Last summer, my youngest daughter, Hashana, together with her friends Hakki, Kas, Georgia and Tristan went on a life-changing adventure – SCUBA DIVING. Their parents, being divers themselves wanted to share their passion for diving. This is one sport the whole family can engage in safely with proper training from a licensed scuba diving instructor.

It all started informally at first. Dave introduced the kids to diving by letting the kids swim, then snorkel and  try on the scuba gears in the pool. After a few sessions, the kids were comfortable enough to start their formal scuba diving lessons. Like the adult class, they had a series of lectures and pool sessions before their check-out dive in Batangas. They also had to pass the written exam before getting certified as Junior Open Water Divers.

Nothing beats sharing our passion with our little ones. I just can’t get enough taking pictures and videos of the kids enjoying themselves underwater. Scuba diving also provides a venue for the parents to  teach their children to appreciate, value and take care of our underwater environment. After all, they are the future stewards of the sea.

This coming September 19, the Concerned Divers for the Philippines (CDP) in cooperation with Project Aware , Aquamundo and Crystal Blue Resort will hold it’s annual coastal and underwater cleanup along the shorelines of Mabini, Batangas more popularly known as Anilao. 

Concerned Divers for the Philippines is a non- stock, non-profit organization comprised of divers and their families. CDP advocates environmental awareness.

Last year, we had more than 40 volunteers (divers and non-divers); cleaned up 4 dive sites; and gathered more than 300 pounds of marine debris.

This year, aside from the regular cleanup, we will also have a photography contest for  the topside and underwater cleanup as well as various activities for the non-divers and kids. Prizes await the winners.

60 volunteers have confirmed their participation for September 19. The event is still open, however,  we can only accommodate day trip volunteers since the Crystal Blue Resort is already fully booked.

Compilation of videos taken at the Twin Rocks Marine Sanctuary (Anilao) Mabini, Batangas, Philippines.

Careful not to rise faster than my bubbles, I ascended. Torn between the freedom of weightlessness this wonderland brings and the comfort of breathing air through my nose. By the time my head broke through the surface I was already thinking about my next dive.

WHAT: DIVE FOR EARTH DAY 2009
WHEN: April 18 & 25, 2009
WHERE: Anilao, Batangas

The Concerned Divers for the Philippines is scheduling a Project Aware – Dive for Earth Day on April 18 and April 25.

Divers and non-divers alike are needed to help protect the underwater environment of Mabini by doing a shoreline and underwater cleanup during the said dates.

Please get in touch with me or Dave as soon as possible so we can reserve slots for you.

See you soon

From the National Geographic News.

“In just a short time, one of the rarest sharks in the world went from swimming in Philippine waters to simmering in coconut milk. The 13-foot-long  megamouth shark, caught on March 30 by mackerel fishers off the city of Donsol, was only the 41st megamouth shark ever found, according to WWF-Philippines.”

“Fishers brought the odd creature—which died during its capture—to local project manager Elson Aca of WWF, an international conservation nonprofit. Aca immediately identified it as a megamouth shark and encouraged the fishers not to eat it. But the draw of the delicacy was too great: The 1,102-pound (500-kilogram) shark was butchered for a shark-meat dish called kinuout.”

“While it is sad that this rare megamouth shark was ultimately lost, the discovery highlights the incredible biodiversity found in the Donsol area and the relatively good health of the ecosystem,” Yokelee Lee, WWF-US program officer for the Coral Triangle, said in an email.”

“The Coral Triangle, which spans Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste (East Timor), is home to the richest concentration of marine life—including iridescent corals—in the world, according to WWF.”

“It is essential that we continue working with the government and local community on the sustainable management of Donsol’s fisheries resources for the benefit of whale sharks, megamouth sharks, and the local community,” Lee said.

“The megamouth shark species, discovered in 1976 off Oahu, Hawaii, was so bizarre that scientists had to create a new family and genus to classify it. With its giant mouth but tiny teeth, megamouth, like the whaleshark, is a filter feeder that preys on tiny animals and appears to be no danger to humans.”

“Only 40 megamouth sharks, including 7 in the Philippines, have been found since the initial discovery. The shark is so rare that the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the megamouth species as “data deficient.”

“Scientists who examined Megamouth 41—the Philippine specimen’s official name, bestowed by the Florida Museum of Natural History—before it was eaten found facial scars from past run-ins with gill nets. The shark’s last meal was shrimp larvae.”

