11/30/13 Moalboal Day 9

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Today was another beautiful day in the Philippines.  The sun was shining and the breeze was blowing.  Eric managed to get up and get out the door this morning without waking me up.  I must have been dead to the world.  I finally woke up around 6:30 and wandered down to the restaurant to join him.  Jordan then joined us a short time later.  

We ordered our standard mangos for breakfast along with mango juice, eggs, and toast with mango jam.  Jordan is hooked now too, so he has to have at least one or two mangos a day.  

Our first dive was to the Sanctuary/airplane site.  Eric, Jordan and I got in first with Albert as we like to take it slow and take pictures of everything we see.  The Australian family joined Roland to go and see the airplane and then cruise around the reef.  We got some really good video and photos of some ocellaris clownfish.  Jordan got some really good pictures too.  We also managed to find a couple different nudibranchs and some other different types of fish.

We came back to the resort to have some lunch and go back out for a second dive around 1:30.  Eric and Jordan both had garlic rice for lunch.  I think Eric is going to turn into a giant piece of rice.  He had garlic rice for lunch and dinner both yesterday.  I had my standard chicken sandwich, so I guess I will turn into a chicken soon.  

After lunch we headed out for the second dive.  We went to a dive site called Palisades.  It had a lot of pretty coral and lots of tiny fish and of course tons of turtles.  Eric found a huge group of razor fish.  He also found a couple of whip coral shrimp.  

After we collected everyone up we made our way back to the resort.  Eric and Jordan decided they would do a night dive tonight.  So we hung out for a few hours and looked at a few pictures and some of my video before they headed out for their night dive around 6 p.m.

Dinner will be late tonight.  I ordered ahead to have their food ready around 7:00 or 7:15 so they can have it as soon as they get back from their dive.  They ended up getting back around 7:20 or so.  They saw lots of lion fish, lots of decorator crabs, and Jordan actually found a sea snake.

11/29/13 Moalboal Day 8

Friday, November 29, 2013

We woke up around 6:30 again today.  Per our usual routine we headed down to the restaurant and sat and enjoyed the morning until the girls arrived at 7:30 a.m.  Eric worked on some video on the computer and then Jordan joined us a little bit later.  We ordered breakfast around 7:30 and then got all the cameras and gear ready to go for our 9 a.m. dive.  It was just the three of us and our guide, Albert, this morning, so we got to choose where we wanted to go.  

Our first dive we went to Pescador island and dove the south side again.  We did this dive the other day and it was really nice, so we wanted to take Jordan to do this dive.  This time we were about the only boat at the dive site so we had the whole place to ourselves.  The south side is sheltered from current so it was very calm and we took our time and had a nice relaxing dive.  I got a bunch of footage of a turtle and of course tons of little fish everywhere.  We also found a stone fish and a few nudibranchs.  

After our first dive we had a rather rough crossing coming back across the channel to get back to Moalboal.  The winds had picked up a bit and there were some small white caps so we got splashed a bit, but nothing we have not experienced before.  Our second dive was at a site just across the channel from Pescador island.  

The second dive was rather shallow so we stayed down for a good length of time and there was lots to see.  We found the largest green turtle we have seen yet.  It had to be at least 5 feet in length and 3-4 feet across.  It was just laying on a ledge and I got some good video of it turning around and then yawning.  

Toward the end of the dive Eric found a bright yellow juvenile box fish.  I got video of it and then later Eric said it was eating or nipping at a flatworm.  I of course never saw this part while I was filming it, but I managed to get it on video.  At the end of the dive we also saw a school of large needlefish hanging out near the surface.  

We then made our way back to the resort and had some lunch so we could head back out about 2:30 p.m. for our third dive.  One of the other guests, Anna, joined us on this dive.  Since the water was a little rougher today we headed just a little way down the shore to the spot that we really like.  This spot is nice because you can stay really shallow and there are lots of things to see, including more turtles.  

After this dive we made the short trip back to the resort and got cleaned up and had some dinner and started the process of sifting through photos and video—the usual nightly routine.

11/28/13 Moalboal Day 7

Thursday, November 28, 2013

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

It was another beautiful morning.  The sun was shining when we got up and headed to the restaurant around 6:45 a.m.  We sat and enjoyed the morning and talked with Cyril and Claire.  They were leaving around 9 a.m. this morning to head to another island before heading back to Cebu City and then back home to China.  

Eric and I both ordered a mango and I ordered two eggs with toast.  After breakfast we got our gear ready to go diving at 9 a.m.  We were heading out to Pescador island for the first dive.  We had a full boat with 11 divers.  We broke up into two groups and Eric and I brought up the rear as usual.  It was a very beautiful dive.  Tons and tons of colorful fish and beautiful hard and soft corals and sponges everywhere.  There was not much current for most of the dive, which made it nice.  Right at the end we got a pretty strong current but by that time we were ready to head up to the surface.  

