Dive and Trek - My Under the Sea Adventure

The experience of  swimming with fishes  close to me was overwhelming. I thought I would only see these creatures only at  Ocean Park or Ocean Adventure.  The trip was unplanned.   I actually wasn't  prepared for this trip and only  had a  few  hours  to buy  rash guards for my kids. I exempted myself because I planned to just take photos and document the fun. Fate had its way to get me. I don't swim and  hardly did in our trips.  All I wanted to do is  click my camera  here and everywhere until memory  gets  no space to take.

I always want to conquer the fear that I had when I was a kid, having drowned several times that brought me to this phobia. But this  never stops me because  I love the sea. I don’t  want to regret not seeing the wonders underwater.  I  just never ride a boat without wearing a life vest.  My children know how to swim and  I know their survival instinct would kick in  because they know the basic swimming skills  and and know how to float. Next time I do this adventure again, I will make sure to spend more time at the sea,  playing with fishes,  Nemo perhaps or  whale shark that was featured and documented  in  other website.

And this is our adventure.

Our way to Dive and Trek

We passed by at Ligpo Island.  How strange  it was for me not discovering  Dive and Trek earlier  when  I would  frequent this  island many years ago and I  just lived a town away from this Marine Sanctuary.

and the views I captured from  the boat a bit after sunrise..

We reached Dive and Trek at about 7am and we were all in awe  with  the beautiful view. All the houses are facing the sea.

Just behind my daughter is a pool where would-be divers  take lesson before going down the deep.

And now,  preparing herself, getting ready to snorkel.

And we're all ready..

All geared-up  in rash guards, aqua shoes and snorkel gears..

 My two children giving each other support. Where else could  they get?     Thanks  to Joy and her husband John for the support to my kids, including me.  :)   Of course, first is always first, we really don't know what to expect underneath.

And I was the last one to reach  the raft.  I was still looking for some excuses to just stay in the shoreline, oh! not a shoreline, there is no shoreline but a   pier.  Of course, I should be strong.  My children were watching so I shouldn't just stay  there in the corner.  So there you go, I went my way  to the float.  I think I need to learn how to perfectly push  myself up  to the raft.  My body was badly sore the next morning with going up and down the floating platform.

So there, I tried. I asked Joy's husband  how deep  the water is and said,  it's only  about   12 meters  and deeper depth if you go beyond the raft.  He added that if anything happens, just don't panic because I won't get drowned,  I  have a life  vest and I will float.  But how could I be so crazy  thinking about other  negative thoughts like what if the water snakes come over me or the corals suck me in.  That was really funny!.

And swimming from the pier to the raft was  surprising!  So wow that I forgot everything in my mind.

So I thought I  would be lucky to see at least one  fish but I saw one, two, three.. and hundreds of different species.  Wonderful!

Joy and I  were mesmerized as we watched  the fishes  coming over to us.  It was really wonderful.   It was peaceful  and we just  let  ourselves  float and watched the marine life below.  We don't need to be good swimmers to snorkel  but  at least we  should  know how to kick in our feet to reach the raft.  But of course swimming skills count.

 

 

I could just imagine then how I was being pacified with the Koi fishes in my aquarium  and I would just stare with them the whole day to destress my mind.  The feeling of seeing them, touching them and swimming with them was  just  so surreal.

Clown fish aka Nemo or anemone fish hiding in magnificent sea anemone. There you are,  Nemo, I thought I would only see you at the movie.  

This is funny.  At one time, I drank at least one glass of  sea water and the water entered my nose down to my  throat as I forgot my snorkel tube and  took a deep  breath  while snorkeling. Now you know why I always get drowned.  Lol.  Now laugh at me.  Seriously,  it was not a senior moment but excitement  pushed  me to dive without  the gear.. Huh.

After snorkeling,   lunch was served to us.  Kinilaw na Isda, Inihaw na Liempo, Vegetable Salad, Fried Chicken await us at the buffet table.

You could tell how happy our tummies were after that sumptuous meal.

After a heavy lunch,   would it  be nice to take a nap at 1:00pm?  Just perfect!  And because the two didn't get to sleep that night, they easily fell asleep. And oh,  yup in synchronize sleeping position, to the left, to the right.

And finally went back to snorkeling again..and it was already low tide and the current became strong.  I suggest  that if  you're planning to snorkel, do it early  morning  when the sea is calm and in high tide line.

The  staff  prepared a light snack for us but turned heavy because it was yummy and we ate a lot of  Turon and Suman along  with a cup of hot chocolate drink. Truly Batangueño snack. I love it!

 

Photo op with Max.. My daughter had  an instant connection with Max,  like he was with him and knew him for many years.  Oh Max, you have no idea  how we felt  when we left the place.  It was hard for us to leave you.   Thank you, you just made our stay in the resort  happier and safe.

And time  to say goodbye..

And the view just before the sun finally sets at 5:30pm

Another stop over to say goodbye once again..

 

 and another  stopover  for  photo op..

 

Taking the remaining minutes at the resort  to capture the beautiful sunset.

We all went home in happy faces, full of beautiful memories to keep. Even Bogart and Max waved us goodbye and it was really a very emotional moment as Max swam himself  into the water and wanted to go  with us.  I could almost hear  him  shouting, "please come back, we will miss you guys".  And we all waved our hands and  said, "Bye Max, Bye.."   Please follow the story in  my upcoming post.. 



And there we were,  boarded on a boat  that will transfer us to San Luis, Batangas where we chose to  park. Dive and Trek  has  two parking  options,  Anilao and  San Luis Batangas.

Magnificent view of sunset at Dive and Trek

Ok. Fine. And I was the only one with the vest. I just save myself from distress. :)

I swear I will be going back here.  We'll do snorkeling seriously next time in deeper depth,  touch the sea floor,

do  Kayaking  perhaps or

Scuba Diving. Whew!

or  help  clam seeding like that of   Miss Earth. :)

 I took this photo on our way back home while at the boat. Truly an amazing sight to enjoy.

 

All underwater shots  are from Joy's  husband, John,   and some photos I used in this post  are  from Joy.  Thank you so much.  Truly amazing!     I bet  if  have an underwater camera, I would have a thousand photos more  to upload.  Maybe I should take diving and snorkeling seriously next time because I wouldn't  be able to do so without these skills.  

You may view more photos here.  Watch the video with audio on so you'll enjoy more with the music  from Colbie Caillat's,  Brighter than the Sun.


Dive and  Trek offers an amazing experience you would truly remember  for the rest of your life.
Please check the website I provided below for more  information and other features and stories.

So how would I rate the experience?   I would give not just perfect 10 but  over 10  perhaps.  It exceeded my expectation. The resort is in excellent condition and the facilities are well maintained. The staff are all friendly.    What else could I ask for?  Laughter is  unlimited.  Thank you so much Mendiolables.  It's  more fun   in  Dive  and Trek.


Dive and Trek Resort and Marine Sanctuary
Website: diveandtrek.com
San Pablo, Bauan Batangas, Philippines
email: Sales & Information:  sales@diveandtrek.com