Trip 2017 Daily Updates

Friday 20th January

The day began a little earlier than usual as we had to wake up by 6.30 in order to go to visit the local school. Following weeks of preparation we finally visited a school in Sinandigan, where we were greeted by 300+ enthusiastic students. After splitting up into groups we spent 2 hours bonding and getting to know the students. They were friendly especially when we had difficulties initially approaching the students. For the trip to the school, the groups had prepared different activities. For the younger children we (Anna, Juliette and Soo) prepared creative activities (decorating crowns and hands) with a lot of artistic material (sequins, pompoms, stamps and more,). The middle ages bonded with Jun Won and Thomas through physical games such as egg and spoon races, musical chairs and dancing statues, whilst Morgan showed them how to make origami boats. The oldest kids participated in more educational activities (story writing) with Smriti, Mia and Tue Minh, and physical activities such as stuck in the mud and fire in the mountain. We were all happy to see that the kids enjoyed all the activities we had planned making us feel proud.

After the trip to the school, we sadly had to prepare to depart from El Galleon. Our trip fortunately ended on a good note as the weather was bright and sunny. In addition to the good weather, on the boat ride to Batangas we had the bonus of witnessing a school of dolphins!

By: Soo  

Thursday 19th January

On this final day of adventure, we awoke especially early to experience our first Puerto Galera sunrise. Our small trek debuted at 5:20am and took 40 minutes to finally arrive at the lighthouse, where we captured the beauty of nature's glory. Between our meals, the majority of us went for 3 dives, one of which was the Marine Debris dive which enabled us to collect litter to preserve the ocean's marine species. However, we also enjoyed our first dives as fully qualified open water divers - an achievement to be proud of. 

Our first open water dive took us to the beautiful dive site of Wreck Point, where we encountered the inability to stay buoyant, the loss of a fin, and a shattered mask. Nevertheless, we overcame all of these challenges and had a fantastic dive. On the special occasion of this particular underwater adventure, we happened upon many fantastical beasts of the sea. Among the myriad creatures we witnessed were pufferfish, parrotfish, butterfly fish, scale fin anthias and the wondrous whirling dervish of death that is the mantis shrimp (Anna J & Juliette R both nearly kicked it). 

Our second dive lead us to the Manila Channel, where we were faced with a fair amount of current and had to drift across the reef - taking in all of its magnificent wonders. Anna J discovered a boxfish for the first time in her life, and we managed to control our buoyancy excellently. 

The ultimate dive regrouped (almost) all students, instructors and teachers to help save our ocean. The Project Aware organisation permitted us to collect marine debris at the Sabang Bay and we proudly stacked 33kg of debris. 

By: Juliette and Anna

Wednesday 18th January

Today was an eventful day full of a variety of different dives. It started off with the open water divers adding more dives to their logbook in the morning at Monkey Beach and the Sabang Wrecks, where they saw a turtle. Smriti joined Mr Gamwell on a dive where they swam through an underwater passage and Jun Won and Thomas were in the classroom watching a video for their DPV course (Diver Propulsion Vehicle). Jun Won and Thomas then jumped into the water with their vehicles and raced underwater past the Alma Jane and the Sabang Wrecks where they saw a beautiful juvenile emperor angelfish. 

In the afternoon Ms Binnington, Jun Won and Thomas went on an adventurous and bumpy boat ride towards another dive site where we saw a perfect family of clownfish whilst Smriti and Mr Gamwell were experiencing extreme cold water at the Manila pass. 

At the end of the day everyone was back at the resort safe and quite tired however Mr Gamwell, Smriti, Jun Won and Thomas were not done yet as they still had to experience the majestic night dive. Thomas was extremely nervous for this dive however they descended at 6pm and were underwater with their flashlights exploring the ocean from a very different perspective. It was a magical experience.

Today was a very successful day as Smriti and Thomas are now Advanced Divers, the Open Water students are all officially certified, and everyone experienced an extremely entertaining and significant day of diving.

By: Thomas

Tuesday 17th January

Tuesday, 17th of January can be considered a day full of achievements. Today started with a miracle... everybody woke up on time for breakfast. What a surprising turn of events. Later on, the hardworking open water divers took their 'first step' into the ocean and another step towards becoming a fully-fledged scuba diver. Meanwhile, the advanced divers were off exploring the shipwrecks and mysteries of the never-ending abyss. Thomas and Smriti had an unforgettable opportunity to visit the infamous Alma Jane wreck whilst I (Jun Won) was rescuing missing divers.

Everyone came back from their adventures with a grins on their faces and stories to tell. My story of becoming a certified rescue diver ended today, where I passed my final scenario with flying colours. Thomas was especially helpful as he played the victim for the final exam. 

To top off the day, the teachers and instructors treated us to an Italian restaurant with a boat ride into the sunset. The ride home was stunning where beneath the waves there was bioluminescent plankton. So below there was an ocean of lights, and above there was a sea of stars.

By: Jun Won 

Monday 16th January

We woke up to light and fluffy pancakes this morning, followed by classroom sessions for open water divers and a fun dive for the advanced divers. The open water divers took their examination today and are eagerly waiting to dive into the ocean tomorrow morning. Three of us went for a fun dive in the morning, going as deep as 18 metres. it was absolutely amazing. We saw some large fish, as well as a wrecked boat. Tomorrow, we will witness an actual shipwreck as well as go on two other exciting divides.  Jun Won finally got into action and was placed in rescue scenarios. 

In the evening, once we were all showered and fresh, we attempted to head out for a walk but had to take a 'rain' check due to rainy weather conditions (extremely disappointing). We spent the evening playing some games and eating dinner. Once again, we were thrilled when we each received two 'large scoops of ice cream and devoured it while sharing highlights of the day with each other. 

Tomorrow is going to be full of adventure for all us, filled with new experiences!

By Smriti

Sunday 15th January

Today was an eventful day of learning, to say the least. We woke up early and started our day with a breakfast of champions. Following this, we all went to our respective classes and soon after many of us took our first breath underwater. It was exhilarating for those of us who'd been waiting for that moment since we signed up for the trip. We learnt how to assemble our gear and stay safe, including the important lesson that you need to have air in your tank in before you start diving! 

For the more advanced divers amongst us, they were able to dive in more exciting locations than the training pool. They arrived back from their trip to join everyone else for lunch and spoke of the rush of returning to the open ocean. The evening was spent playing games and enjoying the competitive spirit that hot chocolate and cookies after dinner had brought forth. 

Now we're all calming down after today and looking forward to the next. We'll all go to sleep dreaming of the tomorrow's wonders to be found under the waves.

By Morgan