By the time we made it back to the resort it was about 11:45 so consensus was to have lunch and a break and then go back out around 2 o’clock.  Right about the time we got back from the first dive Jordan arrived via car from Cebu City.  So after putting his stuff in his room he joined us for some lunch.  

After lunch Jordan headed back to his room to get his stuff together so he could join us for the 2 o’clock dive.  We had another full boat with 13 divers for the second dive.  We went just down the shore to check out the sardines.  The reef is not really very good there, but the main attraction is the sardines.  However, I did see quite a few nudibranchs, a banded pipefish, and a turtle amongst the millions of sardines that were blocking the sunlight at times.  

After we got back to the resort Eric and I got cleaned up and then headed down to the restaurant to check out our photos and video and had a nice visit with Anneliek (proper spelling this time).  She is the young Dutch doctor that has been diving with us the last few days.  She is quite the world traveler and very fun to talk with and share stories.  

Eric and I ordered our vegetarian spaghetti carbonara to split for dinner again and of course our ice cream bars.  Then Jordan joined us a bit later.  He got cleaned up after diving and laid down on his bed and fell asleep.  I can’t blame him.  We were really tired the first day we got here too, but boy did we sleep good that first night.

11/27/13 Moalboal Day 6

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

We got up around 6:30 a.m. and headed down to the restaurant to hang out and enjoy the morning before the girls showed up to serve breakfast.  It was another beautiful morning.  The sun was shining and the water was like glass.  I took a nice silhouette photo of Eric sitting in the restaurant with the water behind him that he posted to our Facebook page.  

After our breakfast of fresh mango slices, Belgian bread with butter and mango jam, and mango juice we sat and enjoyed the morning for a while before getting our dive gear ready for the first dive of the day.  We headed out on the boat about 9 a.m.  It was Eric and I, Analique (a Dutch doctor) and Cyril (whom we have dove with the last two days) and our German guide, Albert.  

We went to a site where they have a small plane that was placed as an artificial reef.  Just to the side of the plane there is a small patch of garden eels.  Eric set up Tim’s camera and got some good video of the garden eels.  Eric also got some video of a pipe seahorse carrying eggs on its belly.  Not too far from the plane wreck was a large purple/pink barrel sponge.  I swam over to look down inside and what did I see in the bottom but an anemone with a clownfish living in it.  That is something I will probably never see again.  

After we all swam away from the wreck to explore the rest of the reef I came across an anemone with some very protective clownfish.  As I approached they both swam up and were looking me in the eye and swimming in front of my face.  One of them actually nipped at the front of my forehead (on my beanie).  Eric got photo of them looking me in the eye.  

Right at the end of the dive Cyril pointed up in the shallow water and at first I saw something which I eventually figured out was a large squid.  I then looked to the right of it and there was a line of about 20.  Of course we did not get any video or pictures as they know how to stay just out of camera range.  Cyril said he actually counted them and there were 20.  They were the largest squid I have ever seen.  When I saw the first one I thought it was a cuttlefish.

After that dive we headed back to the resort.  We all decided to take a break and have some lunch and then head out in the afternoon around 1:30 for an afternoon dive.  We had our standard lunch of garlic rice, Belgian fries, and chicken sandwich with my mango juice.  Unfortunately, we discovered last night that they also have ice cream bars (dipped in what else but Belgian chocolate).  So we of course had to have one of those after lunch.  

The afternoon dive we went back to the spot we went yesterday where we saw the ornate ghost pipefish.  It is a very pretty spot with lots of healthy colorful coral and tons of fish.  We must have seen at least five or six large turtles too.  

We then came back to the resort.  As we were taking off our dive gear to rinse and hang up I looked up in the tree above the bench to see a very large beautiful yellow-backed spider.  It was very large and sitting right in the middle of a very ornate web with the sun glistening through the tree and illuminating the web.  Eric got some good photos of it.  It is not something I would want to find in my room, but beautiful to see in its natural habitat.  

They were actually doing a night dive tonight but Eric decided to sit it out and relax and work on photos, etc.  We ended up talking with a lot of the other guests and the next thing we knew it was dark and time for dinner.  For dinner tonight we decided to try spaghetti carbonara (vegetarian).  Eric and I split it (the servings are very big) and it was really good.  After dinner we of course had to have ice cream, again.  I will probably come home 10 pound heavier.  The food is so good here.  Of course I will have mango running through my blood too.

