The dive boat was leaving at 8 am to take us to Apo Island. Darryl hurried to the bakery before we left to grab a couple of cakes for the journey. We left in the small black truck, packed full of dive equipment and headed to the boat.
The main boat's engine was having repairs made to the cooling system, so we hopped aboard a much smaller outrigger and headed out to sea. It was fairly choppy due to the wind and we got a little wet! The journey took approximately 45 minutes and the huge dark rock on the horizon gradually grew bigger and distinctly more like ... a tropical island paradise. Little nipa homes and coconut trees lined a small stretch of beach and it all looked very enticing!
The boat was moored to a buoy, we set up our dive gear and jumped in. Unfortunately Christine couldn't dive, so snorkelled and Darryl continued with the others in the group. The coral was stunningly beautiful and in pristine condition. The colours exquisite! Turtles were seen, a sea snake spotted and a wide variety of nudibranchs caught our attention. Fish everywhere! After the dive and a short rest, we headed back into the water for a second dive. Equally as rewarding as the first with various stone fish, scorpion fish and many other critters pointed out by the divemaster. A great dive in a lovely location.
We headed to the beach for lunch and a short stroll around the island. A number of people were cliff diving into the crystal clear water but one girl was a little scared. We watched in anticipation. Would she jump? Maybe, maybe not... she eventually plucked up the courage and in she went! We had a little look around the small local alleyways and then met back at the boat. We left Apo Island behind and headed back to Negros.
After the short journey back to our homestay in the truck we sat back and rested for a while before ... the birthday party of our homestay host started, in the garden! Freshly prepared food appeared from everywhere. There was a raw fish dish made from wahoo (a long thin super fast fish), homemade sausages and burgers, delicious spring rolls, fresh salad, mango. Basically a feast! The karaoke machine and its Filipino fans took centre stage until the special guests appeared! A Filipino samba band, with a variety of drums and a weird arrangement of plastic pipes and cow bells. They sounded fantastic and were accompanied by 3 fire dancers who were increbibly talented too. Wow, what a party! Everyone had a great time and didn't make it to bed until the early hours. What a day!
The main boat's engine was having repairs made to the cooling system, so we hopped aboard a much smaller outrigger and headed out to sea. It was fairly choppy due to the wind and we got a little wet! The journey took approximately 45 minutes and the huge dark rock on the horizon gradually grew bigger and distinctly more like ... a tropical island paradise. Little nipa homes and coconut trees lined a small stretch of beach and it all looked very enticing!
The boat was moored to a buoy, we set up our dive gear and jumped in. Unfortunately Christine couldn't dive, so snorkelled and Darryl continued with the others in the group. The coral was stunningly beautiful and in pristine condition. The colours exquisite! Turtles were seen, a sea snake spotted and a wide variety of nudibranchs caught our attention. Fish everywhere! After the dive and a short rest, we headed back into the water for a second dive. Equally as rewarding as the first with various stone fish, scorpion fish and many other critters pointed out by the divemaster. A great dive in a lovely location.
We headed to the beach for lunch and a short stroll around the island. A number of people were cliff diving into the crystal clear water but one girl was a little scared. We watched in anticipation. Would she jump? Maybe, maybe not... she eventually plucked up the courage and in she went! We had a little look around the small local alleyways and then met back at the boat. We left Apo Island behind and headed back to Negros.
After the short journey back to our homestay in the truck we sat back and rested for a while before ... the birthday party of our homestay host started, in the garden! Freshly prepared food appeared from everywhere. There was a raw fish dish made from wahoo (a long thin super fast fish), homemade sausages and burgers, delicious spring rolls, fresh salad, mango. Basically a feast! The karaoke machine and its Filipino fans took centre stage until the special guests appeared! A Filipino samba band, with a variety of drums and a weird arrangement of plastic pipes and cow bells. They sounded fantastic and were accompanied by 3 fire dancers who were increbibly talented too. Wow, what a party! Everyone had a great time and didn't make it to bed until the early hours. What a day!
