Tubbataha: The Underwater Wonder

And so it happened!

Our hearts were set to Tubbataha this season, even if it means we had to put our faith in Expedition Fleet once again. It's funny how we were all mum about the whole thing, up to the night before we leave for Puerto Princesa, a complete opposite to the noise barrage we created the first time. Obviously we were afraid to jinx ourselves. Vangie, Zara, and I purposely didn't book the last flight to Puerto Princesa, so that we have room for flight cancellation or delays. We were skeptical like that. :)

When the boat set sail at 7:00 p.m., we were bursting with excitement but tried (really hard) to conceal it. Stephen would periodically remind everyone, bawal magsaya (no display of happiness), because the last time, we also sailed, but ended up in Mamburao (hence, the group name). It was deja vu when the boat manager did his briefing. We were rowdy and cracked plenty of inside jokes that we had to explain to our boat mates what happened the last time (flashback: Almost Tubbataha). We were 10 from the old gang and made up half of the divers.

I awoke the next day and heard Lau-tzu said:
"The journey of a thousand miles brought you to Tubbataha.

Tubbataha was everything promised and more! The minute we back rolled into the water, I'm transported into a fantasy world of bedazzling colors and shapes. It was feast for the eyes to have enchanting wall of corals to one side and bottomless abyss of blue on another.

For 50 minutes every time, I feel like a part of the underwater world, finning weighlessly alongside free swimming pelagics: sharks! school of jacks, barracudas, sea turtles, rays, wrasses, groupers, and all those I have yet to consult my fish book.

Now speaking of sharks, everyone I know knew the sharks had been elusive to me. With almost a hundred dives before this trip, I have never seen one! I warned my dive buddies that I am a living shark repellant.

But Tubbataha broke this spell. On my very first dive at the ATOL, I encountered my first to 50th shark!

And the succeeding dives after, we continue to encounter them.

Delsan is a super highway at rush hour where it literally confused us where to focus our attention. We saw a turtle digging as if the world depended on it, then came a densely packed school of jacks on the left, then to our right a long school of barracuda trailed by a couple of white tip sharks. Seriously, were we in Shark Tale?

slide photos by Neil Que, Stephen David, & DM Padoy

This is also where I dove the deepest at 40m. I actually didn’t realize it was already so deep because of the incredible visibility.

I was told by many that by third day, I’ll be tired of sharks. They were obviously kidding. On our last day of diving, at the Shark Airport, where full grown sharks rest at shallow depth, my heart still beats like mad at the the close encounters. It was a fantastic way to wrap this dive expedition.

clip by Zara Arzadon

Life in Tubbataha is out of this world.

Literally, it's "eat, dive, sleep, repeat."

We did 4 dives per day and food is served 5 times a day. If we were not doing either, we were talking about diving, reading books on fish, watching videos about the ocean, or looking at photos and videos taken that morning dives.

During the introduction by the boat manager at the beginning of the trip, he told us that we will be hearing bells a few times a day. This will only mean two things, either it’s time to eat, or it’s time to dive. And if we were confused which is which, he suggested to just touch your hair. If hair is wet, it’s time to eat. If it’s dry, it’s time to dive. It's funny but we've heard the line the last time. :)

This trip was made 10x more memorable because it was shared with a bunch of my closest buddies. I'm super glad I decided to rebook for this trip. Who else but your dearest friends would celebrate your 100th dive with a full production? We set aside time for photo shoot and a surprise awarding of my SDI Advance Rescue C-Card by my friend and instructor, Neil Q.

photos by Stephen P. David

On our last day, we visited the ranger station on a beautiful islet of white sand. A team of rangers is stationed all year round to police the reef. We went over to say hello, photo ops, and bought souvenirs that help fund the Tubbataha organization.

The one with the Ranger Station

As if life is not already perfect, every night, we were greeted by the most glorious sunset. A firework of colors that left everyone enthralled and breathless as we prepare to rest for another wonderful day of diving.

Roll Call of Mamburao 10

Zara, Vangie, Monette, Bembong, Kriz, Neil, Stephen, Michael, Bernard, and yours truly.

Tubbataha Dive Log:

Day One (April 17, 2010)
Dive # 1: Amos Rock
Dive # 2: Gorgonian Channel
Dive # 3: Wall St. - Amos Rock
Dive # 4: South Park

Day Two (April 18, 2010)
Dive # 5: Ko-ok - South Islet
Dive # 6: Lighthouse
Dive # 7: Staghorn
Dive # 8: Delsan Wreck/Crack

Day Three (April 19, 2010)
Dive # 9: Delsan Wreck/Crack
Dive # 10: Delsan Wreck/Crack
Dive # 11: Delsan Wreck/Crack
Dive # 12: Staghorn/Triggerfish City

Day Four (April 20, 2010)
Dive # 13: Black Rock
Dive # 14: Black Rock
Dive # 15: Malayan Wreck
Dive # 16: Ranger Station

Day Five (April 21, 2010)
Dive # 17: Washing Machine
Dive # 18: Shark Airport
Dive # 19: Washing Machine
Dive # 20: Washing Machine

Additional Note:

On April 6, 2010, Republic Act No. 10067 was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal. The landmark law establishes a 10-mile buffer zone around the park and increases the penalty of violators where the fund will be for the sole use of its management.

