with anna
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A.nna
anna // singaporean. my dream is to some day live in a countryside and have a lot of dogs. reach me on
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Saturday, April 29, 2017
Diving in Anilao 3rd post this year, I'm on fire. Not sure if people still read blogs, hello ghost readers.. I finally was able to enjoy diving the way it is. Backtrack a little to 2 months back, I quitted smoking. Not sure if it was related to the fact that nicotine probably has already left my body entirely and the oxygen level in my body is higher now but I wasn't feeling sea sick at all during any of the dives, even when most of the dive sites are easily 20 minutes boat ride away. Anywho, on top of that, I started diving without my wet suit - just a dive jacket & Nike dri-fit pants :P The whole diving journey from boat ride to gearing up and the actual dive, I was feeling 100%. I thought I wouldn't be able to enjoy diving more, couldn't be more wrong. Anilao is widely known for macro diving. You know they say small things but I was like how small, pygmy seahorse small? That's super cute, I totes don't mind. But nope, it's smaller than pygmy seahorses. I did see a lot of pygmy seahorses though, a pregnant one which everyone was debating it was fat but I googled, it's definitely the one I saw, pregnant af you cute lil thang:
You've no idea, they're really v v v v v v cute. They range in length from 1.4 - 2.7 cm between the tip of the tail to the end of the snout. Do you know how small that is? Like superrrr small ❤❤❤
That aside, here are some photos taken by yours truly. By the by, I started using red filter so the photos are much better now.
Snorkelling on the first day we arrived :D
This is the trip I fell in love w Nudibranch! Too pretty!
Mazel tov!
Hello you, from Bali to Anilao.
My favourite, taken from a wreck dive.
Not sure why my blue spotted ray doesn't have a tail :(
And the highlight of everything is this, a pregnant male seahorse. No words could describe how wonderful it felt to watch something so beautiful. I gave up trying to get a good shot & just started staring at it. He was just laying there, probably waiting to give birth. So peaceful, I just wanted to watch it while only hearing my bubbles - truly a moment to live in, to feel so alive.
Well, that is 10 dives for me - also my 45th dive, my 35th hour underwater. Comparing Anilao to Bali, most of the corals in Anilao are much livelier. I mean in Bali, certain sites we get a seabed of dead corals & there's that. While in Anilao you get a lot of pretty, colorful corals around and if you're patient enough to look into every corner, you might find some small macro stuff.
Most of the photographers on this trip took much better photos. I mean they're there to shoot for an underwater competition so my photos definitely don't do justice to the actual sites.
BUT, here comes the but. After my first dive, I was checking with the resort on why the dive guides are so touchy underwater. Not to me of course but they were just flipping the corals around, picking up every other stones to see if they can find something under.. I get it. You're my guide, you're supposed to find stuff for me to see. But I very much rather it not be at the expense of destroying nature. Well that's for me.
I can't speak for the rest of the people who allowed it for their own selfish reasons but it wasn't acceptable to me. To a certain extend, I can forgive people for not protecting/saving things they don't understand. In this case, non-divers. But for divers, if we love what we do and yet at the same time we destroy the things we love, then what does that make us?
Practice what you preach. If you love diving, you love the ocean & the sea, learn how to protect it.
Back to me checking with the resort.. Apparently all the dive boats & guides in Anilao are not tied to any resorts. In another words, they can't be fired. So what we can do on our end is we can stop the guide, we can choose not to tip them or change the guide even. Since they are freelance and not tied to the resort, we have the option of not using the same guide which was what I did.
All in all, was this a good trip? Yea sure, I enjoyed my short stay in Manila. It was a good break. Though it was muck dives for macros, I thought it was a good opportunity to work on my buoyancy skills & to visit a new place for a change. Would I go back or recommend diving in Anilao? Nah. Not that the sites are exceptionally great, not that the guides have morals so.. No thank you.
But of course feel free to look up other reviews based on other dive centres & guide. Since they are not tied to any resort / dive centres, whatever I've said are based on my experience with Jun & Aladdin (both my guides during my dives in Anilao).
RESORT & DIVE PACKAGE
I stayed in Acacia Resort and the place is great. Everything you need for a beach getaway is there. Managed by Oliver & Cat who are very hospitable as well. This dive trip was a kinda a package deal via Scuba Institute. The package is USD1200 which includes 10 dives (excluding equipment), food & beverages (served in buffet style for all 3 meals), accommodation.
Not sure if the price is considered ex or no, but it was worth it.
Adios!
Labels: anilao, dive, diving, diving in anilao, diving in phillipines, philippines, scuba diving, travel, travelbyanna, travels |
xx
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