Diving Paradise Found in the Philippines

Are you looking for diving paradise? Chances are you could find it among the 7,107 island archipelago known as the Philippines. You've got a fantastic array of diving options that wouldn't hurt so much in the pocket. One case in point is a little island resort called Club Paradise in the province of Palawan, Philippines.

It all starts with a small plane ride from the Manila Domestic Airport. You give your boarding pass to a pretty stewardess and proceed to board a small turboprop seating 32 passengers. Moments later, the copilot gets out of the cockpit to orient you on safety (huh, what happened to the stewardess?). A few minutes later your off on an adventure.

You touch down at a small regional airport. From the air, the island looks a bit rugged, rustic and barely inhabited (a welcome change from overcrowded Manila). Is that the fuselage of a crashed plane on the side of the runway? O well, I guess that there's no turning back now...

Well, the landing wasn't so bad. Getting out, it feels like you're caught in the middle of an old western that you half expect the Duke (bless his soul) to come out and greet you. The Club Paradise staff usher you to board extended jeepneys locally called well, dyip. Off you go through rough dusty roads in search of paradise. But as they say, paradise is for those who wait.

Then we get to the seaside and are greeted by long stretches of mangroves. The blue sea and the blue sky peppered by white clouds are inviting you to take a dip, but wait, this is not yet paradise. You board a large white outrigger boat called a banca, setting sail for Dimakya island.

The wind, the sky, the sea, the sights, and the trip kinda get to you, as if it were a sweet lullaby. The white sand palm-fringed islands beckon to you as in a dream, you'd have to pinch yourself. Is this paradise? Well, not yet.

Then, it comes into view - Club Paradise. A long stretch of white sand, an inviting hut surrounded by coconut trees, and singing? Yup, the staff of the resort welcome you to the Philippines, the singing islands. You step barefooted on the powdery white sand, "is this paradise?" you say to yourself. Not yet, you haven't scratched the surface, or should I say the deep?

After checking in to one of the cabanas, off you go, goggles in hand, for a short snorkel. The area surrounding the island is a marine sanctuary so it's teeming with life, and unfortunately, also death. The El Nino took its toll on the coral on the south side, the good thing is that it's recovering.

You start on the north side of the island, to the left (to the left... oops, I was imagining seeing Beyonce). Better yet, I am not imaging what I am seeing - coral and fish of all sizes and colors bursting into view. And what's that - a pretty violet rock at 15 feet. As you dive down, the rock moves and you are pleasantly surprised to find that the rock is actually a GIANT clam. Wow!

Moving on to the northwest, you take a plunge and relax in the cool blue water. Moments later, you are joined by a school of jacks that circle you as you participate in this underwater dance...

After a satisfying swim, its off to lunch, a siesta, and diving. Yup, you haven't donned your wetsuit and scuba gear and actually dived.

You proceed to the Dugong Dive center, named after one of the resort's main attractions - the sea cow or "dugong". You catch sight of the turtle hatchlings and arrange for a dive in the house reef. It's an easy dive, no more than 60 feet, but it's well worth the trip.

You start off at the north end to see that giant clam (and get a better look at it) and proceed to see the pygmy seahorses. You catch a few black spotted rays, relaxing in the riverbed. You swim a bit westward to get to the sea grass and catch glimpse of a few turtles. The dive master tells you that there's a crazy turtle who'd actually allow you to touch and feed him and you do. Not exactly a puppy, or even a guppy, but you are touched by the experience of connecting with another creature underwater.

Next, you're off to see the sea anemones and the clownfish of various colors. The little critters are fun to look at, but not so fun to be bitten by. So a bit of adrenaline rushes to your head as Nemo almost catches the end of your finger. You glance up and wow, it's the jacks again. This time you look up through the surface and see the sun reflecting on their silver white bodies.

You then look through the coral and see various fishes - large groupers, parrotfish and the like swim about minding their own business. You're overwhelmed with the experience that the beep of your air gauge catches you by surprise. It's already time to surface...

I only stayed two nights and had other stuff to do (it was a company outing) so I didn't have the time to check out the other dive sites (like the Japanese wreck). So for my surface interval, I checked out the bats, the deer, the hilltop, the night heron, the saltwater pool, the Safari (yes Virginia, there is a safari tour nearby) and other stuff. Suddenly, it's time to go...

So, you pack all your things, blaming yourself for not taking a longer vacation. Why is life so cruel that paradise has to wait and work cannot? You comfort yourself with the thought that someday, somehow, you will come back. You now understand why Gen. Douglas McArthur told the Philippines three quarters of a century back "I shall return." You'd make the same promise to this little patch of an island in the Philippines known as Club Paradise.