Once in a lifetime.........

I would like to do a dedication in memory of our favorite Minnie the Mermaid….You were loved and will always be loved. Your ever lasting smile is seen and felt each day and night. Even though you are gone, your wonderful spirit is felt each morning the sun rises. We miss you and may the four winds blow you gently home.

It's still March.......

So Jeff, Michelle and I take off on a commuter boat, to a commuter bus to a commuter ferry searching for our next dive. As I mentioned, The Philippines consist of over 7,000 islands, so we have our pick. We originally were planning on going to the dive area of Moa bal, but Jeff had mentioned the town of Dauin which was one of Michelle’s original picks for the spectacular macro diving. We quickly changed course and off we went to the island of Negros. The first night there we stayed in the main town, but quickly left the next morning to peaceful Dauin.

When we arrived, we had trouble finding an open room, but the manager of the lovely El Dorado resort mixed things up a bit and we stayed in a spectacular bungalow. The island of Apo was where our diving was done. Dives to this site were only done on Tuesdays. It was a Monday. Jeff was only there for a day and it was imperative that we went to APO Island. With a lot of luck and persistence, we were able to make that happen. The way out to APO Island is on a long boat, local dive site where many divers come to adventure. During our first 2 tank dive, we saw a beautiful array of fish and turtles.

The perfect aquarium scene in crystal blue waters. That evening we shared spectacular dinners and wonderful Philippine rum at the El Dorado resort. The pool and pool bar was open 24 hours so we enjoyed a midnight dip under the stars. The next day, Jeff took off for Manila to join up with his cousin. We had an enjoyable week with him and were happy to spend many entertaining hours together. Unfortunately, all things end and we had to say our farewells.


The following day, Michelle and I dove Apo again. It is amazing how spoiled one can get, when all around is spectacular. It becomes the norm. On our final day in Dauin, we rode a jeepney (a jeep which acts like a local bus and fills people to the top….literally, with people lined up inside, outside and ON TOP of the vehicle) to the local farmers market. I know we have all seen farmers markets at one time or another, but here in Dauin, the farmers market is known throughout the islands as the biggest market of its kind. Pigs, cows, chickens, ducks, fish, sheep, etc. all congregate in the square for auction.

We were enlightened with new products, some interesting, some disgusting, some pretty and some just plain old weird. We were supposed to eat breakfast there, but the pig looked too piggish, the chickens too cute, and there was absolutely no refrigeration anywhere. It is one thing to KNOW there is no refrigeration, but it is another to SEE there is no refrigeration. We left the market, went back to our hotel for breakfast, and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon snorkeling a fantastic reef walking distance from our hotel.


The next morning we took off for the Dauin Airport and headed back to Manila for a flight to Legaspi where we would then drive 2 hours over to Donsol, for another one of Michelle’s “Once in a Lifetime” experiences. Yeah right, I thought. This time we were off to an area known as the feeding station for whale sharks. As we drove through the country side, we enjoyed the rice fields and rich greenery of the islands. Throughout our ride, we saw bamboo mats lying out in the road. As I looked more carefully, I saw that the mats were covered with rice. I learned by asking our driver that this is standard rice drying procedure. So, if by chance a car is coming in the opposite direction at the same time you are, you have to drive over the rice. I wonder if this is the reason for a “hard kernel” of rice every once in a while????

Donsol is an undeveloped area which attracts people solely for the whale shark experience. Room shopping was difficult. Without reservations, there was nothing open. We finally got lucky and found a simple vacant cottage. As we were looking at it, about 4 other cars drove up requesting lodging. We grabbed cottage fast and were grateful to not be camping since we didn’t have any gear. Looking over our travels, this by far was the most unspectacular in accommodations, but at least we had a bed and shower and AC.

Donsol is in a peaceful inlet on the Pacific Ocean. It is noted for a high concentration of plankton which is what the whale sharks feed on. I was feeling a bit under the weather with a cold, but Michelle was ready and able to begin the exploration. We had to register at the park ranger station in order to get on a boat for the next day’s feeding. After watching a short video on the do’s and don’ts, we were ready for our adventure. Michelle was so excited that night she could barely sleep. She saw a whale shark 10 years ago while diving in Honduras and didn’t know what it was. Spotting a whale shark is a pretty special experience and due to her fear, she didn’t enjoy it at the time. She vowed to see another whale shark in her life time. Well…Donsol made wishes come true.