Fore more tubbataha info: www.tubbatahareef.org

the evil sisters promote Philippine diving

almost tubba, but not quite

when you've been planning for a trip for almost a year already - money, time, equipment, & mind set - only to be told by the boat manager that there's a problem in the boat's bearing after only about 6hrs into the open sea and can't possibly proceed to sail to Apo / Tubbataha, you'd challenge Murphy's Law and push your way to salvage the trip.

saturday morning, when we're supposed to have finished our 1st Apo dive, we learned that Borneo Explorer is on its way to Mamburao waters (where we were stranded) so we can transfer and continue the trip. oblivious of what to be announced that night, we opted to maximize the day by doing an exploratory dive around the area. the dive spot being too close to a fishing village, and not protected under Marine Park jurisdiction, there was literally no life at all, or was there? i can't actually remember. the 50min dive was longer than i can recall. i was sooo bored that i chose to skip the second dive. it didn't help to think that around that time we should already be in Apo Reef and frolicking on the beauty of the splendid marine biodiversity of the atoll.

8ish that night, as BE gets closer to us, our hopes were high that we'd sail in a few hours and would miss only about 2 dives in Cuyo Island. but another bomb was dropped when we were told by G, the boat manager, that the owner, Mr. Wee, wanted both boats back in Anilao and will just cancel the trip. Mr. Wee sent BE to tow PE2 and not to actually pick us up to sail forward to Apo/ Tubba. with 24 fully paid divers, and very eager not to waste the week trip, despite the frustration, came to a compromise to agree to be towed back on the premise that as soon as the boats reached Anilao, will board BE and head to Apo/ Tubba immediately. we all understood that we lost 2 diving days already, but who the hell cares? we wanted the trip sooo bad, and we're all willing to bend our backs. we thought we'd deal with the owner, once the trip is over.

Sunday morning bout 7ish, when we're supposed to have finished our 1st dive in Cuyo, we were again hit by another devastating news, Mr. Wee wanted us to disembark and just refund the money we paid for the trip, just that! no discussion, no negotiation! As if money was the only concern of the divers who have planned this trip and redesigned their schedules so as to be able to have an 8-day dive trip.

everyone was so furious, as we, the clients, felt we have been bending our backs when there was no effort on the other side of the table at all. he didn't even try to call any of us to hear our compromise just to proceed the Apo/ Tubba trip.

it was a perfect example of bad business practice - not delivering to your clients what has been agreed and not knowing how to handle crisis properly. arrrrrg!!! it boils down to the fact too that Cruise Island Adventure (more known as Scuba World) has the monopoly of the Tubbataha route, thus the less care for clients so much so of their safety.

as we were left without a choice, we disembarked the boat and trusted that they will keep their word of a full refund the next day (monday). we were though offered a free overnight stay at Outrigger Resort (owned by Mr. Wee too), and do dives for free for that day.

of the 24 divers, 18 stayed overnight and enjoyed the day whilst planning for the next best alternative for the failed tubba trip. within few hours, 13 divers were booked for a flight to Busuanga and do ship wrecked dives instead.

sunday, 10ish evening, abs-cbn batangas went to the resort to interview our group. we wanted to make sure that CIA owner understands the gravity of the situation - safety & bad business practice.

PE2 is solely dedicated for tubba trips with March to June season only. they had july to feb to ensure that their boats are fit to sail to commence new tubba season. how on earth can a bearing be overlooked (when it's actually a wear and tear part of the engine) and be the source of failure? 24 divers along with at least a 10-member boat crew's safety were put to risk, by letting an unfit boat sail to open seas. something worse could have happened if it wasn't discovered right away.

next morning, Monday, we were driven back to Manila at the resort's expense, and headed straight to CIA/ Scuba World's office. we were actually prepared for a long and unpleasant argument with the owner, but we were surprised that the discussion went like a breeze - full refund, including booked flights to Palawan. he was apologetic and looked like he didn't know any better when he made the decision to tow us back. he even said he didn't know we were ready to make a compromises and cut the tubba dive days. we don't actually know who was telling the truth -the boat manager or the owner. was he really unaware of the compromises willing to take just to proceed the trip which we have clearly expressed to G, or was he just trying to cover his @$$e from embarassment?

whilst others opted to refund the money - our foreign friends who can't possibly stay longer in MNL for a rebooked trip - majority chose to rebook a later date.

have to mention though how accommodating and extra apologetic the crew members were when we're still on the boat. even when we were already at the resort, they took care of us unconditionally. Mr.Wee is lucky to have very good employees like them.

