Vitamin Sea

Day 110- We booked our boat to the island of Coron through Art Cafe for $33 CAD each. It would take us 6-8 hours of motoring, depending on the water. The journey went by pretty quickly, we read, we ate, we watched movies and...

Mark and Mike... well... they said it was impossible but...

DOUBLE NAP ATTACKKKKK. 

Also, I just about lost every piece of valuable property of mine when I went to tuck my bag safely under my seat! Luckily, at the last possible second, I looked under the chair and noticed that the back of the seat was the ocean!!! The photo below is a reenactment for your viewing pleasure.

                       

We arrived in Coron in the early evening and after checking into our room at Luis Bay Travellers hotel we went for some delicious pizza and wine at Altrove to celebrate our new beginning.

One of our main goals when we came to the Philippines was to scuba dive in the beautiful clear waters of the South China Sea. It was time to make our dream a reality. After dinner we asked around and found ourselves at Corto Divers. The staff at Corto was great from the moment we walked through the door. We booked with them without hesitation and were excited to do some diving. Something that makes the Philippines unique from other places we've gone diving at in the past are the World War 2 wrecks that cover the ocean floor. On September of 1944, the USA bombed 24 Japanese ships, sinking almost all of them. These ships are now a popular site for divers and snorkelers alike in Coron.

Day 111- We took a trike to Corto Divers where our dive master Randy and a diver master trainee (name unknown) took us to the harbour to start our day. We had the boat to ourselves, which was an absolute delight. 

The first wreck we visited was the Olympia Maru. This 122m long ship sits uprights and we were able to dive down to 26 meters, which is the deepest I have ever dove. The second wreck we visited was the Morazan Maru, which lies on its starboard side and is 95 meters in length. This one was our favorite as we got to dive inside the tight cramped walls of the ship. At some points it was so narrow that we had to swim single file. Our last dive was on the East Tangat Gun Boat, also known as a submarine hunter, at 40 meters long. Unfortunately, we realized on the first dive that our water proof camera was not working properly. Therefore we weren't able to take pictures of the first two wrecks but by some miraculous magical luck, the camera began working by the third dive. These are the photos I have to offer.

Below is a nudy branch that we saw on the boat.

A view of the front of the ship.

Mike going inside the ship through one of the openings. 

And potentially my favortite photo of the trip so far. 

He's going in.

BUBBLES!!!

Here is a little background for the non divers out there. There are two main reasons why a diver would have to return back to the surface. The first is because you run out of air and the second is because your nitrogen levels would reach a point where it would become unsafe to continue without risking decompression sickness. On shallower dives the limiting factor is almost always the time/nitrogen levels and not the air. Why do I give you this background information? Because I love oxygen sooooo much that I suck it back as hard as I can when diving. By doing so, I managed to almost run out of air on all three of my dives. At the beginning of each dive, all of our oxygen levels start at 200 psi and by the end of the dive the rest of our crew returned with around 80-100 psi. I however, returned with 10 psi. This caused my dive master to give me his secondary regulator twice while we waited at 5 meters to perform our regular safety stop for 3 minutes. Below is a photo of me performing the real skills of oxygen sharing with my dive master to get me safely to the surface. 

What can I say? I love me some O2. 

This diving experience was by far one of the coolest things Mike and I have ever done. We can now officially say we are wreck divers. 

After a great day of diving and activity, we headed back to shore. NAP ATTACK!

When we got home we needed to prepare for the great adventure that we'd been seeking since our arrival in the Philippines. The diving was just an appetizer. The true adventure would start the next day and we were still hopeful that it would give us what we were craving. 

Day 112- This was the day. We had booked ourselves in for a 5 day, 4 night, boat expedition. A 5 day trip where we we'd be camping on remote beaches, snorkelling, swimming and exploring rarely seen land around Coron. We booked through a company called Belarmino Ventures and our guides Janet and Todd were what originally excited us and suggested that this adventure had "IT". Janet, is the only woman in the world (plus her 2 teammates), to complete the grand traverse from Nepal to India whilst summiting mount Everest. She was also the first Philippina woman to summit Mount Everest. Her Husband Todd sailed around the world for 10 years, in an engineless sail boat?!! I know, right. We knew we were in good hands. Janet and her beautiful 2 year old daughter picked us up in a trike and we headed to the dock to meet our boat and the rest of our crew. 

