Category: Musings

My Jack in School

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School of Jacks

Diving for almost five years now, there has been lot of meeting up  with friends underwater – few astonishing, some endearing,  others surprising or mystifying but most of them so wonderful. The thrill of seeing these wondrous creatures has always been overwhelming, putting them in words is not enough, surely won’t give justice to describe how marvelous it’s always been.  Marine world completely blow me away, simply I fell in love with the underwater realm.

One of the species that I found magical and awe-inspiring is jack, a silvery fish belonging to the family of Barracudas, Tunas & Mackerels, Chubs, or Mullets.  Locally known as Talakitok or Trakito, the larger version is better known as Trevally.  As food fish, it’s superb and admittedly it’s one of my favorite. But I’m more interested of Jack out there in the wild, not on my dinner table. I better knew him in the deep, swimming coyly and gazing at me, at an arm’s length in his world.

Unity and harmony....

There are three remarkable spots so far where I had magical encounter with jacks – a large number of them or aptly described as in school.  Apo Islandwith its great marine life and healthy ecosystem, was teeming with bigeye jacks in school.

Glassy eyes stare!

For sure, the local community’s effort in preserving and protecting the surrounding waters was not futile.  Lining up and swimming in unison in the blue before me – what a sight!

To survive in one-mindedness...

Right in our very own Mantigue Island in Camiguin, when I first dove at the sanctuary I never expected an encounter with jacks, no one mentioned it to me.  Awed, when silvery jacks appeared before me, again in unison swimming coyly, as if listening to the vibration of my own movements.

Jacks in Tubbataha Reefs

There is some kind of magic that this humble Trakito can bring!     Lastly, in the great Tubbataha Reefs, large school of jacks decorated a sandy slope after I got mesmerized with a whaleshark & reef sharks parade.  They simply appeared like a wall, those huge glassy eyes staring at you.  Even with current, they hung in mid-water with flawless grace.  Their unity in going to one direction, or how easily they shift in opposite direction in accord is mind-boggling, as if someone is in command.  The school moves with quiet order and control.

Such majesty in oneness...

There is a majesty and power in the movement of a unified mass, a kind of beauty and harmony that can only come from moving and thinking as one.  It is still a mystery to me, indeed how vast the marine life to unravel.  My jacks in school is just one of its wonders!

NB.  Photos courtesy of Angel, using Olympus Tough 8000 and PT 045 as casing

Bookshelf Addition: Marine World Guides

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Reef fish guides, still need more....

Being an avid reader I love books and I must admit it’s one of my weakness, needless to say my bookshelf is filled with an assortment of paperbacks or hard bounds I took fancy either for references or pleasure reading.  Recently however, I made addition to my collections which I think is inevitable as I got deeper in my love for the marine life.  I need to learn and know more for this grand quest of life beyond the depths.

I have gotten myself reef fish guides which I think not enough yet, considering million of sea fish species.  Now I am thinking about critters guide or even corals and other invertebrates.  Of course, it also includes dive guides – only two as of now and both were gift from my favorite dive buddy.  You can imagine, how voraciously I read the guides thinking about plans for the sites.  As of now, we focused ourselves in Philippine waters, there is still lot of sites to explore and discover.  Later, we can go beyond the borders, at the right time.

After finishing Air Enriched Diver lessons, I got now three diving manuals which are expected to be added when taking other specialty lessons.  There will be more books to have, I was dying for the world diving atlas – a big blue book written by Jack Jackson – so beautiful. I cringed though when I peek at the price!

Now, every time I went to the bookstore I searched first for dive guides or marine reference books, a slight change in choosing something to read and a modest addition for my bookshelf.

Cacophony: Shark Fin Soup

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Shark fin soup - bitter for my taste...
Shark fin soup – bitter for my taste…

I never thought that this sensational menu would caught me flat-face yesterday, I had a sour smile while sitting in a Chinese diner here in CdeO while trying to look something to fill my hunger.  I have been supporting advocacy on no shark finning and signed petitions from groups and have been reading so much articles on marine protection and preservation. It was like a bomb reading shark fin in the menu right in front of  me! It’s been months since I last visited this place but I never notice before  fried shark fin and fin soup. I felt like throwing up!

Dead sharks gathered at a beach in Ecuador!

