3. Snorkeling paradise
Grant Montgomery Travelogue: Philippines snorkeling paradise
I am so thankful for a weekend, as I have been feeling the jet-lag more so here in Asia than I did earlier in Africa. So Saturday I took the opportunity to catch up on some rest, as well as relaxing and seeing the lovely countryside around Cebu.
Then on Sunday I accompanied a group including our FCF Project Managers and their family and friends to a nearby island. They rented a local catamaran boat which took us out to coral reefs where we spent the day enjoying snorkeling, swimming and diving off the boat, coupled with lunch.
Prior to this snorkeling experience, my ultimate reference point had been beautiful Hanama Bay in Hawaii, which I likened to swimming in an aquarium –Well, I now have a new reference point for an even bigger and more exotic aquarium –the waters surrounding the islands off Cebu!
I lost track after counting 60-some varieties of fish amongst the coral! In addition to many of the same fish one might see in the waters off Hawaii, I saw brilliant fish with so many bright neon colors that I imagine God may have held a design contest to produce all that variety.
And that is not to speak of all the colors of coral and underwater plants, interspersed with purple starfish and a multitude of colorful fish, even the occasional stingray and barracuda.
P.S. – Oh, I should mention that the cost of the boat for the day for 25 people, including the cost of renting goggles and fins, plus bonus tips for the boatmen, etc. came to only $100!