Exploring the Philippines: El Nido Scuba and Tour A

It was a short flight to El Nido from Manila. No sooner had we landed than we were at 200 Bar, our SCUBA dive destination. It was a short boat ride out to Dilumacad Island (Helicopter island), and we were soon drifting over the coral reefs and looking for the various marine life unique to the area.

We enjoyed thoroughly all of the unique species of reef fish, while seeing an electric clam and sea turtles, the latter using the area as a cleaning station. No reef sharks, but with the water at 86°F, maybe they were sleeping. Visibility was awesome (about 90-100 feet) and even though it was pouring with rain, we were not affected underwater at all.

(Sea Turtle)

(Clown fish)

(Electric clam)

I always enjoy seeing all of the color of invertebrates, sea cucumbers, urchins, star fish, and other slowly moving creatures. It is just fun to float above a teaming world of life and activity just a few inches away. We came back into town and unpacked before dinner.

(sunset)

We were up bright and early to take Tour A of the island-hopping adventures. There are basically 4 tours (A-D), and the one we selected was the most comprehensive one. It was supposed to be 12 people, but in fact the boat had 26 people! Again, just lots of people around. We started on 7 Commanders Beach, named after a platoon of soldiers, that were stranded there during the war. A beautiful beach but crowded with millions of tourists. It seemed all of the boat captains brought everyone to the same places at the same time as part of each separate tour company’s Tour A!

(Seven commanders beach)

(Mango smoothie)

We walked down the beach and had a lovely mango smoothie while hiding away from the sun under the palapas. Next was the Big Lagoon, a space surrounded by towering limestone cliffs and beautiful emerald water.

(small lagoon)

(secret lagoon)

We rented a 2-person sea kayak and stroked around the lagoon for about an hour. We just frolicked in the water, diving off the boat and enjoying the warm water. Lunch was served on another island called “small lagoon,” before we headed to “Secret Lagoon”, a space accessible only by diving through a narrow passageway that opened inside the cliffs. It was a lovely turquoise-water filled space, but as more and more people surfaced, it too became a bit crowded. Still, it was a nice place to snorkel and explore.

(Sunset over El Nido)