It pained me knowing that a number of shark died each year for such exotic and expensive dish.  Statistics show that 126 species of shark out of 140 are threatened with extinction.  All told, up to 70 million sharks are culled annually for the trade, despite the fact that 30% of shark species are currently endangered. Last month, California has signed into law the ban for shark finning, a victory over this anomalous slaughter of marine life.  Other countries are still fighting for this advocacy though.  But still the global shark population is suffering from this industry.  I hope, firmly hope that this trade will also be banned in the Philippines soon.

I wondered where they got their supply of shark meat, hopefully not in nearby waters in Mindanao.  Anyhow, I just decided never to patronize this diner anymore.

NB. Photos courtesy from Time magazine, online edition.

New Lessons, More Adventures

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EANX finally!

For more than two years, I waited to embark into another level in my diving career.  No, I wasn’t in a rush but getting another certification to enhance skills and techniques would mean more adventures in one of my greatest love – diving!  Unlike my first two basic courses which I did alone, my EANx specialty course was with my favorite dive buddy.  Doing my first rigors in diving alone was challenging and was not easy so to speak,  but I learned so much from my efficient and ever patient mentor.  Now, after more than four years of diving and getting very much comfortable in the waters, it was all so easy. We are now better prepared for new lessons.  It felt like Angel and I were just having some fun dives in all too familiar waters in Mantangale!

After a clean up dive in Medina, our instructor was already waiting for us in MADRI when we got there after lunch.  Most important basics is still safety underwater, so much care is necessary when using enriched air.  The advantage here is increase of no stop dive time – you can stay longer at a certain depth underwater!  That means doing more while enjoying the sceneries down – photography could be more easier.

The brief literature plus the video didn’t eat much of our time, working on the written exam wasn’t much of a hassle.  Actually, we were rushing for the fun dives we had at Banaug Shoal and Lapinig Island!  One dive at the clean up was somewhat bitin, so having two more dives perfectly made our weekend getaway.  It’s like shooting two birds with one stone – dive cleanup and the lessons, plus fun dives!  🙂

Another milestone – we are now enriched air certified.  We are now on for more adventures in the depths!

Marine Debris, Anyone?

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It’s my third year in a row to participate in International Coastal Clean Up Day.  And I  was wishing I have done it sooner when I become a diver almost five years ago.  The issue of coastal protection and preservation has been a major advocacy for all aqua people, if not for individuals who have great concern for our planet.  Trash threat for our waters is a serious concern, it has caused so much harm in the marine world.  It pained me to see garbage deep down or watching documentaries about human destruction on aquatic environment.  Such shame!

Without hesitation I committed for the dive clean up together with my dive mentor’s group, of course it won’t be complete without Angel.  We crammed up our weekend for the clean up all the way to the town of Medina plus our specialty lessons in Balingoan.  Angel have to be in Cagayan de Oro on a Friday afternoon to catch the early trip to this coastal town.

On a Saturday morning, it was all still but when we got at the Medina pier, things were all ready for the activity.  How comforting that the people were all in peace, when two weeks back the town has just been besieged by NPA attack!  But on that morning, there were no traces of any bloody encounter. The preliminaries was graced by the local officials including the Mayor, who was so enthusiastic and grateful for the clean-up activity.

gathering trash !

Angel and I went to  descend right near the pier, on a sandy slope carefully not to disturb the silts.  Watching the concrete pillars with the sun rays in between made me remember Ducomi Pier. It’s like a forest scene, like big tree trunks with the sun rays penetrating in between – such a sight to behold!  The school of glistening daschylus wiggling in unison in between the pillars was a wonderful sight.  I was almost lost I forgot I was there to work, I joined Angel who was already starting to fill up his net bag with trash. I have to stay near him, as my dive computer was not working good!

debris under water...

We gathered bottles, fishing lines, hooks, plastics, sachets, wrappers, clothes, caps, tansans and more. We passed by some tires which we ignored, it was too heavy for us to bring!  Our work was punctuated with seeing colorful nudis, puffers, mantis shimp, clown fish, scorpion fish and more.  We filled at least three bagfuls of trash cruising to the rope hoisting to collect it all up.  We still went for another round when we were summoned to surface, noticing there were no more other divers in sight!

just few what was collected from the pier

An hour underwater with no less than thirty divers gathering trash did can make a difference not only for the marine life which thrived even with such nuisance debris, but also for the community.  I know the litters we picked up were just a speck of a big mountain of garbage in our seas, but I believe in many ways together with other enthusiasts in many parts of the country and the whole world, it was a great job.  There is always hope if we all join hands in working to protect our marine environment.  There is much work to do for our second home – the sea!

NB.  Photos courtesy of DiveSpecial Diving Central.

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