Camiguin Norte, an Island Paradise

I took up an Open Water Diver course with PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) in 2006 because of my love for nature, especially the sea. I was inspired to take a certification in scuba diving after I had my introductory dive at Apo Island near Dumaguete in Negros Oriental. Apo Island is a marine sanctuary that is very rich in marine biodiversity. It was one of the most unforgettable places that I have ever visited. I gave up all of my five tropical fish tanks (ranging from 5 gallons up to 120 gallons) after I became a certified scuba diver. That was before Camiguin Norte, in the Babuyan Islands, became my home for three years.

In Camiguin Norte, (in the municipality of Calayan in Cagayan) one does not need scuba diving gear to appreciate the beauty of its rich marine biodiversity. Only a diving mask or even a pair of swimming goggles is enough to observe the live corals even only at chest deep crystal clear waters. Innumerable variety of fishes can be seen in their natural habitat, from the orange and white colored clownfish to the multi colored parrot fish. It is a common experience to see an octopus swimming by. I have even encountered some other species of fish, whose name I do not know, that I thought I could only see over the Discovery Channel. On several instances, while riding on a boat to go around the island, we have to veer away from large sea turtles crossing right in front of our path.

It was in Camiguin Norte that I saw for the first time countless dolphins in the wild, bow-riding along our boat. I saw about a hundred of them all at once playfully leaping out of the water and swimming in synchronized movement with one another. I did not know where to direct the lens of the video camera I was holding because of amazement and disbelief! According to one of the marine mammal volunteer researchers that I was with at that time, the number of dolphins that can be seen above the water is three times more underwater. So one cannot actually imagine how many dolphins there are around this island.

And my most unforgettable experience of all is my encounter with the humpback whales right within the cove where the main settlement of the island is located. A close encounter with these huge marine mammals, some as big as a bus, is enough to take your breath away. The sight of the movement of the whale when it surfaces, from the blow to the dorsal fin and finally its fluke (tail), arouses in me a mixed feeling of excitement and fear. I can feel my heart beating faster, for it is not a common sight to behold an enormous creature just a few meters right in front of you. These humpback whales, which migrate from the northern hemisphere to our islands during the summer months of March, April and May, make the Babuyan Islands their mating and breeding place. That is why sightings of these creatures around the islands may be in pairs, a mother and a calf (baby whale), or in triads – a mother, a calf and an escort.