It was already morning and I had a really great night’s sleep. Today is the day I would go island hopping in the Bacuit Archipelago in El Nido, Palawan. I waited for my other ship mates, the Korean American lady, the Swedish guy, and the couple from Turkey and Albania. Quite an interesting mix of people don’t you think? I went to the meeting point and discovered that they were up early too. Seems like they were as excited as I was.
The sea looks much calmer than it did the pervious day, so I think I would enjoy this a lot more than the previous day. The sun was already high up and it promises to be a great sunny day. It is a prefect day to go island hopping in one of the greatest seascapes in the world!
The Bacuit Archipelago is a small group of islands off the coast of El Nido in Palawan. It boasts of striking limstone islands jutting out of the sea. Maybe more impressive than the islands above the water are the numerous coral reefs surrounding islands. Naturally, the coral reefs here hosts innumerable species of fish. It really is a great place for snorkeling and diving. This great combination prompted the Philippine government to declare the area a protected area.
Our first stop is Miniloc Island one of the many islands in the archipelago. Miniloc Island is a limestone island bounded by numerous lagoons and beaches. I’ve read about the beauty of these lagoons and beaches in guide books, but I was not prepared for what lay ahead.
When we got there what I saw was the most amazing scene. Welcome to Small Lagoon. Just off the side of Miniloc Island is an aptly named lagoon. The lagoon is noticably shallower than the sea, the water is so crystal clear that you can see right to the bottom. The bottom is white sand and combine it with the sun high above, the water gives off an otherworldly iridescent blue green color. The dramatic limestone rocks surrounding the lagoon add to the effect.
My shipmates were just as impressed and promptly got off the outrigger and swam. Surprisingly there is a small opening for swimmers and small boats to go through. Revealed an almost enclosed lagoon. I would have loved to take pictures of that place but I feared for my camera. One wrong move can send me and my digital camera into the water. I’d rather not risk it.
The inner lagoon was likewise surrounded by sharp limestone formations. I can tell that the tourists also in the lagoon were very much impressed by what they are seeing. The hot morning sun does not seem to bother them. I couldn’t resist the lure of the water and jumped in myself. Not being a very good swimmer, I took a life jacket with me. Who would have known it was that hard to move in the water with the life jacket on. There were several points where I could not feel the floor anymore but the water was clear enough that I could still see right down.
Inside the lagoon, people can do a little snorkeling as there are a lot of small fish inside. There isn’t really much to do in there other than swim and snorkel. I was sorry I didn’t buy a waterproof case for my digital camera, it would have been great to take photos here. At this point the sun was already quite high and it was getting more and more difficult to take photos without over-exposing anything.
After half and hour of flopping in the water, I headed back to our boat. And one by one my shipmates likewise came back obviously very happy. After taking the mandatory pictures, we headed out to our next destination.
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