11/26/13 Moalbual Day 5

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

We kept the same schedule as yesterday as far as diving.  We got up and headed to breakfast around 7 a.m. and ordered a couple of fresh mangos and I also ordered some Belgian bread with butter and homemade mango jam.  I have also been keeping up with my schedule of mango juice with every meal.  There are no words to describe how good these mangos are.  

After breakfast we got our gear together and headed out to do two dives around 9 a.m.  This time we had a full boat again.  The Australian family of four went with one guide and Eric and I and Cyril went with Albert (our guide).  We saw quite a few turtles but not as many as everyone else as we had our heads stuck in the coral (of course).  Apparently our group saw about nine turtles in total.  There is lots of small stuff to see too.  

On the second dive we also saw a few more turtles and a huge school of leaf fish and some type of scorpion fish.  We also saw the biggest octopus either one of us has ever seen.  I got quite a bit of video of him, but most of it was of him playing hide and seek in and out of his hiding holes.  

After the two morning dives we came back and had some lunch.  Eric had garlic rice and I had my chicken sandwich and we split some Belgian fries.  The food has been really good.  Of course it can’t hurt that you are sitting by the ocean in the fresh air enjoying the food.  

After lunch we headed out for our third dive of the day.  This time it was just Albert, Eric and I.  So we took a short boat road down the coast a little ways to a spot that Albert said not many people go because there is no buoy there.  It was a very beautiful spot with very healthy coral and lots of colorful fish.  We saw a small ornate ghost pipefish, a pair of banded pipefish, another scorpionfish and tons of clownfish of all colors and types.  I swear on top of the reef there is an anemone with a clownfish in it about every 2 ft.  

The third dive was nice as we poked along at our own pace and did our own thing.  We actually stayed down for about 70 minutes and still came up with anywhere from 1000-1300 PSI.  

The weather was pretty nice again today.  We had a little rain shower as we were getting on the boat for the first dive, but other than that most of the day was sunny and nice.

11/25/13 Moalbual Day 4

Monday, November 25, 2013

We woke up around 6 a.m. this morning and checked e-mail and text messages and then headed to the restaurant for breakfast.  Eric decided to order Belgian pancakes and I ordered mango pancakes.  They were good but way too much for one person to eat.  Next time we will order just one plate.  

After breakfast we got all our camera gear together and headed out for two morning dives about 9 a.m.  Our first dive we went to Pescador Island.  It was a very nice dive with lots of colorful coral and fish all the way around.  It was a drift dive but there was very little current which made it nice for photography and video.  After we got out we then motored to the next dive site which was where the sardines had moved to.  They are actually now right in front of one of the resorts down the beach a couple miles.  

It was amazing to see so many sardines so close to the shore.  The groups were so big they actually blocked out the sunlight and there was no way I could possibly get all of them in one frame.  After we got our fill of sardines and other critters we got back on the boat and made the short trip back to our resort, the Asian-Belgian Dive resort.  

We got somewhat rinsed off and made our way back to the restaurant to have our lunch.  At breakfast time I had gone ahead and ordered our lunch for around 1 o’clock when we got back.  That way we would not have to wait so long for our food.  It does take them a while to prepare meals here, but then again they cook everything from scratch and they have a very extensive menu compared to most places.  So far everything we have had has been very good.  Both days so far I have had the chicken sandwich.  They obviously bake their own Belgian bread also, which is very good.  

After lunch we got the camera equipment ready to go out again at 2:30 p.m.  This time we had a full boat with an Australian family doing their open water diver course and another person in addition to Eric and me.  We got to go off on our own with our dive guide, Albert.  He pretty much lets us do what we want and just hangs back and watches, which is nice.  As anyone that has dove with us know, we like to poke along and stick our head in every hole we find.  

The visibility on this dive was not so good, but we were looking for small stuff anyway.  We found a ton of clownfish of all types and colors, including the famous Nemo (ocellaris clownfish).  This dive was fairly shallow so we were out for about an hour.  After everyone made it back on the boat we headed back to the resort.  

After we got all our gear rinsed and hung up we went back to our room and took a shower so we could head back to the restaurant to get some dinner and check e-mails and of course type up the all-important blog.  I think so far I have had a mango juice/shake with every meal since I got here.  I also had another tomato salad for dinner and Eric ordered the vegetarian Bolognese again.  

The weather so far has been beautiful.  This morning the ocean in front of the resort was like glass.  There were a few clouds around today, but it was sunny all day with very little wind.  Another beautiful day in the Philippines.

11/24/13 Moalboal Days 1-3

Friday, November 22, 2013

We headed to the airport about 6 a.m. for our 8:45 flight from Phoenix to Seattle.  This was our first time both using the TSA precheck line for security.  Boy was that a breeze.  You can keep your jacket and your shoes on and you don’t have to get out your liquids or your laptop, etc.  You pretty much walk up, throw your bags on the conveyer, and walk through the metal detector.    No body scanning either.  We wondered how it would go with all of our camera gear, but they didn’t even bat and eye.  The whole security check took about two minutes.  Definitely worth the money for sure. 

