"Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content of a sedentary life on the surface, I will always be haunted by thoughts of being drenched elsewhere"….
Even marine life has its own way to display, in accord with holiday season. Reef systems most often gather various critters which obviously offers a colorful milieu. I was quickly passing over a large rock coral with these colorful worms, miniature tress sprouting all over. Such a wonderful sight, prompting me a smile. 🙂
My passion for the depths urge me again to make room for my last dive of the year. All the hullabaloo didn’t keep me tied, and again prod the inner mermaid in me to disappear into the depths, to another world.
As we drift off for safety stop, school of jacks appeared obscurely!
We were back again in Mantangale for CY 2015 dives kick-off, after two failed attempts in December and this January. Aiming for Mantigue Island (in Camiguin), the desire was too great to ignore – my gills were dried up after nine long weeks from my last dive.
Early morning dive at Mantigue is preferable as waters can get choppy, my favorite school of jacks also appears on mornings as they look for food. We arrived late at the diveshop, but too grateful that the captain waited for us, it was a shame as other guests were already on the boat.
Mantigue Island
Coming back after three years was with much anticipation, my encounters on this site were productive and I was hoping for its diverse life exploding with colors. We descend in a slope with wide coral area, hard and soft corals in variety decorated with tropical species – shrimp fish, giant moray eel, spade fish, emperor, wrasses, chromis, damsels, angels and those colorful anthias! And when we were about to have our safety stop, the school of jacks appeared like teasing us. It was unexpected! It was amusing, a drummer was manipulating a female jack to separate from the school. 🙂
Colorful anthias over variety of corals
We went deep for 48 minutes at 30 meters as deepest. Our surface interval include exploring the park with its mini- forest which Angel wanted, our cruise back to Talisayan and our lunch break of fish n chips!
A drummer and a jack!
Sipaka Point
Some guests call it a day and new tanks were needed for next dives, another boat came and after the transfers of equipment and passengers we prepared for the last descent. Sipaka, in the next town of Talisayan is another site with diverse marine life.
Colorful christmas tree worms! Each time I see them, I poke playfully and they quickly hide! 🙂
We sighted stonefish, frogfish (!), banded sea snake and giant groupers not to mention the colorful anthias and other tropical fishes hovering over the colorful reef. It was another relaxing viewing of the colorful depths, 54 minutes at 18 meters deepest. Both dives were at 30% EAN!
If you are a diver and you haven’t been to Mantangale, you need to reconsider your dive trip plans. In my last engagement at MADRI, there were more than ten Russians for more than a week stay – either diving, swimming or lazing around in the beach. It was amazing they chose such obscure dive resort right here in Mindanao for their vacation, there must be something in this resort which I called my diving home.
No doubt, I will be back. I will be back home again…
There wasn’t much enthusiasm towards this year’s after birthday weekend trip, originally the dates were reserved already for the much awaited Tawi-Tawi dives. Much awaited because last year’s plan was cancelled, so it was rescheduled for July 2011 and was thrilled when we got our tickets on sale last November! Well, it was called off again just with the Batanes sojourn. It brought home in the end for Mantangale dives but Angel’s mixed-up schedules daunted my MADRI homecoming…
Saturday Ramblings
We made it though, but arriving late at the resort, all the dive boats sailed off already to Mantigue Island and Medina. After more than two hours of waiting and taking our complimentary lunch at the resto, Angel and I went down to the diveshop to prepare and gear up. I guess we’re just dying to be in the waters for our dried up gills! 🙂 Just in time when Sir Dong came back from Duka Bay, we had some catch-up talk until we sailed off for our first descent at Sipaka Point.
Can you find the cleaner shrimp?
Although Sipaka is just nearby from the resort, it belonged to the next coastal town of Talisayan. The spot wasn’t new but I was sure there is something more I will find since I last explored its depths. Back-rolling for our first water entry at the Red Sand, we separated from the boat with group of OW students having their exercise at the spot. We descend on a sandy slope with Danny as our dive guide – we are now confident to go down with no DM. 🙂 We sighted variety specie of soft and hard corals, sponges, colorful crinoids, cucumbers, anemones and even crown of sea thorns. We sighted also a banded sea snake slithering from us as we took turns for photos! We moved around and searched for more critters – spotted colorful nudis, elusive cleaner shrimp and juvenile fishes. I was amused with the jerky many spotted sweetlips – we keep on following as it kept darting when we took photos. 😛 We found uniquely shaped corals – like mushrooms, like suntan flora, like thorny fruit and more. There was no encounter with pelagics but the colorful tropical fishes decorating the corals was all there in splendor creating a colorful underwater and active fish life. We ascend after 62 minutes still having 1000psi of air.
colorful nudi!
We were grateful the shop arranged for our second descent together with John (Australian), who wanted to search for mandarin fish. Leisure talk with Sir Dong – right, for next dive trips! J Good food, idyllic environs with good weather while watching Camiguin Island in the horizons, was a perfect surface interval for me. Though it was late, there was no rush as we waited sundown for our night dive.
We boarded the boat in twilight and cruised for about 15 minutes to Talisayan Shoal getting thrilled what to find, it was our first time at the shoal. I always find night dives as challenging and exciting! The plan: DM Cena will look for mandarin fish while the dive guide stay with John, we will follow them as we do our own exploration. It was almost dark when we descend at 5:52pm on a sandy area.
like mushrooms sprouting!
The dark underwater seemed another world to me, armed with our torches we started our search – search for the unknown! We spotted critters – crabs, shrimps, juvenile lion fish, clams, and more. Angel pointed out a juvenile puffer fish with those green pleading eyes! We went around getting familiar with the darkness, only to find out we were separated from the others. It didn’t bother us as we continue to roam around. Indeed, at night different species showed up. We stayed close to the seabed as we continue our search, I felt something crawling on my bodice – a crinoid stuck with me! 😛 In a while, we noticed a flickering light beyond us, following it we caught up with our companions. We ascend after 68 minutes with my air still at 1000psi, at 7pm it was all dark surrounding us. The cold night air gave me shivers as we sped off to the resort.
Gills Refreshed
Perhaps a dive in far-off waters is just ordinary for some but the sights in our two descents were not usual ones – we had more of colorful macros and colorful active marine life. I couldn’t help again to be more passionate with marine life as I view my photos, you know – that fire within. How vast and mysterious underwater world is, and how fortunate I am given the privilege to experience this grandeur.
Even with battery of cancelled trips, my after birthday weekend dives with my favorite dive buddy was more than enough for my dried-up gills and itching fins. Life can be more beautiful deep down!
Life in the Great Beyond 
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