Dive-Monster Rhoody

Just when really stuffed with work and frustration I got a call from Kiwi Dive Resort in Larena Siquijor. They have guests arriving this evening and need an Instructor to introduce them to the underwater world. Hey, nothing can be better than jumping in the water and show some people the beauties of the sea.

The Discover Scuba programm is a PADI program for people who never tried diving before or just have no time for a Open Water course or want to make a course but are not that sure about it.  It can be done in about 3 hours and includes a bit theory, snd some very simple skills. It is held in confined water, what can be a swimmingpool or in that case a shallow protected bay with water shallow enough to stand up.

The DSD can also include a Open Water dive after the few skills are done. During this dive the instructor is basically responsible to control everything. The participant will just breath and watch fishes.

90% of my discover Scuba programms are ending up to become an Open Water course. This has nothing to do that I am so good. It is simply the wonderful aquatic life here in the Philippines.

This Programm costs about 50 US$. This can be credited towards the Open Water Course.

I will let you know if my 4 participants of the Discover Scuba Diving Programm going into the full course

… off to Siquijor

Rhoody

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Just a few words to article before.

It is not ment to be negative and the Ducom corporation is very much into the rescue of that unique divesite in Dumaguete. That’s the reason why they contact all operators to involve them and find solutions.

The dive-community and Ducomi are working together. Knowing that this is a private owned company I think it is really very adoreable.

cheers

Rhoody

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I received a letter from a Dumaguete company  about one a Topic what is sad for the World of Diving as that company probably need to destroy one of the worlds best Macro-Divespots.

The Dumaguete Coconut Mills Inc. will renovate “The Pier” or “Ducomi” as it is known in the diving world.

Right while typing that article, local experts and dive-operators meet, to talk about any solution for saving or relocating at least parts of this wonderful dive-site.  

Here is the letter as send out by the corporation.

Gentlemen:

                Just recently, the Board of Directors of DUCOM approved the budget for the repair of the steel piles and concrete slabs and beams of our pier. This project was supposed to be scheduled early this year but we held it in abeyance the approval of the owners.

                We deeply regret to say that this project necessitates the scraping of the nudibranches and other living things which consider the pillars as their home but we have to undertake such costly move in order to avoid further damage to our installation. If we don’t do this now, we would be incurring much greater cost in the future, which we can’t afford.

                The project is scheduled to start this coming month and the contractor will be mobilizing this weekend. As we have no idea yet on the details of their repair methology, we remain hanging on our decision whether or not to continue allowing diving on the early stages while creatures still exist for the nature lovers to see.

                What a waste, but we have no choice. We hope to preserve, conserve, retrieve or replace those marine beauties for them to still be visible after the repair works. Frankly we need them as a living proof that our industrial effluent is not polluted. It took years for them to build up on the pillars; we don’t want to loose them in a wink of an eye.

                If you have any suggestions or comment about their conservation, please feel free to communicate with us. We need environmentalists like you.

                                                                                                                Sincerely yours,               

                                                                                                                Romunaldo S. Domingo

                                                                                                                Plant Manager

I hope we find a solution to safe at least a little bit about this unique underwater paradise.

cheers

Rhoody

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After 2 days of eating and drinking it was time to get also wet from the Outside. Tom was not in the water since a year and Mike did not see that much during his Open Water Course dives due to 1 meter visibility. We decided to meet at 1:00 pm at Mikes diveshop and drive to Dauin for a “refresher”. It was also a great opportunity to conduct a Discover SCUBA program for BigC and Lyka who never tried that before. No need to say that Mike took care of they Boys while I had the hard job to explain the girls why a wet-suit is really not needed and they will look great just in a two-piece.

All my professional arguments did not convince them and after some general talk about what will happen we entered the water. I was surprised how easy it went and after 5 minutes with some easy skills we were diving into the Dauin Sanctuary and were looking for Nemos. After the dive we all decided to go together to Apo Island the next day and take it easy this evening.

Easier said than done… after a nice dinner (again at Casablanca) Kim and Tom went back to the Hotel and I decided to have a quick look at Coyotes Bar where my favourite local band “Ground Zero” had a gig. I should have known in advanced that the “take it easy” plan would never work out. As soon as I paid my bill around 10:30pm “bearfoot-John” came in and we needed to discuss some “important” things, like beer-temperature, shoe-policy in why not and crappy Pizza at Mama Marias. I refused looking at my watch again, knowing anyway that it’s too late when finally heading back home.

My alarm woke me up a few hours later on Sunday morning at 6:00 and I got ready to pack all our dive-gear. The water was a bit rough when we reached Mikes property in Dauin and the two girls decided to stay at home and go shopping. Our company was completed by Will and Maureen, Kevin a Korean DM-candidate, a japanese guy and July a girl from the US.

