My next stop is Dauin, Philippines, from Tagbilaran, Bohol. The Ferry takes me to the larger City of Dumaguete.
I had lots of help getting to the Ocean Jet Ferry to take me from Bohol to Dumaguete. Nadia and the girls made sure i got my ticket and got on the Ferry. Procedures for this have changed since i was here last, so VERY grateful for that help. Another 'senior moment' ... we arrived at the Ticket Office for the Ferry. There was a long line waiting for tickets .... the Attendent looked at me and pointed to the right .... There was one other person waiting in that line ..... the line for 'Seniors' .... hey ... i'll take it !!!!!!!!
It was only about a 2hr trip, on a large comfortable boat ... except for the child screaming next to me. Thankful for earplugs and an audio book ! When i got off the Ferry, I got a Tuk Tuk ...(a motorbike with a seat for me and baggage attached) to take me to the 'bus' station, where i got a MultiCab ...(a large cargo van that has been gutted and bench seats installed) to take me about 40min to Dauin. They pack as many people and their bags in there as possible. Open air, hot, sweaty, and close quarters. It's the Philippine way of travel.
Part way there, the girl in the large hat, looked at me and asked if i was 'Donna'. She had been on her phone and sent a photo of me to her friend, who worked at Aivy Maes Dive Resort, ... the place where i was staying. I kind of stand out in a crowded bus i guess :) The nice MultiCab driver stopped for people to get off on the street, here and there. After the bus was empty .. i was still sitting there. He said he would take me to Aivy Maes directly. So nice ... and i gave him a nice tip, which he was very reluctant to take. The people here are really very very nice and caring. They are very respectful of their 'elders' ... maybe that's why i got special treatment...again. I'm liking this getting-old thing !
It was great to see Kim, the Manager of Aivy Maes again, for the 3rd time. She had my favorite Bungalow all ready for me. I really do like it here. I have my own bungalow, but not my own bathroom/shower. Normally I wouldn’t chose that; but the bathroom/shower is always very clean and i’ve never had to wait in a line. I don’t mind it at all. Oh, I forgot to say that we have HOT water !!!!!! It's very well maintained and the Staff are very nice and helpful.
My view to the Sea
My friend, Paco, that i met in Utila, Honduras, in 2012, was also here to join in on the diving fun.
The Dive Guides (eyes) that i trusted my dives to last year are no longer here, except for Rubin. I knew this, but it was kind of sad that they are not here. I plan to dive with Gien before i leave, he is working down the beach at another resort. I told Kim how much i enjoyed them because of their culture, they are very respectful of their elders, and they took such good care of me ... carrying some of my equipment and making sure i didn't stumble getting into the water. Rubin was not available either, but she assigned me to Romel. He is also a local, and he is taking great care of me too.
Our first 2 dives were right out front... just 'carefully' walk into the water :) What did we see ?
Several Nudibranchs .... Indica Caloria, a bright and colorful one
Goniobranchus is a bit easier to see since it is 'fatter' :) One of the Dive Guides here told me this is one of her favorites, it looks like a pancake with syrup dripping down it. I'll always think of that now :)
Romel found these Ornate Ghost PipeFishes ... one of my favorites. There were TWO of them ....They live vertical ... usually around/among grasses. I'll post them this way, so you don't have to turn your computer side-ways ... i'm considerate like that :)
But you see them like this ... when mixed in their environment, are difficult to spot
This Moray Eel, maybe a YellowMargin Moray Eel ? He was large
and i looked inside his 'home' ... and this is his tail-end ... yellowish margin .... so, i'm calling it :)
This is a Hairy Squat Lobster .... tucked way down in some coral. I was surprised i got a photo because he was on the move.
This is a White Eye Moral Eel ... a much smaller Eel ... and more shy
I can never resist taking a photo of a pretty Sea Star
and i entertain myself with reef fishes, while Romel is 'working' to find something else for me to see :(
This is a Thecacera or Pikachu ... which is a Pokeman 'thing' that i don't understand. Never easy to photograph. They are a Nudibranch, but such a strange shape; and you can see their organs ?
