The cool NEW Dive Boat “Tashina”from the
Dugong Dive Center in Palawan.

Tags: DIVE SAFARI, DIVE BOAT, APO REEF, DUGONG WATCHING

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Well, our last stop has us at one of the Alliance partners, Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center. Again we’d like to thank them both for a wonderful time. We stopped here for the rare opportunity to swim with, what else, Dugongs. While we did see one, it decided to play shy and swam away rather than being usually curious allowing guests of the resort to swim with them in their natural environment. The other major attraction here is Apo Reef, and we had one of the best days at Apo you can imagine. At first, we were concerned about the 3.5 hour banca ride in open ocean to the reef, but we had smooth as glass conditions the entire way out and back. And when I mean smooth as glass, there wasn’t so much as a ripple on the water. Dolphins jumped for us several times on our way out and upon reaching the reef, we were greeted by over 100 foot visibility and great conditions for snorkeling. Although we had a brisk current, it was just enough to allow us to see everything without the need for swimming. We just drifted over the hundreds of reef fish, including Pyramid butterflys and White-tail surgeon fish as they congregated in massive schools in the currents to feed. After a nice walk up in the lighthouse for a birds-eye view of the reef, we snorkeled the nearly current-less north reef and were treated to nice coral and plenty of reef fish. Turtles and sharks were spotted throughout the day. We returned, tired but excited at our day’s events.

Photo: © Lee Goldman - Strapweed Filefish

Overall, our first snorkeling and kayaking expedition to the Philippines was a huge success. Many might be wondering why I am so excited about snorkeling in the Philippines and perhaps even why this is being mentioned on a website that caters to divers. The obvious is that many divers are avid snorkelers, but more importantly, this trip is designed to expose divers to areas of the Philippines, especially El Nido, that they wouldn’t normally see. The whale shark portion, quite frankly, would appeal to any admirer of ocean critters as it is one of the best big animal encounters in the world. Thus, getting divers excited about this would not be hard. The main part of the trip is in El Nido, and since it is not known for it’s diving, it may be overlooked by many divers coming to the Philippines. I assure you though; it is one of the best the Philippines have to offer.

Photo: © Lee Goldman - yellowtail Coris (Coris gaimard),
juvenile phase belongs to the Wrasse family

Not only is it recognized as one of the most beautiful tropical destinations in the world (and this is Lonely Planet and Conde Nast Traveller saying this), but as a marine biologist who spent many years guiding in the Indo-Pacific, I can tell you that the snorkeling here is world class. One doesn’t need dive gear when everything is in less than 3 meters of water. There is incredible diversity and abundance of coral and plenty of rare fish in El Nido. In addition, there are juvenile fish that divers may only see as adults in the outer reef environment.
My point? If you are planning to visit the Philippines, it is more than worth your time to visit El Nido and camp, kayak, and snorkel among some of the most breathtaking scenery. Even the seasoned diver and naturalist will be amazed at the opportunities to see unique terrestrial and marine organisms.

Tags: Fish species, The DIVERS CHOICE, APO REEF, PALAWAN