“Other shark species in Donsol are valued for conservation rather than consumption: The region hosts a successful ecotourism project that allows people to swim with whale sharks, according to WWF.”

Christine Dell’Amore

Photograph by Elson Q. Aca/WWF-Philippines

Here’s how you can help the whale sharks of Donsol and lose a few pounds as well!
And if you’re feeling especially creative, make your own marine life costume and join the costume contest too!
A 10% discount on Nike products await you from the time you register and all the way to race day March 22, 2009.

Register here: http://condurarun.com/registration.html/
Registration ends on March 16, 2009.

Visit the official Condura Run Website here: http://condurarun.com/

taken from the website:
***
THE INSPIRATION

The Condura Run is an advocacy of the Concepcion family led by Concepcion Durables President, Ton Concepcion.

A runner and a scuba diver himself, Ton’s vision for the Condura Run is to be the premier running event in the country by continuously raising the standards of Philippine running to global standards. The Condura Run is a running event created by a runner for runners and is inspired by international marathons.

The mission of the Condura Run is to inspire people to run because we believe that if everyone runs then the country will be a much better place. We will also help save the marine environment and promote eco-tourism by making people aware of the richness that lie beneath our seas.

Condura stands for durable bodies, durable seas, and durable products for a durable environment. In 2008, the first ever Condura Run: Race for Tubbataha Reefs was able to raise money for the protection of the Tubbataha Reefs in Palawan, and propelled it to be one of the top Global contenders for the New Seven Wonders of the World.

This year, it will be staged for the benefit of the Whale Sharks of Donsol, Sorsogon. 50 pesos of the registration fee shall go to the Whale Sharks.

Be part of history. Sign up now for the 2009 Condura Run for the Whale Sharks.

WHALE SHARK 101

Donsol Sorsogon is known as the Whale Shark capital of the world. Hundreds of Whale Sharks congregate in Donsol from January to June to feed on its plankton-rich waters. These gentle giants of the deep locally known as butanding are the largest fish in the world growing up to 40 feet in length and can weigh up to 15 tons. They thrive in tropical and warm oceans and can live up to about 70 years.

Know more about the Whale Sharks!

The scientific name of the Whale Shark locally known as butanding is Rhincodon typus.

The Whale Shark is the largest fish in the world growing up to 40 ft. in length and can weigh up to 15 tons.

They are considered the gentle giants of the deep because despite their overwhelming size, the Whale Sharks feed only on planktons present in the sea, which make them almost completely harmless to humans.

A Scottish zoologist and explorer named Sir Andrew Smith off the coast of South Africa in 1828 discovered the Whale Sharks.

The Whale Sharks thrive in tropical and warm oceans and live in the open seas and can live up to about 70 years. Whale Shark season peaks from February to May or during summer.

TOP TEN REASONS TO JOIN CONDURA RUN

1. The Route

The Condura Run is the first ever run to go through the Skyway. This is a historic event that you should not miss.

Condura ensures that the route is not only challenging but is virtually car, jeep, bus and tricycle-free. We work closely with government officials to make this vision come true so that runners can truly have a healthy and enjoyable run.

2. 4 Races: 1 Event

Whether this is your first race or your 100th, there is a race that will challenge you to be your best!

3km Fun Run
5km Discovery Run
10km Challenge
21KM Half-marathon to the Skyway

3. Fun Events

Run with dolphins, turtles, dugongs, manta rays and of course the Whale Shark. Join the marine life costume contest and be one with other runners who will run in costumes to show their support for the Philippines rich marine environment.

Pose in front of the majestic Whale Shark as photographed by international award winning underwater photographer Gutsy Tuason.

4. The Condura Expo

Bring your shopping bag as exhibitors show off their latest products and give out free samples. Enjoy the special sale only on race day including the Grand Nike Park Sale! Up to 70% off on selected items.

5. Cool Giveaways and Raffles

Get the Cool Collectible Condura Whale Shark t-shirt when you register and we guarantee you will be wearing it for years after the run. Finishers will receive a loot bag from Vitwater, Sunkist, Selecta and Swift.

Get to win lots of raffle prizes courtesy of our sponsors and donors. All registered runners can also avail of 10% discount on Nike products at participating Nike registration stores until race day.

6. Feel like an Olympian for a day!

Thousand of Spectators
Marching Bands
Cheering Zones

We at Condura understand how hard you train, and in return we shall do our best to cheer you on to be your best and feel like an Olympian on race day as you cross the finish line with hands in the air and a heart that is filled with pride and joy.

