So it’s another early start and we are anchored in Poblacion Bay in Malapascua Island by 8.30am. This is a small island that is situated at the top of Cebu, a popular tourist island in the Philippines. It wants to develop itself as another Boracay, but has a way to go!! For us, underdeveloped is good. The island has a population of 3500 and the town has no roads, only tracks. It was like a maze walking from one place to another. It was as if you were walking through their properties. Shops were like entering their houses. Amber wanted a phone top up card – “sorry none left on the island”.
We haven’t seen a cruising yacht in weeks but who should arrive in the afternoon, but Tigger, who we last saw in El Nido five weeks ago. The next few evenings are pleasantly spent exchanging stories of experiences we’ve had. The days, however, are spent swimming, snorkeling and diving the surrounding area. Usual story, watch where the charter boats are going, then follow along. In one snorkeling area we’ve been told that there are seahorses. Peter and Toni show us the meaning of patience as they spend hours fossicking likely habitats of the seahorse. We ask some staff on a tour boat and we move up to a different place. Not our lucky day.
Daryl and Amber have two 4.30am departures from the boat in pursuit of the thresher sharks and manta rays. Alas, without the success they hoped. They saw one thresher shark and they did see a glimpse of a six metre plus manta ray as they were ascending their final dive, which was pretty exciting. I don’t think Daryl is going to have the patience for too much of the ’descend, then sit and wait’ style of diving.
Daryl took himself out of his comfort zone and did an evening/night dive to see the mandarin fish. We saw these fish in Banda, Indonesia and they are relatively rare. Sorry, but no good photos.
Amber decided to do three dives out at Gato Island and we were most jealous, as she saw a seahorse. She came back buzzing about the day.
snake
juvenile barramundi
Crab on the night dive.............................................Strange creature probably related to nudibranch
Wreck in the bay
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