                     

After we made our rounds with introductions, the engine started and off we went. We left port and went to our first destination. The anchor was dropped at Lusong Gunboat where a World War 2 shipwreck could be found 1 meter from the ocean surface, with part of it peeking above the water during low tide. After our dives from the day before I felt like I wanted more wreck diving and I was disappointed we didn't have more time but a snorkle around this sunken gem was just what I wanted. 

It's always a little eerie to swim around a wreck and see so many objects still in place as they were the day it sank, it is fascinating to be able to explore a piece of history, right at your flippers. There are no lines, no security guards to make sure you don't get too close, and no ribbon to keep you away. It was just us and our imaginations. 

Mike and I diving in to get a closer look. Not sure what is happening with my hands though haha. And thanks to a thoughtful christmas gift from my sister, Mike's nerve damaged hands where webbed up like a sea turtle.

Did someone say turtle? From the gunboat, we swam behind one of our amazing guides, Mac, to the Lusong Coral Garden. The coral life was spectacular and the colors florescent. We were even lucky enough to see our favorite underwater creature... the turtle.

We boarded the boat and set out to a beautiful beach with just a caretaker as its lone inhabitant. Calum Buyan is an island that is rummoured to be owned by the owner of Philippine Airlines. He has hired a caretaker to maintain the beach but other than that he has not developped anything on the island. It is a peaceful and secluded getaway that we were blessed to enjoy all on our own. While our lovely crew set up our camp for the night, we explored the stunning coral, just steps off the sandy beach.

And a sunset to finish it all off. 

Our crew grilled us some fresh fish, lentil curry and rice. Delightful.

                         

Day 113- One of my all time favorite moments while camping back home is waking up in the morning to the fresh mountain air and a magnificent view to compliment it. Camping in the Philippines was just as marvelous with the fresh ocean air greeting my nostrils and the rising sun illuminating my paradise. 

Good morning Philippines.

We started the day off with a morning snorkle and watched as all the underwater creatures came to life with the rising sun. A delicious breakfast was served to us on the beach before we said goodbye and set off for a new day of exploring.

The day prior, we had some issues with the boat and experienced a major loss of water in the radiator. So our first stop was to Concepcion Town to pick up some water. While the crew hauled buckets of water back and forth from the dock to the boat, we went on a trek with another one of our experienced guides .... to the Concepcion falls. The water issue provided us with a unique opportunity to see a local treasure that not many tourists get to see. We were excited to arrive at the falls only to realize that we were the only tourists among the locals. 

The fresh water pool was surprisingly cold and refreshing after a scorching hot walk in. Mark and I needed it most as we both have a nack for sweating. Some might say its a talent or perhaps a super power. Either way, we're especially good at it. 

                    

Time to jump in.

It's ok Mike, I see the rocks below. 

                      

After we were refreshed, we went back to the boat and chartered a course to our next destination. We stopped quickly at Panlaitan Fishing Village to take in some of the local culture and purchase dinner.

To finish off an already amazing day, we dropped the anchor at one of my new favorite places in the world, Black Island. 

Once again we shared the beach with only the island caretaker and a breathtaking view. 

The coral in front of the beach offered more captivating underwater discoveries including part of a ship wreck that washed up onto shore, schools of fish that could be mistaken for a wall and a hidden octopus. Snorkelling is how we spent the hours until the sun fell. As the night took over, we sat by a bon fire that our crew built for us on the beach, facing the dark ocean, with a full moon overhead lighting the night, all while Bob Marley gave us a beat. Perfection does exist, if only for a night, or a moment in time, it exists... and then your bum gets bit by a sandfly and you go to bed. 

After we vibed out on the beach for a while our Captain, Todd and his Wife Janet joined us for dinner. 

We were like school children listening to their incredible stories of being at sea in a sail boat with no engine and mountain excursions through the Himalayas. We cautiously shared some of our adventures well, excited to catch their interest. 

Black island had a few more inhabitants that we discovered the longer we stayed. This chubby little guy snuggled in under Mike, looking for a little foot massage. Yup, its a pig. 

Day 114-We awoke to yet another beautiful sunrise from our tents.

We started our day with our standard early morning snorkel and Mark managed to find a blue spotted sting ray hiding between two rocks. 

After our snorkel, we went back to shore where Mac and Naomi took us to explore a cave hiding in the 100m high rock wall that makes Black Island so unique. Not just any cave, a cave with a fresh water pool inside. Absolutely sublime. 

