Safety first in Camotes caves
What attracts many tourists to the Camotes Islands is also a potential hazard: its laid-back lifestyle. The sustained efforts of the local communities and leaders to reduce and reuse waste has preserved much of the natural legacy of Camotes.
By now bywords in travelers’ blogs and online travel advisories, the caves of Camotes draw tourists seeking pristine realms for underwater diving and swimming. Aside from the affordable entrance rates, the cold brackish pools guarantee a refreshing dip.
More than offering escape from the summer heat, some of the caves have unusual and outof-this-world formations in the stalactites and stalagmites that stir up the interest of the online community seeking eco-adventures.
Netizens reviewing for the Trip Advisor website list among the “Things to Do in Camotes Islands” five caves, namely the Holy Crystal Cave, Timobo Caves, Bukilat Cave, Paraiso Cave, and Giwanon Cave in San Francisco.
Yet, stakeholders of Camotes Islands must also maintain in equilibrium the three considerations of an emerging eco-tourism industry: enhancing the economic benefits that improve local standards of living; sustaining the natural and cultural legacies of the community; and implementing mechanisms to protect and safeguard a rising number of domestic and foreign tourists.
Urging local government to create and pursue a holistic and pro-active approach to eco-tourism was underscored by Cebu City Tourism Council chairperson Tetta Baad as early as October 2015.
She urged then that Camotes stakeholders draft a master plan to regulate its growth.
The tourism official made this pronouncement after Camotes had a special citation in the Conde Nast magazine’s selection of Cebu as the 19th best island destination in the world during its 2015 Annual Readers’ Choice Awards.
Conde Nast urged readers to experience the “true taste of island life” in the Camotes Islands.
It is urgent, though, to bridge local conditions with the demands of an industry experiencing a boom in visitor traffic.
Many of the caves have yet to meet the standards for ensuring visitors’ safety.
Ranked seventh by Trip Advisor reviewers in a list of 22 things to in Camotes Islands, Timobo Caves has no lifeguards even though visitors, sometimes with children, frequently swim. The cave farthest from the entrance is completely dark, while the steps leading down to the waters are damp and slippery, reviewed Netizens in early 2017.
Trip Advisor reviewers caution readers not to stay too long inside the caves or to crowd inside since the air is thin inside Timobo.
The limited air inside caves is dangerous for those who are swimming alone, have consumed alcoholic drinks, or are prone to anxiety attacks.
At Amazing Cave Resort in Consuelo, San Francisco, there are lifeguards and life vests for rent. Swimmers sign a waiver if they don’t rent a life vest since the depth of the waters is estimated as 6-9 feet.
Last May 26, SunStar Cebu witnessed how about 20 people were inside the cave at the same time. As a result of the overcrowding, those entering the cave noticed the perceptibly thin air inside and experienced difficulty in breathing, which added to the feeling of disorientation and confusion.
There is only one portal for entering and leaving the Amazing Cave, the major attraction of a private resort. As it was high tide, one had to be dunked underwater by lifeguards to avoid bumping one’s head against the overhang of sharp stalactites.
For a Cebu City visitor, having one’s head pushed underwater despite prior warning and trying to breathe in the thin air inside the overcrowded cave heightened the sensation of claustrophobia. She swam out in distress, an experience that could have been avoided if the staff at the entrance of the resort gave clear information about what could be expected inside the cave.
Government should regulate how caves are operated by local entrepreneurs in Camotes.