Post by Gi on Mar 5, 2009 3:39:26 GMT 8
After being cooped up at Makati Med and missing the valentine's dive (not to mention the awesome photo op above!), I cannot wait to get my fins wet again. So when Matt called, it was a resonating "yes".
Matt, Charrie and I joined Bobot, Conder, Mila and Ampoy in Anilao. Lance, the official photographer of pinoyscuba, joined us the next day.
We dived (dived, dove... ano bang tama?) Panis Point first where we saw blue-ringed sting rays under the small caves. The weird sea pens at 103 feet has always intrigued me... gusto kong hawakan pero bad. Are they harmless?
Well, I did a bubu on the 1st dive! I was late purging my BC at the safety stop. Naturally, the laws of physics took over and I started to go up. When I tried purging, I pressed the wrong botton pa (ang cute mo talaga!
). Charrie and Matt was there to the rescue. Wala akong masabi sa dive buddy ko (Kailangan may superhero name ka na rin! Malamang mase-sermonan tayo ni Erwin nito). Alaskado ako kay Conder. Ang lakas humirit (hehehe). Lesson learned! When in shallow water, start deflating BC, get neutral bouyancy and never panic. 
The second dive was on Twin Rocks where there was a slight current. It was my 1st time to see a white nudibranch (big and fat) so I was tempted to look at it closer. The clownfish near it was a wee bit defensive. Aba, kinagat ako! (buti nga!
).
Btw, I did not notice the resident titan trigger fish who has gained notoriety for attacking divers ng walang kupas. We (Mike, Rodel, Yam and me) had our fair share of scary moments with this guy. Maybe he's already dead
? I kinda miss the old bugger. 
While Charrie and I were busy with other things (Charrie, mask clearing. Me, never mind), the jacks were right above us na pala. Matt had to swim back to point the big school right at our backs. So graceful! Haaaaay... They were swimming in spirals forming this tall wall of heads and tails. Sigh... ganda! So, we just sat there and watched the spectacle. I'm so lucky I get to do this (teary-eyed, heart swelling happy). It's simply the best show on Earth... ;D
The following day, we went to Layag-layag where we drift dived. It's the coolest thing to watch and learn the moves from the experts (Galing!). Of course, the day is not complete without the photo op. Syempre, we try to strike our best astig pose. Thanks Lance! Cool camera, btw.
We went to Sombrero Batoc next. Visibility was surprisingly, a bit murky. My favorite light blue - violet fish with a long "palong" was all over the place. What's the name of that fish?!
But Kuala's vis was perfect! Slight current at the start and relaxed diving 'til the very end. I love the christmas tree worms especially. I've never seen so many in one coral... and in different colors and pattern pa. I wanted to call Lance for a picture but the worms were so sensitive. The moment you get near, they dissapear! This was one of the longest dives I've done. We surfaced near Arthurs after 61 minutes, with air to spare pa. SARAAAP!
Marine life we / I saw on the dive sites:
1. Lance's snappers
2. a hermit crab
3. lots of nudibranchs (they're everywhere! I eat, I sleep, I dream nudis... I'm totally smitten by them.)
4. lion fishes
5. anemone shrimp
6. school of fusiliers (the real one)
7. the light blue fish with a long "palong".
8. a gliding feather star that nearly landed on my mask (I lost my poise there for awhile)
9. different colors of christmas tree worms in Kuala (another weird one)
10. the shy mustard eel with square markings
11. Jacks
Btw, Matthew showed off his kitchen genius. The food were all decimated! Kahit hindi nabuo yung gelatin na ginawa namin ni Charrie, bumenta pa rin. Sobrang busog (or is it, sobrang gutom?!)!
Big thank you to Bobot, Conder, Mila, Ampoy, Lance, Charrie and Matt. It was a weekend of good food, good movies, good dives and good company.
This is Gi, signing off. See you on the next dive!
(PS. Please feel free to add anything on this thread.)
Matt, Charrie and I joined Bobot, Conder, Mila and Ampoy in Anilao. Lance, the official photographer of pinoyscuba, joined us the next day.
We dived (dived, dove... ano bang tama?) Panis Point first where we saw blue-ringed sting rays under the small caves. The weird sea pens at 103 feet has always intrigued me... gusto kong hawakan pero bad. Are they harmless?
Well, I did a bubu on the 1st dive! I was late purging my BC at the safety stop. Naturally, the laws of physics took over and I started to go up. When I tried purging, I pressed the wrong botton pa (ang cute mo talaga!
). Charrie and Matt was there to the rescue. Wala akong masabi sa dive buddy ko (Kailangan may superhero name ka na rin! Malamang mase-sermonan tayo ni Erwin nito). Alaskado ako kay Conder. Ang lakas humirit (hehehe). Lesson learned! When in shallow water, start deflating BC, get neutral bouyancy and never panic. 
The second dive was on Twin Rocks where there was a slight current. It was my 1st time to see a white nudibranch (big and fat) so I was tempted to look at it closer. The clownfish near it was a wee bit defensive. Aba, kinagat ako! (buti nga!
). Btw, I did not notice the resident titan trigger fish who has gained notoriety for attacking divers ng walang kupas. We (Mike, Rodel, Yam and me) had our fair share of scary moments with this guy. Maybe he's already dead
? I kinda miss the old bugger. 
While Charrie and I were busy with other things (Charrie, mask clearing. Me, never mind), the jacks were right above us na pala. Matt had to swim back to point the big school right at our backs. So graceful! Haaaaay... They were swimming in spirals forming this tall wall of heads and tails. Sigh... ganda! So, we just sat there and watched the spectacle. I'm so lucky I get to do this (teary-eyed, heart swelling happy). It's simply the best show on Earth... ;D
The following day, we went to Layag-layag where we drift dived. It's the coolest thing to watch and learn the moves from the experts (Galing!). Of course, the day is not complete without the photo op. Syempre, we try to strike our best astig pose. Thanks Lance! Cool camera, btw.
We went to Sombrero Batoc next. Visibility was surprisingly, a bit murky. My favorite light blue - violet fish with a long "palong" was all over the place. What's the name of that fish?!
But Kuala's vis was perfect! Slight current at the start and relaxed diving 'til the very end. I love the christmas tree worms especially. I've never seen so many in one coral... and in different colors and pattern pa. I wanted to call Lance for a picture but the worms were so sensitive. The moment you get near, they dissapear! This was one of the longest dives I've done. We surfaced near Arthurs after 61 minutes, with air to spare pa. SARAAAP!
Marine life we / I saw on the dive sites:
1. Lance's snappers
2. a hermit crab
3. lots of nudibranchs (they're everywhere! I eat, I sleep, I dream nudis... I'm totally smitten by them.)
4. lion fishes
5. anemone shrimp
6. school of fusiliers (the real one)
7. the light blue fish with a long "palong".
8. a gliding feather star that nearly landed on my mask (I lost my poise there for awhile)
9. different colors of christmas tree worms in Kuala (another weird one)
10. the shy mustard eel with square markings
11. Jacks
Btw, Matthew showed off his kitchen genius. The food were all decimated! Kahit hindi nabuo yung gelatin na ginawa namin ni Charrie, bumenta pa rin. Sobrang busog (or is it, sobrang gutom?!)!
Big thank you to Bobot, Conder, Mila, Ampoy, Lance, Charrie and Matt. It was a weekend of good food, good movies, good dives and good company.
This is Gi, signing off. See you on the next dive!
(PS. Please feel free to add anything on this thread.)
