Saturday, April 30, 2016

Diving in Malapascua Island


Diving in Malapascua

It was another first experience traveling on a ferry for 24 hours, overnight trip.  It was relatively calm night sea and a nice travel.  Although there are few hassles dealt before and after getting in to the terminals.  Add to that the taxi-drivers practice of “naming their price” fare.  They have their own rules of setting the price,  own choice of not using the taxi meter.  The eradication of this taxi system will boost trust and respect from not just local commuters but also from our tourists as well. 

Back to journey.
From taxi from the ferry to the bus terminal,  and from there we took the bus that goes to “Maya”.  It was about 4 to 5 hours trip, can be 6 hours depending on the traffic and stops.  I got headache, I didn’t tell that I have travel sickness specially if it is on the slow moving bus, the motion is like stop, break and go which made me sick.
After reaching Maya terminal, we transferred boat to Malapascua Island.  They fill up the boat so have to wait for other passengers.  The trip was like less than an hour.

Purple Snapper's Balcony
Stayed for a month in Purple Snapper, so basic just fan, shower, bed, bath, bamboo made shelves, table and walls.  No television, not needed though.  It’s a basic place to sleep at night, shower and dive during the day.

Ron, was the one who pushed me to learn to dive.  I felt pushed because I feel content being on the boat watching divers to  jump off the boat and be gone for a while with trace of bubbles J.  He believed that I am a good swimmer, psssh I made him believed that nyahahaha and said I can dive J.  Honestly, I am scared to go and jump in what it seemed to me in the middle of no where.  I don’t understand why he got so addicted in diving.  Diving for him is like a yoga, the breathing technique made him so calm. 
He gets so excited when he sees something new, and something new is always great.  He is proactive and more relaxed when he is diving. 

Anyway, so I took an Open Water Diver with Mette Halloum as my instructor at Evolution Diving Resort.  We have lecture and exams in the morning and practical in confined water, near the shore. 
Evolution Diving Resort

Evolution Diving Resort
Evolution Diving Resort

Review board
I felt sick on our first boat dive for confined water skills, could be motion sea sick.   I was able to performed the practical training but again feel sick when I started to feel cold, went back to the boat and now it’s the combination of sea sick and cold… I was trembling on our way back, I was dizzy, felt weak and wanting to vomit, felt so weak even to remove the wet suit.  Probably because everything, as in everything was new to me.  It was my first time to don a wet suit, which is tight and felt compressed,  first time to inhale that air from a cylinder… my mind and body was new to that. next dives… I took a motion sickness pill 30 mins to one hour before expected boat trip and dive.  Then following days went well.
Ristorante Angelina
I was having trouble with my buoyancy and so Ron had me take the Peak Performance Buoyancy and because he wants me to see sharks he had me take Deep Dive lesson.  I had 6 dives with Mette and 5 dives with Ron in Malapascua.


Kalanggaman Island
Palompon Leyte



Sandbar of Kalanggaman




Gato Island Diving






By the time we left Malapascua I made 11 dives J.
I can now see the underwater world.