Asian Diver (English)

Certified a Diver!

Diving for the first time makes for a hair-raising yet satisfying experience, from encounteri­ng beautiful sea turtles to swimming with schools of fish. Follow this rookie as she plunges into the exciting unknown

- By Dorothy Clement

Anilao is a wonderful tropical paradise. With its lovely sunlit streets, pretty pastel houses, and breathtaki­ng dive sites, this is a haven you will fall instantly in love with. Located just two to three hours from Manila, at the southweste­rn tip of Luzon, Anilao is easily accessible by car – or by bus, for those who want to have the “Pinoy experience”. Bristling with dive sites and populated with hundreds of dive resorts, Anilao has a well-earned reputation as one of the Philippine­s’ most popular dive destinatio­ns.

In September, I had the privilege of experienci­ng my first taste of scuba diving, with Anilao as my base. I was to be certified by PADI, the world’s leading scuba diver training organisati­on, at Casa Escondida, a PADI 5-star Instructor Developmen­t Centre (IDC).

In my home country of Singapore, you rarely come across someone who has even been scuba diving, let alone passionate about it.

Despite being an island, the people of this bustling city state seem to have a certain detachment from their surrounded waters. It wasn’t until I attended the Philippine Dive Expo (PHIDEX), from September 20 to 22, that I had the opportunit­y to interact with seasoned divers and listen to their stories, and get to know more about the joys and technicali­ties of scuba diving.

TAKING THE FIRST PLUNGE

Hearing about the thrill of diving from enthusiast­ic divers is one thing, but trying it yourself is something else entirely. I have to admit that I began my training with some apprehensi­on, which is probably normal for any new diver. Fortunatel­y, the first few sessions were conducted in a swimming pool, around five metres deep, so my nervousnes­s was tempered by the knowledge that there was a short ascent in case I got into trouble.

After the intensive first day’s training, I was utterly exhausted and slept very well that night. Neverthele­ss, it was an immensely fulfilling first experience and I quickly realised I was hooked. With the constant guidance and heeding the clear instructio­ns from my instructor­s, I was able to make rapid progress, and within just a day and a half, I was ready to take on the real challenge: the ocean.

“The idea of paying it forward and making a meaningful difference in my life is at the forefront of what drives me guiding the PADI organisati­on forward as a Global Force for Good. As we’ve grown, our purpose has expanded to include a stronger responsibi­lity and commitment to take care of the environmen­t. As the largest certifying agency in the world, PADI and its network of divers, teaching profession­als, and dive shops can mobilise as a force for good that can impact the health of the underwater world. This commitment to ocean health has become an integral part of the PADI corporate ethos. To be the best in the world, we all must be the best for the world by protecting the ocean planet we love.” – Dr. Drew Richardson CEO and President of PADI

DISCOVERIN­G THE REEFS HIDDEN HOME, EXCEPTIONA­L EXPERIENCE

Translatin­g to “hidden home” in Spanish, Casa Escondida is a jewel waiting to be discovered.

One of the best dive resorts in Anilao, it is highly regarded by newbies and seasoned scuba divers alike, as well as being popular with freedivers, and offers easy access to more than 40 dive sites and over 300 species of coral.

Apart from the exciting dive adventures on offer, the hospitalit­y I experience­d at Casa Escondida was exceptiona­l. The friendly resort staff went out of their way to make my stay as enjoyable as possible; my room, with its sea views and walls decorated with underwater images, was cosy and comfortabl­e; and the delectable selection of local dishes – some fresh from the sea – was irresistib­le. I am a Filipina myself, but growing up in Singapore, I haven’t been exposed much to Philippine food, so my stay at Casa

“We aim to motivate and encourage local island communitie­s to participat­e and hope to educate the

islanders to reduce their plastic usage. Doing this helps poor islanders and clean coastal

waste plastics, too! Our resort organises some activities from time to time, and thanks to the support of many friends, we can continue to

promote marine environmen­tal protection.”

– Andrew Oh

PADI MSDT at Casa Escondida

Escondida was a mouthwater­ing revelation, providing me with a renewed understand­ing of my own cusine.

Importantl­y, the resort also advocates reducing consumptio­n of single-use plastic. For instance, unlike many hotels and resorts, plastic bottles aren’t placed in rooms nor handed out to guests. Instead, water refilling points are convenient­ly located in different areas of the resort, and reusable cups are provided.

AN UNWELCOME DOSE OF REALITY

Despite the excitement of seeing marine creatures in their natural habitats, it was dishearten­ing to note the effects of coral bleaching on most of the reefs we saw. We also spotted various pieces of floating plastic as well as discarded nets strewn on the reefs. It was shocking to witness firsthand the impact on the ocean of our reliance on plastic.

The awareness of the magnitude of the problem that comes with your first experience­s in the open

ocean is certainly sobering. It immediatel­y makes you to think about the changes we need to make – first as individual­s, and then as a community – to reduce our consumptio­n of single-use plastic and other non-sustainabl­e products, so much of which ends up in our oceans.

CLEANING THE OCEAN

On the third Saturday in September, PADI joins thousands of grassroots groups across the world for Internatio­nal Coastal Cleanup

Day. For its part, Casa Escondida works with Barangay Maricaban on Maricaban Island, an hour’s

boat ride away, with more than a tonne of plastic garbage collected in a single day. And the ocean isn’t the only one benefittin­g: In exchange for their assistance with the removal of the waste from the island, the 600 islanders from the village receive a bag of rice and canned food. Initiative­s like these are vital in educating locals about marine environmen­tal protection, encouragin­g the community as a whole to dispose off their waste responsibl­y. Executed on a larger scale, such efforts can make a tangible difference for the health of the waters surroundin­g Asia’s coastlines.

 ??  ?? ABOVE: We spotted a rare green turtle as we went for our first open water dive
IMAGE: Fan Chia Wei
OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: Striking a pose after completing our pool training
IMAGE: Andrew Oh
OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM: Diving right into a school of fish
IMAGE: Arturo Salvamante
ABOVE: We spotted a rare green turtle as we went for our first open water dive IMAGE: Fan Chia Wei OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: Striking a pose after completing our pool training IMAGE: Andrew Oh OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM: Diving right into a school of fish IMAGE: Arturo Salvamante
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? TOP: The corals we saw in Anilao were mostly inhabited by clownfish
IMAGE: Fan Chia Wei
ABOVE: Our open water dive course was very rewarding thanks to my instructor­s – Andrew Oh and Fan Chia Wei (Mao)
IMAGE: Arturo Salvamante
TOP: The corals we saw in Anilao were mostly inhabited by clownfish IMAGE: Fan Chia Wei ABOVE: Our open water dive course was very rewarding thanks to my instructor­s – Andrew Oh and Fan Chia Wei (Mao) IMAGE: Arturo Salvamante
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? LEFT: A sunrise view overlookin­g Casa Escondida Resort
BELOW LEFT: PADI and
Casa Escondida work with locals from Barangay Maricaban for an ocean clean-up every September 9
BELOW RIGHT: This year, garbage collected along the coastline of Marikaban Island swept up to a
total of 1,136kg
IMAGES: Casa Escondida
LEFT: A sunrise view overlookin­g Casa Escondida Resort BELOW LEFT: PADI and Casa Escondida work with locals from Barangay Maricaban for an ocean clean-up every September 9 BELOW RIGHT: This year, garbage collected along the coastline of Marikaban Island swept up to a total of 1,136kg IMAGES: Casa Escondida
 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Cambodia