Dive day one started strong with incredible corals, a couple mantas, minimal currents and, on the surface, the largest school of pilot whales ever. A few club members seemed shocked at how large the “dolphins” got in Tubbataha before realising how special our encounter really was. After eating the first of many great dinners we all headed off to bed, exhausted by a full day of diving. 

Our first two dives the next day were equally pretty as the day before, but we were still missing out on the “big stuff” as we had started to refer to our wishlist – mantas, whalesharks, and hammerheads. Our guides had told us to hope for big currents and I guess we hoped a bit too hard because boy did we get hammered – and not by the sharks. We were diving in two groups and in my group the guide went down first and I immediately watched him fly away at super speed – I prepared to drop like a rock and sank as quick as I could before dropping over the side of the wall and cruising along. And by cruising I mean rocketing. This dive was in fact the most active of the trip, with a massive school of jacks, schooling baby black tips, and uncountable reef sharks. However, on returning to the surface we learned that the other group had not been as lucky – there had been a medical emergency within the group and one of our club members had needed to be resuscitated and required medical treatment.

The entire crew and our “carer contingent” provided treatment in the ways that they could, but the decision was made that the only way to proceed was to return to shore to ensure that our fellow club member would be okay. Somehow, in what I can only describe as a remarkable recovery, our club member was (and is) perfectly fine. We are all incredibly grateful to the crew of Stella Maris and to our carer contingent, who went above and beyond and absolutely saved a life that day.

Because of the distance to Tubbataha, and therefore the fuel requirements, it was cost prohibitive to return to the National Park. We all had a big sleep in after a wildly long night and then were presented with our new itinerary, local diving around Puerto Princesa. Not known for its incredible corals or “big stuff,” this area does have decent muck diving sites and the close by Honda Bay does occasionally have whalesharks swimming through. Those of us who had been on the Visayas trip were pumped to be getting back to the mud and the mystery of muck diving – but understandably this was not everyone’s cup of tea. 

The next day we went out on a fruitless and extended journey in the chase boats to look for disturbances on the surface that might indicate the presence of a whaleshark – fortunately it was a gorgeous day out and we saw plenty of dolphins, unfortunately the whalesharks managed to elude us once again. The following day was my birthday and after one too many gins I suggested I might teach a course – Twerking 101 – to anyone who chose to participate in the festivities. The crew seemed to have overheard this and the next morning I was informed of the game plan for the day. We would do a couple morning dives, go to land for 90 minute massages, and then after dinner we would be escorted by some crew members to a “comedy bar.”

It’s in air quotes because, yes, a comedy bar is something different in the Philippines it turns out. We were warmly greeted – or accosted, a matter of opinion really – on entry by three high heeled, karaoke singing, drag queens. I could not have been more excited. Throughout the night, and after a few cocktails, everyone who came to shore danced and sang for hours with the drag queens. A few even took my course. We returned to Stella for a rambunctious after party that lasted long into the night after all the club members had gone to sleep; the crew was apparently very ready to let loose after what I imagine was a highly irregular and stressful trip. 

The next morning there was some frantic packing by the less organised (and hungover) of our group while we said our goodbyes. Those with early flights went directly to the airport while a few of us were dropped at hotels to spend some time in Puerto Princesa or the surrounds, before returning home. 

This Philippines adventure was a once in a lifetime experience for a multitude of reasons and I am eternally grateful to every single participant of these two trips for making it so. I am very excited for our next club trip (TO BALI!) – taking all my new dive skills, muck diving prowess, and wet gear transport expertise – and using it to make the next trip even better. 

If reading this report has inspired you to come on an Overseas Club Trip, then make sure to check out the “What’s On” section of our website for more information about upcoming club trips!

Happy Bubbling,

Danielle

Overseas Trips Coordinator