we dashed to the airport to catch a 1PM flight. lo & behold!!! just after we've haggled (but failed) to give us a free kg for each head as we checked-in our baggage (with already prepaid addl 5kg each), we heard the PA of our flight's cancellation due to bush fire at the Busuanga Airport!!!

i never felt Murphy's law as i did that day. we were so bummed we were stripped off with emotions. we thought if the world was indeed conspiring against us, why were we spared in the open seas? how did we manage to get a booking to Coron in a snap? obviously our unbreakable spirits are in the works.

we managed to get a rebooking on the next earliest flight the next day. i said though to Z, if after tomorrow's attempt, we'd again fail, i'd accept defeat, let go of the week-long holiday and head home.

determined not to miss our early morning flight the next day, we decided to spend overnight at K's place at Magallanes and relaxed the night away. we called masseuse to come over her place and had an awesome an hour and a half massage :-)

7ish of Tuesday morning, it felt like deja vu to be back at the airport and queue for our baggages to be checked-in. we lack the strength already to negotiate for the baggage allowance so we just paid whatever the officer charged us. it's past the baording time already when we heard another announcement - "Flight 5J5298 bound to Busuanga is temporarily on-hold due to low visibility around the area. please wait for further announcement in the next 15minutes."

for people who had mishaps after mishaps for the past 4 days, 15minutes mean an eternity of waiting! there wasn't a word uttered, wasn't a complaint vented. silence was the prevailing element.

until a real upper was announced. flight pushed thru and in a little over an hour, we have landed the busuanga airport!!!

we were quick to let go of a guffaw and articulated - "F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!!!!!"

what we went through the past days was unimaginable. and to finally set foot again in Coron was an effin relief!!! i whispered to myself, 'thank God we're safe'

we may have failed to conquer Apo Reef / Tubbataha Reef, but we're blessed a hundred fold over to gain new dive buddies!!! amidst all that went on in the past days, we were actually still having fun.

we may have been deprived to experience Tubbataha's beauty that time, but we have experienced real & beautiful friendship!!! how can i complain?

***

- Coron adventure on my next post :-)

- photos from indayguapa, jayvzter, bembong, boni & suzette


- cross-posted to wandersoles

i don't like scuba diving...

...when water is below 25C! brrrrrrr!

been months since my solemates and i dove together. and the inch thick dust our SCUBA equipment has gathered can tell you how much we all wanted to breathe dry compressed air soon.

thus the day-trip dive Z & L planned became a reminiscent of our bellarocca escapade (deserves a separate posting), when all 5 of us - wandersoles plus G are present. the world was still asleep but there we were, 6 girls, giddily chants for the awesome dives ahead!

830ish we were already parking at Planet Dive. oh Planet Dive! i luv how the words roll on my tongue. i miss the resort big time, especially after diving 5 weekends without fail last August-September (till i flew to US). glad to have also all my girlfriends agree to join me in PD, my turf! :-)

10ish off we're off to Sombrero island. we requested our DM to dive Batok, which he easily said yes to. dive plan was to dive Batok but to continue hovering till we reach Beatrice (one of my favorite dive spots). volunteered to do the first jump, and oh boy!!! sun was up, but water was rather cold!!! but then again we were warned during the brief, and we thought we're here to brave the cold waters of Anilao!

true enough, halfway through of the dive, i'm getting uncomfortable already. i thought the water is getting even colder. my dive computer registered 24C. brrrrr. plus there was a moderately strong current too. it could have been a different story if there was a good visibility so i can enjoy the sea life. we're close to Beatrice when our DM gave us the daisy chain signal already.

back on the boat, inspite it not being a 'macho' dive, head felt like being hammered. good thing, DM decided to go back to resort and have our lunch first before proceeding to our second dive.

lunch as always was great! buttered tulingan + pork bbq (skipped it though) + vegetable salad + sweetened banana slice = happy diver.

2ish we headed back to the waters re-energised. second spot was Mainit, so we're looking forward to seeing white-tip shark around 70ft below. descent was easier cuz there was no current initially. but after 10mins has lapsed i felt the hammering again on my head. boooo! even with gloves on top of my 3mm wet suit to insulate me, the 24C water can spoil what could have been a great dive. if not for the huge hawksbill sea turtle we saw and the numerous cute little nudis, it felt like forever underwater. so i made up my mind and signaled to my buddy, i'm going ahead. i'll just finish my safety stops and i'd surface to water.

on our way back to the resort, all i can think about was to lie my back on the deck and be warm under the sun. i knew i insisted to my solemates that i want to have at least 3 dives, but with water like that, i'd rather chill under the gorgeous sunset on the deck.

our dive fix may have been far from being great, but with crazy beautiful company, lovely sunset and good conversation, i can't think of a better way to kick-off wandersoles' 2010! i'm pretty sure it's gonna be a swell ride once more! :-)

so do i really dislike SCUBA diving now?? no way!!! only when it's effin cold like that! :-)

***

- photos courtesy of my solemates, indayguapa & wanderlass

- cross-posted to coffee mug