The clouds were up in the sky, almost gray, but it looked like it was not threatening to burst into heavy rain. It was the day we were anticipating for, the epoch of my life that set my soul afire. The whole family was off to Carabao Dive headquarters to wrap up our expedition towards Talikud Island, our drive destination, the isle adjacent to Samal.

We were running late but we had to make a detour to Jollibee to take out our bucket meal for lunch. It was the first family excursion that we didn't bother to prepare home-cooked meals. It was too bothersome, considering the limited time we had.

We did arrive at the headquarters late, but seemingly, everyone present were still getting ready for the day trip. It was not like we were the only people they were waiting before they could move on the go. Thankfully.

When everything was all set, we boarded the Banca, Flying Squid, and we were off to an hour journey towards Talikud Island. On our way, we got lucky to have encountered a pod of dolphins skipping through the waves. Our crowd was in uproar, our cheers evident that we were still naive to the sight of them.

Angels Cove was the first dive stop. The intro divers (first time divers) would have to stay put or snorkel if we please since the site was for the professional divers. We took the stretch eating our lunch and taking pictures. I had imagined that we would stop by the beach, but it was the contrary. We remained anchored below a cliff while the clear deep sea reflected the hints of rich coral reefs below.



As the divers resurfaced, we were relieved from our 1 hour wait and we moved on to Babu Santa Beach to drop the divers off as we proceed to our diving site, the Coral Garden. On our route, we were first briefed by our dive instructor on the fundamentals of diving, the equipment, and the rules while in the water. I had to strain my focus and pay attention to his tutorial. My heart was full of exhilaration but I was scared at the same time, fear of panicking, forgetting how to breath and swim perplexed my brain. But I knew I had to remain calm. So when I got on my diving suit, I tried my hardest to remain calm.

The Intro divers were divided into two groups, to accommodate the 1:1 ratio of beginners and guides. Me, my younger brother, and my father were the ones who'd have to dive on that day, and we were the last batch. So while on my diving gear, we tried to warm up and get familiar with our flippers in the water. I was a bit edgy and the water was so cold on my skin that after a few minutes, I climbed back to the boat.

More than 30 minutes have passed and the first batch of intro divers were floating up. It was finally our turn. We were assisted as our Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) was secured on us while I, internally, was fighting with calming my breathing down.


Our drop to the water was dramatic. From the edge of the platform of the boat, we were to take two steps. One to steel my weight, and the second, to fall to the water. Not jump, nor lunge to the water, but drop. It felt like I was letting myself fall from a 5 storey building. But of course, the platform was only 2 and a half feet low.

Then we were floating in the water. My guide, Kuya Richard was securing me beside him and giving me his final coaches before we sink into the deep. I was still fighting with my breath. And then, as I got accustomed to breathing with my mouth from the compressed air, and the moment I gave my "Ok" signal, he started pulling me down. The feeling was terrifying but I was more thrilled than being controlled by my fear. I constantly checked the change in my pressure and equalized, keeping in mind our coach's cue.

Our dive group was of six, the three of us and our own guides. We closely swam together as we slowly absorbed our new setting. The reef was breathtaking. The fishes swam with us, contrary to my belief that they would swim away. I was close to the corals that I could almost touch them. When I was invited by kuya to do so, I did, and I could feel the corals cling to my skin, like living rocks sticking on me. And as I released it, it left a slimy feeling on my hands.

There was once, a large maroon clown fish which swam in front of my goggles. It kept looking at me as it frantically swam, like it was confused. I thought it would swim away when I tried to touch it by my hands, but it did not. It still kept on swimming towards me, like it was trying to get across me, the huge figure before it. It was only later that I realized that it was being threatened. Sir Claver explained to us that we were in its territory and it was trying to shun us away. I was impressed with the courage of the small fish. It gave me a new perception on the small things.

Breathing underwater was a labor. Like apart from trying to enjoy the fishes and the corals that surround me, trying to breathe has also kept me preoccupied. I had seen a walo-walo (sea snake) swim leisurely meters below me in between the coral ridges. A lion fish also lingered in a crack under the 10 feet wall of corals. School of fishes swam above our heads, and on the corals lived the several hued fishes which I thought I would only see through a medium.

The thirty minutes dive underwater seemed long enough for me to feel the achievement and douse of my worthwhile dive. When we were finally instructed to halt, and our guides positioned us vertically, I knew our time was up and we shall be resurfacing soon. As our jackets were inflated and we floated up, I felt my heart full of accomplishment and knew to myself, that this first dive is going to be a part of my memory that I would never forget.

I should also give my compliments to Carabao Dive Center for taking care of us on our first dive, and I am really looking forward to dive with them again soon. Davao's number one dive center really did live up to their name. And I shall salute them for a job done well, and that is, making us comfortable in the water and let us enjoy every moment we spent as we swam with the current.