The next day they loaded up a 'jeep' and we drove to The Pier. A memorable place for me from the last time I was here. Always lots of great things to see at The Pier. However, it was a very windy and rough sea day. It is a very difficult 'entry'. Romel carried the equipment way down the beach, so i didn't have to carry it. Then he helped me wade into the waves, ... with lots of large rocks to try to navigate over. This was not easy. Then, i needed to put my fins on, while being belted by the big waves, then my mask, and rest of the equipment; all the while trying not to lose my camera, dangling from my wrist. It was not easy. Then we floated on our backs, riding the waves, ... and paddled backwards towards The Pier. Finally we were deep and far enough to decend, where it was MUCH calmer ... and swam our way the rest of the way to The Pier. It definitely was exhausting. Even this video does not do it justice.
But .. DEFINITELY worth the work. There were so many Nudibranchs under that Pier. You may have to take a break to see them all. Two different Nembrothas .... a Crested Nembrotha ... which i call the Broccoli Nudi
and the more colorful Dusty Nembrotha .... i actually found one of these on my own ...
 |
I've never seen one of these before ... it's called a Snakey Bornella. It's complicated name is Bornella Anguilla, which means 'eel', and is named for it's swimming behavior. It swims like an eel.... maybe i'll see that someday. I really like finding something i've never seen before !
This one was crawling along the sand ... WoW ... what a beauty !
and one was clinging to the side of one of the many Pilings
The pier pilings were interesting themselves... so many specimens ....
Romel found one area where there were SO MANY Nudibranchs .... it was unbelieveable !
and then these two ...
and a FlatWorm .... no less impressive
I had a difficult time leaving this one alone ....it was mesmerizing ! I took so many photos, and all of them turned out. I couldn't decide which one i liked best. Sometimes it's the other way around... lots of photos, and none of them turn out.
and here is a video, just to show the grace of movement
There was also a pretty spectacular Sea Star under there
Swimming back down the beach to the shore was much easier than getting in ... although actually getting out of the water was tricky too. Romel did all the hard work. We got back in the jeep and drove down the road to El Dorado where we were going to do our second dive. The sea was kicking up even more powerful than earlier, ....i hated to be the one to call it off, but the guys agreed. We returned to our 'home reef' and did our second dive. Never to be disappointed, thanks to Romel.
This little shrimp was fun to see ... actually i didn't really see it until i saw it on my computer. Love the red eyes... and how it looks like he's just 'hanging out' ....
All the very small Nudibranchs that we've seen ... and this one seemed enormous... actually only about 3" ... but so much larger than the others. Even as large as it as, Romel needed to point to it twice. I guess i was expecting to see something tiny. It's a Jorunna Nudibranchs
Another Nudi that was not tiny, but long and skinny, ... and moving fast !
I saw this large Goat Fish .... named because of his 'whiskers' like a goat. They root around in the sand, and stir up quite a 'mess'.
Romel pointed out, several times, this very very tiny .... something. I could not get it in focus, so he finally took my camera and got the shot. It had us stumped for awhile, but we've determined it's a Fingered Dragonet, or Sailfin Dragonet Beautifully marked ... my God it was tiny ! The adults are pretty drab looking, this was an awesome find. They can quickly bury themselves in the sand with only their eyes showing, so we were lucky !
I still enjoy taking photos of fish ... especially when they have such expressions on their faces. This one is blowing me a kiss
and this Nemo ... what a face
 |
I took the next day off, and took a walk in the neighborhood. These are mangos, being organically grown. They protect the emerging fruit from bugs this way, so they do not have to spray. What a job! All the fruit is wrapped in newspaper wrappers ! At first I thought it was left over from Christmas :)
I also had a nice chat with one of the Tourist Police Officers before their morning inspection. Many more women than men in this group. So professional. The 'commanding officer' was also a woman, and i was impressed at how 'relaxed' she was ... not 'bullying' ... everyone was happy. Nice new uniforms with lots of patches, and shiny shoes !
More diving and photos to continue, as i have extended my stay in Dauin.
No comments:
Post a Comment