Apo Island was like always a great day-trip with clear water great corals and some turtles and sea-snakes. We split into 2 groups and did 2 wonderful dives at Chapel Point and Katipanan. Inbetween we headded to the Island and had a bite to eat on the boat. All in all a great day. The ride back was a bit rough and I think it’s ok if they guys log the ride as another dive…

Sunday evening was the last dinner before the boys fly home to AC and guess where… correct at the “Fat Austrian“ . The food there is just delicious, nevertheless I will not understand why Kuya Kim managed to have 4 times Cordon Bleu in 4 days and never tried anything else…

Mike and Joan joined us for dinner while the other Mike (my Typhoon diver) went with the girls to Hayahay as they couldn’t find anything tasty on the Casablanca menu.

I was pretty much worn out and definitely needed some sleep. Kim adviced me that the first 17 beers might be a bit hard to go down but the next 10 will do it easy…  No not that night !!! I went home around 10:00 pm and was sleeping deep around 10:01 dreaming of turtles, snakes,SMB and mermaids.

Thanks guys for coming down to Dumaguete, I really appreciate the time and don’t cry a tear about the lost braincells during our nights out.

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Thalatta Garden and cottages

The large Pool-Area is the center of Thalatta. Well designed with a shallow entry part and a deep end, ideal for Scuba-Diving courses. The Beachresort has some separate small pools for Kids and a Open Air-Jacuzzi. The whole area is surrounded with tropical plants in all colors and shapes. The chef of the Restaurant is a french guy who really knows how to serve you local and international delights.

The diveshop in Thalatta is managed by “Raffi” and Easy-Diving from Sipalay. All equipment is brand new and the staff very professional. Easy Diving offers Scuba courses from Beginner up to professional level. Daytrips to the nearby Apo Island are scheduled a few times weekly. At present a big Bangka is under construction to give the guests the chance for some dive-safaris through-out the Visayas and northern Mindanao. 

There is a consumable entrance fee of some hundred peso if you don’t stay in the Resort and big groups might be rejected, so better call or mail the management before you go there.

cheers

Rhoody

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After plenty of off-topics I need to get back to diving. Last Thursday I met Egon the owner of Dumaguete Springs Resort at Casablanca, our both favourite Restaurants. He ask me if I have time to teach a Rescue course at his Resort. After some calls and changes in my planned schedule I decided to teach the course.

My Student Liz was arriving from Bacolodand we introduced each other. She came with her parents and we run through the rough schedule. It is a requirement to have an EFR course (Emergency First Response aka Medic first aid). While my colleagues headed towards Apo Island I was left alone with two mermaids to teach the Rescue and EFR. the only guy helping us was “Manni” the Manequin… but as you can see on the pictures he has some important body-parts missing that I was totally left alone with the two.

In my next post I will write something about the Rescue and EFR Course, and why I think Each diver should be at least a rescue diver.

cheers

Rhoody

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Like mentioned earlier, there was a Typhoon warning and that tail of it hit Dumaguete City with full force. When we reached the divesite big waves were rolling in and the visibility was less than one meter in shallow water. A strong surge was present and pushed us with each wave some meters to the left and pulled us back with the outgoing water. We rushed to get below 5 meter where the visibility was acceptable and no strong surge anymore. We rushed through the skills and headed down to 18 meter, the maximum of Open Water dive 3. With the “little” work out on our way out we reached quickly half tank and made our way back. Due to the decreasing visibility and increasing surge we surfaced quite a distance from the shore and the waves helped us to push us in.

During our surface interval the wind increased dramatically and out changing area was totally under water. This place is usually such a peaceful spot where locals meet to have a great BBQ and to chill out on a lovely beach. Not today…. The place was flooded and the ocean showed his force. I wanted to skip the dive but Mike told me he wanna finish even with a short 20 minute dive. So we geared up and try to enter the water. This was very clear against Neptun or Poseidons plan. A huge wave grabbed us and spitted us out back on the beach, or what was left of it.

Mike didn’t wanna give up and after 10 minutes of catching breath we gave it another try. I was counting the waves, height and strength the whole time and figured out a rhythm when it’s the best going through them. We helped each other through the breaking waves and swam out as far as necessary to descend into a brown soup. I could not see the end of my own arm and we were holding each other until we hit the ground. Again, we rushed to go deeper but even on 12 meters the visibility was below one meter. Deeper at 16 meters we had about 3 meters, enough to let each other go. The surge was still there and even the Clownfish were all over the place, but not in the Anemone, where they usually belong. The underwater navigation was even for a UPS Pilot a drama but finally done. We decided quickly to return and get back to shore. Somehow we managed to get out of the water… not without the help of some locals, thanks for that. We quickly disassembled and rinsed before we were heading back to Dumaguete for a hot shower and a cold beer. If somebody can dive in this condition he can dive everywhere. Great Job Mike !!!!

Typhoon Frank hit the Philippines badly and left huge damage and plenty of victims behind. We were lucky ones this time to “catch” only the tail of it. Everybody says that the Central Visayas and the area around Dumaguete is safe and very protected, but who does really know ???  If the nature wants you it will get you.

all the best

Rhoody

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