7. Run with the Stars

Bring your cameras and learn how to take pictures on the run as you catch famous celebrities running along side you as they show their support for the Whale Sharks while encouraging Filipinos to be the best they can be through running.

8. The Champions Circle

Certificates and cash prizes await the top 3 male and female finishers of each race category.

9. Finishers Medals for Half Marathon Finishers

Finishers of the 21km half-marathon to the Skyway shall receive a special Condura Run finisher’s medal that you will be proud to display for many years to come.

10. Running for the Whale Sharks

We truly are blessed as a country to be at the epicenter of the coral triangle. It is therefore our duty to protect this gift that we have been given. By joining the Condura run you are helping raise funds to protect the Whale Sharks and promoting responsible eco-tourism in Donsol.

ABOUT THE RACE

WHAT: CONDURA RUN 2009: RUN FOR THE WHALE SHARKS

4 Races: 1 Event

3km Fun Run
5km Discovery Run
10km Challenge
21km Half-marathon to the Skyway

WHEN: SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2009

TIME:
21km Half-Marathon – 5:30 AM
10km – 6:00 AM
5km – 6:00 AM
3km – 6:00 AM

ASSEMBLY AREAS:
Green coral for 3km runners
Red coral for 5km runners
Blue coral for 10km runners
Brown coral for 21km runners

We encourage you to come 30 minutes before the race.

WHERE: 28th Street, Bonifacio Global Open Grounds, Taguig City (near NBC Tent)

Sign up for the race and get 10% discount on Nike products.

Registered runners will get the cool collectible Condura Run for the Whale Sharks T-Shirt, certificates, and giveaways from Vitwater, Sunkist, Selecta, and Swift.

Certificates and cash prizes await the top 3 male and female finishers of each race category.

Finishers of the 21km half-marathon will get the special finisher’s medal.

REGISTRATION STARTS ON FEBRUARY 16 UNTIL MARCH 16.
***
end

Stranded Melon-headed whales (Photo courtesy of AFP)

Around 4:00 am last February 10,  an “unusual phenomenon” occurred near the shallow waters of  Pilar, Bataan. Around 300 hundred melon-headed whales commonly known as electra dolphins were spotted by Rodolfo and Joey Joson only 200 meters from the village shoreline.  When they waded to neck deep waters to get a closer look , the whales did not swim away and made hooting sounds. The melon-headed whales behavior was highly irregular as they normally prefer deeper waters.

Hundreds volunteers comprising of the village fishermen, local police, Philippine Coast Guard personnel along with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) joined the massive rescue by wading into chest-deep water and guiding the whales to deeper waters.

“Investigations are being conducted by BFAR in order to find out the cause of the abnormal behavior of the large pod of whales. According to BFAR chief Malcolm Sarmiento, the pods behavior  may have been caused by a sea quake that can damage the whales eardrum which led  them to be disoriented and migrate to swallow waters. “

Three of the whales were found dead and stranded on the nearby beaches.

“Senator Miguel Zubiri, on the other hand,  suspects the whales’ habitat must have been disrupted, forcing them to flee and seek refuge in shallow waters. He cited an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) a study saying that the melon-headed whales may have been distracted by a marine seismic survey being conducted in the exclusive economic zone that includes Taiwan, China, Japan and the Philippines by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (L-DEO) – a collaborator of Columbia University in the US .”

“Washington-based animal rights group Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association (WaH) had been reported protesting to halt the L-DEO study as it is destructive to marine ecosystem. According to Robin Winkler, founder of WaH, the multi-beam echo sounder air gun, which will be used in the experiment, could produce a noise equivalent to 265 decibels (dB), almost as deafening as the atomic-bomb blast that could scale up to 300 dB.”

Way back in 2004,  a similar incident involving stranding of hundreds of melon-headed whales occurred when a major American-Japanese sonar training exercise was taking place at the nearby Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii.

“National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists said they could not definitely state that sonar caused the stranding, they said extensive study led them to the conclusion that there was no other likely cause. Their analysis indicate there was no significant weather, natural oceanographic event or known biological factors that would explain the animals’ movement into the bay nor the group’s continued presence in the bay, said Teri Rowles, NOAA Fisheries Service’s lead marine mammal veterinarian and lead author of the report. NOAA concluded that sonar was “a plausible, if not likely, contributing factor” to the stranding.”

Watch the video clip on  GMANews.TV

REFERENCE: GMANews.TV, WikiNews, The Washington Post

MAD About Us 4 will be held in Anilao, Batangas from March 19 to 23, 2009.

