El Nido archipelago a paradise with activities

We were a bit tired all of the new year celebrations, but at nine-thirty in the 2012 first day we waded out to our “bangka” outrigger boat for the day’s adventures in the world famous archipelago.

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It was loaded into a lot of food and drink in various pots and baskets and a box full of equipment for snorkeling development. For rent in advance would have been totally unnecessary. We cruised to the last out of a lot of boats anchored and hammered away out towards the enticing islands in perfect weather.

When we began to get acquainted with each other, some Israeli youth, a Spaniard, a British-amerikan young couple and signed (in addition to three crew members and a Filipino woman who would fix the food on an island, plus her Swedish friend) so we realized that the confusion about which of tour packages, A, B, C or D was total. Someone had promised C, I thought it was A, and it proved to be B – saying Snake Island, Catherdral Cave and The Law, Pinabuyutan Island and Pangalusian Island.

Which of the tours it now was did not matter to me for whatever was new and interesting. Should be tested any earlier that week, but the weather had been unsettled some days and I wanted pictures with blue skies. The tours turs can be confusing and difficult to bowl from, with some of the same places, but it assumes some of the different interest in canoeing, see the caves and beaches or snorkeling.

After about an hour ride across the bay, past the Helicopter Island (as look like one), we added the Pinabuyutan Island and dropped food and cook. Then we headed on towards the first stop which involved snorkeling the reef outside Pangalusian Island where the beautiful beach owned by a private resort and we did not go ashore. Someone at the luxurious holiday village guests of a megaphone that we did not ignite any firecrackers. It was not really relevant when we were snorkeling …

We lay at anchor, with a view of the protected Turtle Isaland, where there was clear water and only 2-4 meters deep in some small scattered coral reefs. Soon we were in the water with mask, snorkel and flippers
and flippers. Some had never been snorkeling before, but had no problems. Only a few were too tired after yesterday’s partying and abstained.

To me that does not appeared in such clear water before it was an experience directly. Like swimming among fishes in an aquarium, larger model, in every conceivable shimmering colors. One of the Israeli girls had a waterproof digital camera and one of the sailors dived down and photographed a moraine in a coral cave. We also saw a big blue starfish and an endless variety of corals in all colors and formations.

After an hour relieved we weighed anchor and went to Snake Island, which has a sandbar that has to take a walk along the clear waters and a small lookout point to climb up to. Before we waded ashore we were warned of stingrays that might lie hidden in the fine sandy bottom.

This was the second tour groups their lunch with grilled fish, etc, but we went back to the beautiful beach and lush bay at Pangalusian Island where grilled fish, meat, rice and vegetables was laid up for a lunch in the shade of palm trees.

Since everyone was either lethargic and slept in a hammock between the trees or left talking at the table and this with a visit to the remarkable Catherdral Cave 50 meters away came by itself. The guides were not active driving and I hung himself by chance at the last minute in a large Italian group, and we crawled in through an small opening and went on into a spacious cavern with bell tower high ceilings where the daylight shining into far up there.

I had only a brief look and crawled out again, because our boat was about to put out. The rest of the team missed the cave visit, which was a shame and a failure of the guides. We went to another part of the island to leave out of the four Israeli youngsters who would spend the night in tents that were set there.

We rest went home with a stop at the beautiful beach at the damatik steep rock island Pangalusian Island, where I and Spaniard Emilio snot-booked at a coral reef that was very very different than the first. Stronger colors and more varied formations. More and larger fish of all kinds and a depth down to the great blue beyond the reef that made me felt as I flew, with a deep-space, full of shimmering fish below one.

On the way home we saw a fin sticking up, like a shark, which probably was the tail of a dolphins. A moment later there was a flying fish hovering over the crests of the waves a surprisingly long distance. As we glided toward our anchorage at El Nido beach had some glimpse of the turtles, which are to where in the rocky part.

There was some swell and we had plenty tough job to wade ashore, but to drown our equipment. A little wet, right sunburned and happy we came ashore after a successful start to the new year.

Image: Pangalusian Island