I’ve spent last week battling against
deadly deadlines of grades and all that jazz, straining myself the energy I
should have reserved for whatever laag I could encounter during the sem break.
And when I finally cleared myself from the moral obligation of being a teacher,
I put on my old “laagan” self and decided to treat myself on the weekend. And what
better way to celebrate the end of my two-month-suppressed social life than
committing into an outdoor activity I should have had some two years ago: SCUBA
DIVING! Alright!
My former office mates arranged a scuba
diving activity some two weeks ago but I wasn’t able to come along because I
got terribly busy. Good thing Michelle, a good friend and self-proclaimed water addict, hadn’t got enough of their first scuba diving try that she organized
another one last weekend. And that, friends and countrymen, led to my first
underwater encounter with Samal’s very own set of rich marine life!
There were 6 six of us who decided to scuba dive; 4 of us were “intro divers” (that’s what you call first-timers, by the
way, and that included me) and 2 non first-timers. We met at the Carabao Dive Center near Sta.
Ana Wharf at around 7:30 am, where the rest of the peepz from different groups
who were scheduled to join the island hopping/scuba diving activity gathered.
The Carabao Dive Center Diver’s Choice has
earned a reputation for being one of Davao’s best dive centers to go to should
you want to try scuba diving and island hopping. Owned by Richard “Dick”
Hurlbut, the Carabao Dive Center has been around since 2006 and prides to have
all certified divers as their dive guides.
As we began the island hopping, a
diving guide oriented us with the do’s and dont’s of diving and explained to us
the different hand gestures that you are going to use to communicate while you
are underwater.
The first diving spot was the Coral Garden
located at Talikud Island, Samal. While waiting for our turn to go underwater,
I and my friends did some snorkeling and swimming (thanks to snorkeling gears
and life vests, non swimmers like me enjoyed the sun and the sea!). After quite
some time, it was finally our turn to go diving! I was both excited and
paralyzed at the sight of tanks and at the idea of going deep under. But my
diving guide was cool and friendly; he was teaching me breathing exercises
before we went down! Haha!
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| Breathing exercises first before we officially went down under :) |
And off we went. You wouldn't notice that
you’re going deeper each time because you find yourself fascinated by the
beauty of Samal’s rich marine life. From coral reefs of different forms and
textures to fishes of various colors and sizes – you
find them all here co-existing in such peace and quiet. You are nothing but a
visitor in this underwater paradise.
 |
| Dodong found Nemo! |
 |
I don't recognize myself with the face mask on :)) It's a pity those
small fish were so far from the camera. |
 |
| AND MORE!!!!! |
For every school of fish that came in view
and every coral I came to touch, I can’t help but be amazed at how God has been
so generous in putting these amazing creatures at Davao’s waters.
The dive lasted up to 30 minutes, but 30
minutes seemed too short when you’re already down there. But it’s all worth it;
you’ll also have some photo ops underwater, which I strongly believe are for
bragging purposes. LOL!
The package costs P850 per head if you’ll
go diving plus island hopping, and P350 only for island hopping. We had our
stopover at Babusanta resort then headed to another diving spot, at Angel’s
Cove, where the second batch of divers had their dip. Of course, being
the water maniacs that we are, we had some snorkeling again at the site, where
a great view of corals and fishes never failed us.
At around 3-4 pm, we sailed back to Carabao
Dive Center, where we retrieved the photos (for free!!!!) that were taken of us
while diving! Cool, isn’t it? They also offer different packages for island
hopping, with boat rates ranging from P6,500 – P12,500, depending on the number
of sites that you choose to go to.
And that was my first ever diving
experience! My skin went a little red from sun exposure and my abs (absss?????!!!!)
ached a bit, but all these physical toll were nothing compared to the bliss and
experience you acquired afterwards. Scuba diving was indeed a great way to pay
myself some personal long overdue debt. J
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| With Carabao Dive Center's owner, Dick Hurlbut |
If you want to experience Samal’s underwater
wealth for yourself, go visit the friendly guys of Carabao Dive Center at Doors
1 & 2 F. Hermanos Bldg., Sta. Ana Wharf, Monteverde St., Davao City and
book a reservation!
Or you can contact the following numbers
and look for John Neri, the center’s Manager and SDI Dive Instructor:
(+6382) 222.0121
(+6382) 300.1092
09285047642 or 09228610874
Till my next post!
Labels: carabao dive center davao, coral garden talikud scuba dive, Places, scuba diving, scuba diving at davao, scuba diving at samal