We headed to the US Airways lounge and got something to eat for breakfast and then headed to our gate.  This whole trip we are flying first class/business class.  So of course we are first on and off the plane too.  The trip from Phoenix to Seattle was uneventful.  It was quite a change leaving rainy Phoenix and landing in sunny Seattle.  Once in Seattle we then went to the Asiana gate and changed out our boarding passes for Asiana boarding passes for the rest of the trip.  Then we went and hung out in the Delta Lounge until it was time for our flight.  Asiana uses the Delta Lounge for their business class passengers.  

We then boarded the Asiana flight from Seattle to Inchon South Korea.  This 12-hour flight was uneventful.  The seats on this plane were not the lie flat seats like we had the last time we flew Asiana business class, but they lay almost flat (more of an incline).  I think we got some sleep intermixed with eating and watching movies, etc.  

After landing in Inchon we made our way to transit security and got through there relatively quickly and then went to the transit hotel to confirm our reservation coming back for Eric and I and Jordan and cancel Jody’s reservation (as she decided not to come on the trip).  After we had that all straightened out we made our way to the Asiana Business Class Lounge.  As of the end of October they actually moved the location a few gates down from where it used to be.  

We hung out in that lounge for a while before make our way to the gate for our last leg of the trip to the Philippines, the Inchon to Cebu flight.  This flight was about four and a half hours.  It was just Eric and I and another couple and their child in the entire business class section.  Needless to say we had plenty of attention from the flight attendants on this flight.  However, I think both of us slept most of the flight, so it made their job easy.  

We landed in Cebu a little late as there were some pretty strong headwinds.  We landed just after midnight.  Eric and I were the first people off the plane and thus the first people at the Immigration counter and I think the first people to get their bags.  We were out the door in nothing flat.  We had requested a car from the Hotel, but never heard back from them so we were giving it a 50/50 chance that they would have someone there to pick us up.  Of course there was not, so we decided to walk since the hotel is directly in front of the airport.  However, this involved a lot of zigging and zagging and going up ramps and over curbs.  It was not very far, but they don't exactly make the pathway pedestrian/luggage friendly.  

Nevertheless, we made it to the lobby and got checked into our executive suite.  The room was huge.  It had a separate living room with sitting area and dining table and a separate kitchen area along with a half bath in addition to the bedroom and huge bathroom.  We pretty much crashed into bed and set the alarm to get up around 7 a.m.  Our plan was to get up and shower in the morning and then head down to get breakfast before our driver picked us up around 9 a.m. to take us to Moalboal.  

We woke up the next morning to the sun shining and beautiful weather.  I looked out our fifth floor window and you could not tell there had been a typhoon come through a few weeks ago.  We went down and had our breakfast and then our driver came to pick us up right about 9 a.m.  We loaded all our bags in the car for the approximately three hour trip to Moalboal.  As it always is in the Philippines it was a wild ride of weaving in and out of traffic, crawling along and then going as fast as we could, and of course involved a lot of horn honking.  We could find no evidence on the entire journey that there had ever been a typhoon in the area.  Everything looked as it should for the Philippines.  As our driver told us, most of the damage was North of Cebu City, which is what we had heard.  

We arrived in Moalboal just after noon and got all our luggage into our room and headed over to the restaurant to get some lunch.  I ordered a chicken sandwich and a Mango shake (of course) and Eric ordered a coke and Belgian fries (of course).  Then we made plans to go out for an afternoon dive around 2:30 p.m.  Eric got busy after lunch putting together all the camera gear and then we got all our dive stuff together to take down to the dive shop.  By that time it was 2:30 p.m.  We just went out and dove the house reef.  

The house reef was very pretty with lost of fish and lots of hard and soft corals.  I have never seen so many pipe seahorses in my life—they were everywhere you looked.  We also saw a really big turtle and I got some good video of him swimming right at me.  The house reef is nice because it is not very deep.  A lot of the dive was between 15 and 35 feet.  We stayed out for about an hour.  

After we got back we got all our gear rinsed out and made plans for tomorrow.  I think we are doing three dives tomorrow, two in the morning and then one after lunch.  After we got cleaned up we headed back to the restaurant to get some dinner.  They are very accommodating and so far the food has been very good.  I had a tomato salad and Eric had some more Belgian fries and then we split some chicken Bolognese.  

It is only 7:30p.m. by the time I finished typing this blog and Eric already headed off to bed as he could not keep his eyes open.  We are both pretty beat tonight, so I think we will sleep well for sure.