Macan - Day something

The diving at Mactan is shockingly gorgeous. I don't really know why I'm so taken aback with the sumptuousness of the reef and the thriving marine life it supports. Maybe because it's just a hop, skip and jump away from both the airport and the city, surrounded by careless locals and non eco friendly Japanese tourists? I'm doing 4 dives a day and each time I hit the water, I'm impressed. I discover something new. My focus has always been the marine life, but this trip has made me appreciate the coral as well, especially during the night dives, where the torchlight makes them glow like jewels adorning a harem. The colours are bold, rich and blend incongruously together. Pinks, reds, greens, blues, yellows, blacks....  I'm entranced by the tiny coral beings that mimic miniature fir trees in shocking hues and that suck into themselves and disappear into the coral if you rush water over them. I start at the sight of coral that looks like a mine  and gape at a starfish with 10 arms! I notice subtleties in the fish species and spend hours post diving poring through the fish book. 

I also think I know why I don't write about the diving - because there's just too much to say, to try and share the exquisite beauty. It has to been seen, to be experienced. You can't read about it. Even watching it on film is oddly dissatisfying as the two dimensional view is grossly inadequate to capture the depth of it's richness. 

But, as I'm marveling at the richness of the house reef, my peripheral vision is snagged by something white and as I turn to focus on it, my brain tries to synthesize the information my eyes are relaying... it large, white and not natural. A shipwreck? But it's suspended mid water and not morbidly resting at the bottom as all good wrecks must. As my neurons fire processing the fact that it seems to be getting bigger, my emotions go 'Whoaaaa! It's coming towards me!!' The thing is indeed looming larger and what do you know... it's a submarine. I kid you not, a real submarine with ratty little tourists with cameras peering through the portholes taking photos of the coral. How bizarre! I'm offended at the thought of being part of someones vacation photos, while stifling the urge to giggle at the sheer silliness of it. Certainly got more than I bargained for on this dive...

P.S. - Sadly, the silliness serves only to destroy what nature has given us. The day before my departure, news is that the submarine got to close to the coral and hit it. It's been pulled for now and there's hue and cry from environmentalists and divers about how this should not be allowed..... wonder how long before it's back and uncaring about keeping a safe distance from both the reef and the divers...