REGISTRATION: March 19  from  6 am – 5 pm. March 20 to 23 from 8 am – 5pm. Venue for registration will be at the MakDiver.

CATEGORIES:

Wide Angle - Shots taken with normal or wide angle lens.

Macro – Digital shots taken with reproduction ratio of smaller than 1.6

Black & White

SKILL LEVELS:

Special Beginners - This class is for photographers who are beginning to learn about underwater photography and who do not have external strobes or lights for their camera. Judging level is for rudimentary level of exposure. They have not taken underwater pictures for more than two years. They do not use SLR camera. They use point and shoot cameras only.

Intermediate - This class is for anyone equipped with external strobes or lights with their camera or who has been photographing for more than two years. Judging is as for special beginners but also including elements of managing external lightning and demonstrating elements of composition. Have not published any pictures.

Open - This class is unrestricted and is intended to be for all photographers who use a house digital SLR system, have been published previously or have been placed in any photographic competition. Judging is the same as above but with creative flair and impact.

AWARDS: 1st, 2nd & 3rd place per category per skill level. There will be a Best of Show Award and People’s Choice Award.

The Awards night will be held on April 2, 2009 at the Ayala Museum. Free food & drinks to all participants and sponsors.

Same rules as last year will be applied. For further inquiries get in touch with the organizer, Mr. Joel F. Uichico.

nanay ni virgil

kuya ni virgil, si nanay at si virgil

alvin, adel and me with virgil, nanay, ate, and tatay

I’m sorry but this post will be written in Filipino.

Ang nanay ko sa Gasang ay ang nanay ng divemaster/boatman natin na si Virgil.

Tignan niyo mga picture ni Nanay sa taas. Ang konti no? Mahiyain siya eh. Ayaw magpa-picture. Sabi niya, matanda na daw siya at kulubot na ang mukha. Sabi ko, ngumiti ka lang nay, para makikita namin sa picture naka ngiti ka.

Wala na si Nanay.

Hindi naman niya kami inampon, nagpa-ampon kami. Basta lang, pagkakilala namin sa kanila nila Tatay at Ate – Nanay na namin siya. Ginagawa niya kami ng achara. Pinapakain niya kami ng maraming kanin. Pinagsabihan niya kami nung isang beses dahil hindi namin naubos yung sinaing niya na isang kalderong kanin. Dinalhan namin siya ng maliit na puno ng duhat para itanim sa bahay nila sa bundok. Tuwang tuwa siya. Meron palang ganung tao na sobrang saya sa maliit na puno na paghihirapan niya pang palakihin. Hindi na niya maabutan pagtanda ng mga punong duhat na yun.

Pag nakakausap ko si Nanay, ang binabanggit niya lagi sakin, hanapan ko daw ng mabait na asawa si Virgil. Nagaalala siya na walang magaalaga kay Virgil pag wala na siya. Papano ba ‘to, wala pa kong nahanap na asawa para kay Virgil pero wala na si Nanay. Lagot.

Sinabi din ni Nanay na wag daw kami magkakasira ni Alvin. Sila daw kasi ni Tatay tumagal ang pagsasama kasi parating may nagbibigay. Sinabi din niya na hindi din daw kasi nagsasalita si Tatay kaya pag nagalit siya, siya lang daw nag-uusap at tahimik lang si Tatay. Sabi ko, Nay pag hindi nagsasalita si Alvin lalo akong naiinis. Natawa siya at sabi sakin, gusto mo pala ng inaaway ka?

Dapat babalik kami ni Alvin dun sa bahay ni Nanay sa bundok kaya lang nag board exam ako, tapos nagtrabaho, nagka-problema, nagka-sakit. Ano pang babalikan ko ngayon?

Pero nagpapasalamat ako. Matagal din nahirapan si Nanay sa sakit niya. Kaya lang nalulungkot ako kasi wala na siya. Isang makasariling pagkalungkot na tinutulak ng pangungulila sa kwento niya at sa paghawak niya sa balikat ko. Papagalitan niya ko pag nakita niya kong malungkot. Kung san siya ngayon, makikita na niya lagi kung puyat ako o pagod. Sorry na Nay, kelangan talaga kumayod eh.

Ba-bye Nay.

Ililibing daw si Nanay sa darating na Linggo. Pagdasal natin ang mga naiwan niya, lalo na ang pamilya nila Virgil. Kung gusto niyo magbigay ng tulong pakisabi lang kay Dave Santos.