Diving!
Philippines is an excellent country for diving. This time I dived in Malapascua and Panglao and snorkeled in Sagay. In Malapascua you can see the Tresher Shark, a very nice specie! The body looks like a normal shark but the tail is almost half of the total length. Since the shark eats at nighttime the eyes are really big. Every morning between 05:30-08:30 the sharks go to Monad Shoal outside Malapascua. I saw one shark about 3,5 m long 8m away and ten minutes later two big Manta Ray 6m away. The best dive in my life so far! Monad Shoal is the only spot in the world where you can see the tresher shark. Sorry for you I don't have an UV-camera yet!
Malapascua is a very nice small island with white sandy beaches and only few hotels. We travelled with Philip, Arhur, Merraflor and Papa, Myra's father. A nice, clean bungalow with A/C right on the beach was only 3000Peso. To travel with a Philippine family gives an extra dimension. They make friends right away with the staff and Papa bought five kilo fish and hanged for drying on the porch.
When we went home we had to wait at Tabuelan port for 8 hours. One of the reasons for the delay was a missing captain... At the port we saw a fishing boat landing a really good catch of flying fish. They estimated the value of one nights fishing to 500 000 Peso!
Later Myra and I went to Panglao for diving and meeting friends. We stayed at Alona studios, owned by Mikael Forsberg from Sweden. Only eight rooms but very nice with a PC and Internet in the room. The cute girls in the reception asked for help to get a Swedish boyfriend, so just call them! I dived twice but nothing exceptional happened.
Well well, and well done chap !
Isn't it lovely, as Stevie Wonder sang, so see the Manta Ray. I would do just almost anything to dive with that nice, huge animal once again in my lifetime.
Of course I would love to meet thresher sharks as well. Hopefully we'll come on over soon for a visit.
Ullis & Kaj