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Published: December 20th 2015
I arrived in Coron on the heels of the typhoon and due to the stormy weather there hadn't been any diving for a few days. The coast guard here is quite strict and won't allow boats out in certain areas when the weather is challenging. The day I arrived in Coron they had planned to run some dives the next day for the first time in a few days - but no wrecks. Coron is famous for a whole bunch of Japanese wrecks from World War 2 that were sunk in a huge American bombing run in 1944. Anyways, I signed up to do the non-wreck dives that were scheduled and went the next day to two beautiful reefs and a freshwater/saltwater lake where the salt water layer - which was lower - was 38˚C! Needless to say we didn't wear wetsuits on that dive!
I signed up to do two more days of dives as the coast guard had opened up and started allowing boats out to the dive sites where the wrecks were. I did some absolutely incredibly challenging and beautiful dives. We went into the wrecked ships at all four dive sites which was very technically challenging
to do in the small spaces and total darkness. It was also psychologically challenging if you stopped to think about how deep into the ship you were, what could be lurking in the darkness… not knowing how to get out if there was an emergency and relying on the dive master to lead was hard but I'm proud of conquering my anxiety and ended up thoroughly loving every minute! I will certainly be pursuing a lot more scuba diving in the future now that I've had a taste for some of the harder dive sites.
I was scheduled to do a fourth day of diving to two more wrecks but the wind got pretty crazy in the night and the coast guard closed off the wreck sites again. So I have a relaxing day of getting a massage, some shopping, some exploring and repacking my bags to hopefully fit everything in before I fly back to Manila tomorrow. I'll be there for one night and then fly back to Vancouver on December 22! Even though I have 10 days of vacation left in Vancouver it still feels like my trip is over, and it has gone by so fast
I can hardly believe it!
I'm looking forward to spending Christmas with family and friends in Vancouver and will be back at work in the new year. I'll be writing a wrap up post at some point in the next week with my final thoughts and ruminations on this trip. Until then I'll be enjoying every moment of vacation time!
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Deb
non-member comment
The home stretch
Well my fair friend... what a journey you have had! You look fabulous! Amazing! Shining bright! I am tremendously happy for you. The dives sound magnificent and I love you challenged yourself and let go to trust your dive master. Very impressive. I am thinking of you today, December 22nd as you embark on your journey home... a long plane ride to reminensce about your trip and to get excited for Christmas with your loved ones. And a break from the travel. Time to be with your family and unwind and maybe sleep too much and indulge in mom and dad's cooking. Joyous! I can't wait to hug you. ;o) safe travels home my friend... welcome back! Xoox. Merry Christmas!