Posted under Philippines
After Aaron’s brush with death, we had a quick but intense powwow in our room during which he acknowledged his bad judgment and promised never to scare me like that again; hugs were exchanged and, a few hours later, we were back underwater, cruising around a spectacular coral-covered dive site. Aaron had gotten his original set of equipment back and all was right in the world again.
We dove leisurely over the next few days and spend our free time eating cheese spaetzle at our resort, patronizing the neighboring seaside restaurant patios, reading, and scouring local fish books to identify the subjects of our underwater photos. We bought fresh fruit from a local woman who came by our resort with a round, flat basket on top of her head and, each day, I let her extort me on the fruit prices because she was so sweet. People walked by the resort all day long, peddling beaded jewelry, cell phones, string bracelets, clothing, pool cues and a few other odd items but we only bought from our fruit lady. Sometimes beggars came by too, which is always disheartening in a resort atmosphere. It’s difficult to enjoy your three-dollar latte with dark, desperate eyes piercing your soul. The beggars appeared to be rural folk, filthy and shoeless, not just down on their luck but truly destitute. One woman walked by with a baby suckling her exposed breast; the empty look in her eyes implied a life of such continual struggle and hardship that she had simply resigned herself to it long ago. There certainly seemed to be some small income opportunities for those few Sabang natives lucky enough to get a sliver of the tourist dollars that trickled in. And, of course, we saw plenty of foreign men taking advantage of the young Filipinas for hire.
The rest of our diving in Sabang was easy and enjoyable. Other “muck dives” yielded much-coveted seahorses – both pygmy seahorses, which are about the length of a fingernail and difficult to spot since they blend seamlessly into the coral and also thorny seahorses, which are three-to-four inches long, delicate and fascinating. I have always been intrigued by seahorses: they are one of the world’s few creatures whose males carry their offspring. I have always wanted to see one but they are as difficult to find as they are beautiful. Imagine my elation at seeing more than five on a single dive!
We also saw an impressive variety of nudibranchs. These multi-colored sea slugs are small but easy to spot because of their bright contrast to the muted coral. Nudibranchs are especially interesting because their lungs protrude from their bodies, functioning externally. They photograph beautifully because of their bright colors and slow movement. The tiny size of the nudibranchs makes it difficult to appreciate their intricate details with the naked eye. By now, I don’t even strain to see them anymore; I just wait for Aaron to work his camera magic and view them after the dive. They are by far the prettiest slugs I’ve ever seen, which really doesn’t say much.
As we loaded our bags and ourselves onto the pumpboat for Batangas, the young boys climbed aboard again looking for coins to be tossed. Their youthful exuberance was refreshing and I handed a few pesos to one of the boys but he kept it for himself rather than tossing it into the sea. Smart kid. As the boat motored slowly away from the shore, I felt a twinge of sadness. Sabang is a sleepy little divers’ town with no beach to speak of, which doesn’t stop the natives from wading in on a hot day. There is little to do besides dive, drink beer and wait for the spectacular tropical sunsets. Life is slow and simple. The locals are friendly. The diving in Sabang is excellent for its diverse underwater world of captivating shipwrecks, gorgeous hard and soft corals and treasure chest of fascinating, unusual sea creatures. Seahorses…check!
Comments Off on Seahorses in Sabang
