Our Odyssea begins with this distant country. But first, why the Philippines? The short answer is diving. Following a recommendation from one of Sandrine’s friends, we started researching on a Facebook group, whose advert caught our attention. The thinking and questioning began, but they were short-lived, as the desire to go and live in the warmth for one and discover the world for the other had been in our heads for many years. Despite the whys and wherefores, the fears and uncertainties, we’ve decided to take the plunge. We submit our application within the next week, and a week later our future is mapped out. Our training will begin on February 1, 2024 at the Institute for Marine Research in Dauin, on the island of Negros Oriental (www.institutemarineresearch.org).
January 22, 2024 – departure from Switzerland for our first destination. With our emotional goodbyes behind us, we set off for a 24-hour journey, full of excitement, before arriving in Cebu. It’s about 3pm, terribly hot, and we head for our hotel by cab for the first 2 nights to rest and gently acclimatize. Suitcases packed again and prepaid sim card in pocket, we begin our discovery of Cebu Island with Moal Boal, a tiny seaside destination to the south-west of Cebu. It’s very popular with divers because of its rich marine life, and in particular the sardine experience. We stay here for 4 nights, snorkeling only from the beach, knowing that we’ll be diving almost daily for the next 3 months.
We continue with a stop at the Fantasy Lodge hotel in Sibuan, located on the road to the town of Liloan. We highly recommend a stop here. A small haven of peace set on a cliff by the sea, where you can enjoy the pool as well as the beach, and delight in delicious dishes made from local ingredients, as well as homemade fruit juices and rums. They also offer land and sea tours, as well as transfers to Cebu airport and the port of Liloan (www.fantasylodge.ph).
At the port of Liloan, we board a ferry bound for Dumaguete, where we’ll be met by an IMR member to take us to Dauin, our destination for the next 3 months. Dauin is a medium-sized town of around 30,000 inhabitants, renowned for its many dive sites and marine reserves. You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a dive center or accommodation. We’ve also unearthed a few good addresses for the pleasure of your taste buds, a pleasure not to be neglected 😉
At the time of writing, it’s been almost 8 weeks since we set down our suitcases. Our days are divided between dives, courses and workshops, 6 days a week. Each dive is different and allows us to improve our technique. This is essential for optimal surveillance work, as well as for gaining experience and improving our diving techniques.
We use our day off, Sunday, to discover a little of the area and sometimes just to rest. There’s no need to feel guilty about watching a film in the middle of the day, when it’s 34 degrees, because here it’s summer every day.
Now that we’re more than halfway through our training, it’s time to think about what’s next for our Green Odyssea. Many ideas are emerging: extending our stay at the institute, discovering other islands in the Philippines, working in another research center, applying on workaway (www.workaway.info) in different fields, discovering Asia, everything is open.
More in one of the next articles 😉