This is the first trip of Kuya Bong back to his homeland, the Philippines since leaving for the US a couple of years back. That small strip of concrete behind him (shoulder high) that leads into the sea, is the pier. This is what we use to get to the deeper end (10ft.) for our shore entry dives.

That's Kuya Bong with Mark "The Lost Boy". That's an official white DECO Diver shirt on Mark.

The dive trip produced several memorable moments for everyone. Bitoy got to see his first shark, a 6ft. white tip that we manage to box in inside an overhang. In between the end of the dive site Layag-layag all the way to Bahura Kanto, is a stretch of reef known as the shark apartments. We planned to drift along with the current all the way to Bahura Kanto, which is a beautiful dive site with great formations and drop offs; but as luck would have it, there was no current and we were able to spot a white tip. Lined up in a row along the entrance of the cavern, we watched up close as it swam around until it finally decided to exit near Elaine.

That's me and Kuya Bong soaking in the afternoon sun on one of the numerous lounge chairs in Dive N Trek.

Part of the appeal of Dive N Trek is the beautiful sunsets that you get each afternoon. Lounging around during dusk is one of the things I look forward to every trip. It really gives you a sense of being as far away as possible to the hectic city life, altough it's only a couple of hours away.

Starting from the top left, that's Mark, Winston (the local dive guide), Jojo "Beachbum" Limjoco, below him is Bong, crouching below Mark is Elaine, beside Bitoy, and the one on the bottom left is me!

As part of the excitement of the trip, Bong was able to catch a lobster, one each night we stayed there(Sorry Chito, but we did let the other one loose). The other lobster wasn't so lucky, being that it was already mighnight, we weren't able to get any supplies we need to cook the lobster. So, being resourceful divers that we are, or just really hungry at the time, we wrapped the live lobster in a newspaper and set it on fire. The lobster we ate that night was the best tasting lobster I've had ever, the lobsters in the restaurant and in the five star hotels all would taste bland compare what we had.

Ladies man Jun with Elaine and Grace. This is where we hangout and fix our gear

Bito also did his first ever night dive and Bong did his first decompression dive. All in all, it was a great weekend and everyone had a wonderful time. But as if it wasn't enough, although it really wasn't, we set out on another dive trip the following weekend. This time we went to Villa Ligaya, the dive resort of Philippine Technical Divers. This, like Dive N Trek, is also located at Anilao, Batangas. With their airconditioned rooms, numerous isolated twins and deco tanks, oxygen facilites, nitrox and even trimix filling, this is the undisputed haven for technical divers. Throw in the scrumptuous meals and superb deserts made by Pixie, this is a place where every diver should stay, tech or otherwise.

The picturesque backdrop of Dive N Trek, with Bong, Jojo, Elaine, Jun and Bito, all blocking the scenery.

The first day, we dove Mapating Cave. Unquestionably, Mapating Cave is the hands down favorite of the DECO Divers. Many divers, including experienced dive masters and instructors have not even seen the cave or do not normally dive it. Mainly because of how though it is to find the site, it is situated far from the shore and any landmarks. And it is hard to get an anchor on it, because of the fierce currents and that the surrounding area is deep. But, being the DECO divers, we've managed to get the correct coordinates for the site. Here Bong got a taste of DECO diving. We anchored the boat and went down, and as the floor was starting to become visible, we saw the anchor skipping across the bottom of the ocean floor. Everyone started swimming down to shelter from the current and to get a hold of something to hold on to. Totek led the way to the cave and we started clawing our way though the bottom which was made up of loose, dead coral. At around 12 minutes into the dive we were able to get to the top of the rock at 90 ft., but not after I had been stung several times by the multitude of sea urchins on the bottom, my hand looked like a cactus! We immediately went down and in the cave to look around enjoy the cave with what little bottom time that we had left. We were only able to go to the end of the shorter tunnel, which is really short and light was still visible from the entrance. The other tunnel would have gone beyond daylight and a restriction on that tunnel would lead down to a big chamber at 200 feet. While we didn't see any of the resident marble rays, we did get to see the flashlight fish after a short light shut.

This is were we get tanks. Here we are just about ready for a night dive with enough time for a few pictures.

We were able to arrange a boat to take us to Mindoro Island, although relatively near, still is too far for most dive boats to go to. Here my sister Dandin was able to see her first shark, a rather stout 6 to 8ft white tip. We have packed lunches and ate at one of the remote beaches that lined the island. Overall, it was another great trip and a good ending for the homecoming of my cousin Kuya Bong. We all can't wait till he returns for another series of dive trips.

Here is Bong and Mark showing off a little bit more than just their gear. :)

Our midnight snack! Bong caught one for the group, don't tell Chito (DnT's resort manager)! He'll have our heads for taking one!