My NAUI Scuba Diver Check Out Dive

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It has been my long-time dream to be a certified diver. This dream has been lingering in my mind since my intro dive with my boss in Guam in 2002. Incidentally, an officemate of mine told me she’s about to take her scuba class so she introduced me to her dive instructor Dencio of Dive Buddies. I got the chance to attend two of his orientations. That was last year, though. It was not till September this year when I finally signed up. For real!

From Makati, my scuba classmates and I drove two hours south to Planet Dive, Mabini, Batangas. The road was not a smooth one. Actually, we feel like we were driving thru mountains that would lead us to Baguio! The dirt roads were steep. I just find it weird to be driving by a stretch of Dive Resorts at such high elevation. It was all our first time in Mabini. As we finally settled into our cottages in Dive Buddies, we finally understood the geography of this town in Batangas -- a splendid marriage of the sea and the mountains. Nice!

Our first few dives were at the Mainit Sandy Portion. The surface of the sea was rough. It was a bit scary. But the fear was enough to challenge me and bring some more adventure into the experience (as if scuba diving itself was not enough - controlling our descent, minding our buoyancy, mask-clearing, regularly checking our SPG, among other concerns - whew!)

The fun started as our dive instructors brought us to Twin Rocks, The Cathedral, and Bebot’s Reef.

At Twin Rocks, we got down to 72 feet and saw sea crinoids, sweetlips, blue sea squirts, batfish, clownfish and their host anemone, and lots of huge sea cucumbers - an arm length’s size!

My favorite is diving at The Cathedral. As we swam in to the area, two huge rocks seemed to sprung out off the sea bed from nowhere. Fish and corals abound! I was so star(fish)struck (pun intended, hehe!). I was amazed with the beauty of undersea life. We swam down to area between the two rocks and kneeled by the cross from which the site got its name. The cross was blessed by Pope John Paul II and was laid down there by then-Gen. Fidel V. Ramos’ team. We brought bread and fed the fish with our bare hands. There came a time when I can hardly see my dive buddy and my other classmates due to the school of fish that fed on our palms. It was a feeding frenzy! These damselfish have gotten a bit aggressive.

Our instructor led us to leave the place after about 15 minutes in that area but I still had bread in my hands. So as I swam away, the same school of fish followed me! It was a great feeling. I was so happy. We saw Moorish Idols, trumpet fish, parrotfish, puffer fish and many other types of starfish.

At Bebot’s Reef, we were allowed to do some reef exploration as buddies. We were tasked to discern by ourselves the right time to ascend to the surface (uhuh, without our dive instructor’s guidance, scary isn't it?). The visibility was not as good as previously had at The Cathedral but we still managed to enjoy the sight of the various corals in the reef - brain coral, fan corals, pitcher corals, etc. We also saw some giant clams in the reef.

I am so glad I did this. This sure beats watching divers at National Geographic Channel. Scuba diving, to me -- personally, is the most pleasurable and relaxing sport. Congrats to my scuba classmates! We are finally called DIVERS now. 😉

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Photos

My First Underwater Picture
Taken by my buddy Sachit at the Bebot's Reef

Boarding Miss Behave
We shall board "Miss Behave" and we shall dive to our heart's content... weee!

Planet Dive
The home of NAUI

Comments

[Kenneth]

You know anyone else member of NAUI?
Hello...I'm Kenneth... I don't have much diving experience but I am kinda interested in knowing someone with the same scuba course/school as mine: NAUI. I feel awkward knowing that NAUI is a very good institution yet I do not know its members. I know only three other people (My instructor and two other diving friends). I have actually lost touch with my four other classmates, sad to say. Anyway, reading your post makes me feel that I am not alone... I hope we can help build a bigger group. Enjoy your future dives!!!

[Jem]

I recently posted on my Facebook my desire to dive and luckily I did. An old friend got in touch with me and will be introducing me to Dencio soon. Like you, my friend also attended his classes and went to Anilao. He's been consistently diving ever since! He actually talks as if this is the most wonderful experience he's ever had. This only made me more excited than ever.