We learned in Donsol at the Whale Shark Marine center, that only 267 whale sharks are known to be surviving in the world and 68 of them have been to Donsol this year. They are identified by their spot pattern, which is unique to each creature, sort of like our fingerprints.

That evening we hung at our hotel and hooked up with a guy we had met in Malapascua (home of the thresher shark). He was one of the few “lucky” ones to have been on the amazing thresher shark dive with us and he had video footage of this adventure which he downloaded to our computer. While he did this, we met several other guests and the next morning we all went to the ranger station to begin our hopeful swim with whale sharks.

The long boat holds 7 swimmers, plus a crew of spotters, along with a guide and a ranger who ensures all rules are followed (i.e. no touching the fish, coral, etc.) We took off into the calm waters and in less than 5 minutes, we spotted the “Butading” (Philippine for Whale Shark).
The whale shark is the largest fish known to man. Although it is called a whale shark, it has gills and therefore is a fish, not a whale which is a mammal. Because it is a fish, it can stay under water at all times. It does not need to surface for air as whales do.

As our spotter called out Butading…Butading….the 7 swimmers, guide and ranger, were lined up on the side of the boat with snorkel mask and fins on. We all jumped out of the boat to begin swimming with our fish. Because I was not feeling well, I stopped swimming fairly soon, but the rest of the swimmers stayed with the fish as he glided through the water. We saw a total of 7 fish that day and although sizes of these fish vary, those we saw were all over 25 feet long. Michelle was able to stay underwater with them and really take in the beauty of these majestic creatures of the sea.

Meanwhile, about 15 other boats were out in this area doing the same thing as we were. Each boat is allowed to follow one fish which means each fish can have 7 people at a time swimming with it. When the group tires or if the whale shark is moving too fast, the fish is traded off to another boat so all the boats and spotters work together for the spectators. This process continues for 3 hours. The spotters were as excited as we were every time we came close enough to hop out of the boat and follow a fish.

Later that day, I took a nap with the hopes of getting better while Michelle walked the beach, read, and met up with a whole new group of visitors. Most visitors stay in Donsol just a day or so but we were there for two days and got a whole new experience. When I awoke, it was time to observe the evening fire flies. Our new group of friends joined us as we boarded a taxi and travelled to the near by river. We jumped onto a long boat and travelled up stream of a nearby river, where the fire flies dance around the acacia tree.

This is the first time I have seen fireflies, but Michelle, being from the east coast, has spent many a summer night enjoying the blinking lights of these little insects. We spent a few hours on the river and then went to the best fish restaurant in town where we shared fresh shrimps, fish, potatoes, salad and locally made rum, We all got soused and ended up singing Eagles tunes with the guitar player. I even borrowed the guitar and strummed a few tunes for the crowd. Sin Palace revisited!

On day 2, it was a different day all together. We had a new group with us, and we knew the trick of the swim. We were the 2nd boat out, and in real calm waters, so our first whale shark was easy to find. We all dove in, and this time I had Michelle’s camera taking pictures of the shark while we swam with it. Day 1 was too quick for me, where day 2, I really understood what we were doing.

We were idiots trying to keep up with this huge monster of a fish while it was eating. I first started in the front of the fish, and when I saw its mouth, I screamed as load as I could. I really felt oh, oh…. Then as I caught a breath I was next to it looking into his big black eyes wondering what it was thinking. By then I was out of breath, and swam over the dorsal fin thinking that if thing ever went up, I’d be a galloping fish boy, so I slowed down even more to catch his tail fin and was again thinking, does he know I’m back here? Does he care? With a little wag of the fin, I could be in another island….hospital! So this went on for another 3 hours, incredible, with one swim lasting over 25 mins. Michelle tired, but gained up enough energy to go in for another look. Only 2 (under 20 years of age now!!!!) people stayed out there during the entire swim, and they were ready to go again…oh to be young….

The next day our whole group had to go to Legaspi at relatively the same time so we all boarded a van to begin the two hour drive back. Michelle and I spent the night in Legaspi, because the next morning we had a 7 AM flight back to Manila and we were required to be at the airport two hours before take off. Once in Manila, we had a 7 hour layover. We spent it in Mall Asia. I have never seen a shopping venue this large.

It is about 6 West Field's Valley Fairs. We hung at the Starbucks with online connectivity and caught up on internet duties. OK…Michelle did do a bit of shopping, but being out of the US has taken its toll and the consuming gene was in remission. When we finally arrived back at the Manila airport, we were off to Puerto Princessa, a main town on the island of Palawan. It is in this town where we would catch our 2nd live aboard dive boat, the Stella Explorer.