are both surfers (me a pseudo-surfer). Our original plan is for a day trip to Argao, he however suggested not to waste a weekend and stay overnight instead. He also mentioned Argao's proximity to Moalboal which is a very popular dive destination. We decided to instead stay overnight in Moalboal and drive to Argao the next day on our way back to the city. This did not happen but this would not have been a impromptu trip had everything fallen into place.

Last Saturday (Mach 29, 2008) I picked up RJ and his friend Arman at Robinson's Fuente O and picked up RJ's diva, Jane, on our way out of the city. 3 hours later we were already in Moalboal. It was a scenic drive to southern Cebu, once passed the town of Carcar signs of modernity started to wane. We drove through the mountains zigzagging trough cliffs that offered us fantastic views of greenery and limestones. Once in while we were given a peek of the sea. My driving skills were definitely put to the test that day but me eyes were well rewarded. Upon reaching the west coast of Cebu, more visual delights awaited us. The views evolved from mountains to seas. On the cliffs of Dumanjug we could already see the Island province of Negros. Dumanjug is followed by the coastal towns of Ronda and Alcantara. I am from a small town but I did not realize how smaller a town can get. We passed them as if they never happened. Except for patches of asphalt on the road driving to Moalboal very pleasing.

We reached Moalboal just in time for lunch. Like the other towns we passed on the way Moalboal is a tiny town where the Church, Govenrment Hall and Market are bundled together. Its territory maybe vast but the town center is made for convenience. Here's a place where you can go to church, talk to the Mayor and do your shopping all in one afternoon.

After lunch we headed to Saavedra, the part of town where the beach resorts are. Hardcore dive enthusiast usually stay in Panagsama where the concentration of Dive Operators is but since I was the only diver in the group we drove to Saavedra to look for a place to stay. Four resorts after, we unloaded the car in a place called Bigsand Campgrounds. The room cost only P1500. The catch? No running water, however, gallons of water were delivered to our room each time we requested for it. The room did not have air condition but it turned out that we didn't need one.

Minutes after unpacking, my feet dragged me to the beach as my finger clicked on my camera. The beach is gorgeous. It's not Boracay but it has its own charm. You could see the coast of Negros from our room, there's a hint of breeze and lots of sunshine. All of these are well and nice but Moalboal is more known for what can be seen underwater.

I was not sure if I would have the chance to dive in Moalboal since we were gonna leave the next morning. My feet seemed to know where to go, after taking photos of the grounds I noticed a number of BCD's (Buoyancy Control Device) in the beach resort next to where we were staying. There must be a Dive Shop here somewhere, I thought. So I asked around and met Rica of Aquaholics, the dive shop of Club Serena Resort. It turned out Rica is also from Manila. We had a little chat and she told me they have a group dive going in in 10 minutes. I had to rush to our room and changed in my wetsuit. Probably the fastest I ever got all my gear and camera ready.

The Club Serena Pool.

Scuba-diva in all my glory. I made it in time for the assembly and the briefing. There I met Rica's husband Quint, the general manager of the dive shop who is also an instructor and our guide for that dive. I have heard about the proximity of the reef from the beach and all the hullabaloo about Moalboal. I thought it was a hype until I saw it for myself. I was blown away. It is as they say, there are things to be seen a few meters from the beach.

Upon entry I noticed the lush marine vegetation that is far better than what I see around Mactan. It was only 10 minutes later when I saw my first "Pawikan" (Sea turtle).

Could you see the silhouette?

Spot the fish in this picture.

Unfortunately, my mask started to flood when we were at 15 meters. I tried de-flooding my mask but nothing seemed to work. I ended up continuing the dive with my mask half full, or is it half empty? I'm glad I was able to take a shot of the turtle even if it's just a hint of its silhouette. We saw another turtle on our way back but my mask was too distracting for me to be able to take a good photo. I need a new mask (calling all dive brands). Our dive lasted about 45 minutes and I would not change any minute of it, except for the one time when I accidentally kicked the "cabeza" of one of the Spanish guys in the group. Of course I apologized when we got to the surface, they can't blame me, I was almost blind the entire time. It's official, Club Serena's House reef is one of the best I've seen.

It was dusk when we finished diving, Rica and Quint invited me for beer that night which I gladly accepted. After dinner I walked back to Club Serena and looked for my hosts. My friends joined us a couple of hours later, it turned out they all fell asleep. Funny since I was the one up at 4 am that morning, drove for 3 hours and even went diving. Anyway, our hostess convinced us to stay in Moalboal instead of going to Argao the next day. I was informed earlier that they had a dive the next day in Pescador Island, famous for it's white tip shark and "the cathedral".

On out way to Pescador island.

Pescador was such an experience. On the morning of the dive the sea churned like a food processor. Our estimated 45 minute dive turned into a 20 minute work out. The current was just too strong that we had to go back to the surface twice. We managed to cover a few meters but and decided to cut the dive short. It was just too perilous to continue on. We spent 10 minutes going against the current to get to the boat. Rica mentioned that it was the strongest current she ever faced. It's too strong that I missed seeing the cathedral. On the bright side, I have a reason to come back. And so we left that afternoon looking forward for our 2nd trip to this aquatic paradise.