We see a cliff with water below it and we can't help but jump off. 

And Mike.. he didn't actually jump. He levitated. 

After our dip we boarded the boat to start our 3rd day at sea. Every morning before we'd set off for the day, Captain Todd would do a "chart talk" with us to give an idea of where we'd be going for the day.

It made me feel like a real explorer. First stop of the day was to Nalaut Island to do a reconnaissance mission. That's right, real exploring. Todd said he likes to go to new places as often as he can to find new hidden gems to bring his guests. Our mission was to snorkel this new land to see if it had anything to offer. Off we went in our paddle boat to get closer to shore. 

There she is, what new discoveries would we find below the surface?

Straight away I found this cool shell in the shape of a crab. Mac said I could keep it and it would look really pretty after it gets cleaned. I was very excited with my new discovery and my new shell went with me everywhere I went.

There were many caves and nooks within the island and from under the water you could find them by following the rushing water splashing with the tide. Mac led me into the shallow water and into one of the caves. The caves were home to thousands of little crabs. While out of the water, I noticed something on my new shell. OH NO. It was alive. Time to leave my little friend behind. Lucky I didn't get bit by him. I guess that's why you're not supposed to touch anything in the ocean. 

Mike and I exploring the deep blue.

                      

After we thoroughly checked out the island we got back on the boat to debrief with the captian and head to the next spot. But, not before we enjoyed a beautiful lunch on the boat. One thing was for sure on the expedition, there was never a shortage of food. Every time we got out of the water there was a snack, meal or fresh drink waiting for us. I don't think any of us have ever eaten so well. 

After lunch we arrived at Dugong Point, which is well known to have manatees and reef sharks at certain times of the year. The current was strong so we got dropped off in a paddle boat at one end and road the current, over the dark blue ocean, all the way back to the boat. Mike was camera happy and got some beautiful shots.

Hellooooooooo. Why so angry fish?

My sidekick.

Unfortunately we didn't see any manatees or sharks, I say unfortunately because I think it would be really cool to see them in the wild but trust me, I would be scared to see them all the same. Each snorkle site on the trip was unique and different from the others and it was always surprising how different they could be. This site had huge coral heads shooting out of the ground in every direction. 

After another solid session of snorkelling, we went to Research Channel to camp for the night. We stayed at a beach owned by the cutest man and wife. They have spent the last 20 years building a beautiful landscape on their land with trees and plants imported from many places around the world. 

Vince, the man who owns the land, spoke with us of his experiences during WW2. He was a great story teller and spoke every word with a smile. Also, we just so happened to arrive on his 81st birthday. Vince is one of those people that I am so glad that I met and his kindness will stay with me forever. 

Bucket showers were our only way to keep fresh while on the boat trip. It is crazy how unnecessary showers seemed while we were living a dream in the Philippines. 

                        

We ended the night with dinner and drinks by the ocean. Nothing better than 3 great friends enjoying each others company. 

                      

And this little guy had our attention for some time... his dance moves were off the hook. Chudi and Kassie, this ones for you;

                             

Day 115- We began the morning at Alava fishing village where we purchased some fresh fish for lunch and dinner. 

It was fresh alright. It came right off the boat.

We also happened to come across two kids training their roosters how to be fighters and we witnessed a mini cock fight. Turns out it's not my thing... 

We headed back to our colorful boat and made our way to Alava Point to do some snorkelling. 

We saw many cool fish in and between the rock formations. It is always cool how large the islands are from under the water. Much bigger than they appear to be on the surface.

Next we headed to Dicabaitot Channel where the current was strong and we moved along with it while snorkelling in the shallow coral. We didn't bring our camera on this dive, which was unfortunate because we saw some really cool nudy fish along the way. 

We finished the night off in Ditaytayan, where we witnessed the most dramatic and magnificent sunset we've ever seen. The sky quickly turned 50 shades of orange and red and it reflected off the clear blue ocean transforming it into fire.

                       

The sunset captured on video. Proof that no filter or enhancements were done to the photos above. 

                          

Fresh fish was grilled up on some hot coals from our fire.

Our last night was enjoyed with the company of Janet and Todd, sharing more travel stories, speaking of lifes purpose and trying to figure out ways to live this life forever.

We sat by the campfire with drinks in hand, looking back at the last 4 days in the Philippines. When we were in El Nido, we wanted more and came to Coron to find it. What we got far exceeded our expectations. Turns out all we needed was a little vitamin sea.  It was pure magic and an experience that none of us will ever forget. It will make the list right next to our Amazon adventure, one we thought could never be matched. 

Day 116- We woke up to our last sunrise sad that our adventure had to come to an end.

We started our last day as we had every morning prior, with a snorkel. 

The caretaker of the island came walking down the beach with hats made of palm leaves, one for each of us. What a way to end.

It was time to leave our last beach but we still had a full day ahead of us before the adventure was over. Below is a view of the beach from our boat.

Our first stop of the day was at Bulog Dos for some snorkelling. The views were spectacular and the coral was pretty sweet too but unfortunately, the wind had come in and we were faced with some rough waves that made it difficult to snorkel. So I cut my snorkel short to take some photos of the awesome landscape.

Next we rode some wild waves to Atwayan Beach, luckily the beach was in a hidden little cove so we were able to snorkel without any trouble. We didn't have our camera with us but we managed to see a turtle, some cool yellow fish swimming in a school and a lot of coral. 

Lastly, we headed to Barracuda Lake. This lake is hidden within the large rock walls of Coron and a jungle that surrounds it from all sides. Before we headed into the lake we jumped off the boat a few times, doing anything we could to extend our time in paradise.

The lake is mostly fresh water mixed with some salt. Steps take you in through jagged, sharp rocks. 

And on the other side, a peaceful great lake. 

After we left Barracuda lake we made the quick journey back to Coron Town. I'm sure Todd was driving the boat slower than usual, making every minute count. It was sad to say goodbye to the people who made our experience so authentic, comfortable, magical and memorable. Without their hard work and knowledge, it wouldn't have been so impactful. Janet and Todd were truly inspiring and I aspire to accomplish half of what they have in their lives.  

                         

The crew that made it all happen. 

On our way back to the dock, we captured a shot of the infamous engineless sailboat that took Todd around the world... twice! What a life. 

We highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for adventure in the Philippines, their website is: www.belarminoventures.com

Now it was time to say goodbye to our travel companion Mark and board the plane to our next destination. Mark, thank you for joining us on another great adventure, we really are the "three best friends that anyone could have". 🎶

About Janet Belarmino Forney and Belarmino Ventures

On May 16th 2007, Janet became one of the 3 women (with Noelle Wenceslao and Carina Dayondon) to be the First Women in the world to traverse Mt. Everest- climbing from Chinese ABC camp to the summit of Everest and back down to Nepal- a record still unbroken. She is the youngest mother to summit Everest, standing on top of the world 5 months after giving birth. She is also one of the first Filipinas to summit Mt. Everest and one of the first 3 Filipinas to become the first Southeast Asian women to summit Mt. Everest.

After climbing Mt. Everest, Janet took on the epic and historical sailing Voyage of the Balangay in 2010, where she and her teammates made a replica of the ancient boat Balangay carbon dated 320A.D and sailed it around South East Asia.

In 2012, Janet sailed with her husband Todd Forney and son Himalaya on their 32 ft Tahiti Ketch from Langkawi Malaysia, down the Malacca, around Singapore, across the North coast of Borneo and up the West Coast of Palawan. The same year, Janet and Todd started BELARMINO VENTURES which provide island boat expeditions in Northern Palawan and high altitude mountaineering expeditions worldwide. She is also a motivational speaker from the world of adventure, exploration and endurance, Janet has pushed herself to the edge. 

August 2017. The unexpected tragedy and untimely death of Janet’s daughter recently led her and her family on the hardest expedition they have ever experienced. An expedition she never signed up for.  A 30 day trek to the valley of memories where she and her husband built a memorial for their daughter, Amihan, at 5000mtrs asl – turning tragedy into transformation, loss into legacy.  She is someone who has taken on some of the hardest and most treacherous journeys on the planet. In short, she is precisely the kind of person to inspire others to achieve great things.

Visit www.belarminoventures.com, for more information on El Nido & Coron Palawan Island Boat Expeditons, and  her Himalayan Mountaineering Expeditions, Mountaineering Expeditions worldwide, and Trekking  Expeditions worldwide. 
Motivational speaking www.janetbelarmino.com

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, or contact us at belarminoventures@gmail.com for inquiries.