SY Sari Timur: The Calamian Group, an Unscheduled Stop

Actually, we had always planned to stop for an overnight in Coron Town, Busuanga. But other than “a quick look see” that was all that was on the cards. Due to timing and the rather rough ride up, we decided to time our arrival with New Year’s Eve. We were tired from the trip and after a quick dinner ashore we headed back to the boat to sleep, planning to miss the start of a new year. Of course the shore side revelers woke us at the appropriate time with a nice firework display and we were actually awake for the New Year.

We were having our doubts about rushing through this place but as we had a schedule to keep we stuck to our plan. But what we saw as we sailed in was fantastic protected bays, beautiful islands and terrain. There is a typhoon hiding hole just around the corner from the town but we decided to anchor in front of town and enjoy civilization for a couple of days before moving on. The winds were still howling and the weather reports didn’t look too favorable but in the protection behind all of the islands we were lulled into a false sense of security and decided to head out on schedule.

After 6 hours of bashing into a very miserable head-on sea, some cross trees holding the pulpit onto the bow sprit gave way. It tore away from the remaining trees and breaking some stainless braces and twisting screws etc in the process. We decided it was too dangerous to continue with the pulpit unsecured so we turned 180 and headed back to Coron.

Coron is a diver’s paradise and hence easily linked to Manila by air. This allowed Pauline to make her scheduled trip back to Singapore and me to fly up to Manila and purchase the lumber, stainless steel and items I would need to make repairs. The people here were quick to befriend us and after a hard day’s work on the bowsprit each day I would head in to the resort and enjoy a nice meal, a few cold San Miguels and some relaxation. I was amazed to see the traffic flowing through the resort which acted as the main hub for the divers and tourists travelling to the various islands each day. Talking with many I quickly became fascinated with the tales of their exploits and experiences. We decided to slow the pace down and once the bowsprit was fixed, to enjoy some of what this group has to offer.

The Calamians are just north of Palawan and belong to the Palawan district. But they make up a rather large multitude of islands by themselves and hence offer what many tourists want. It is also advertised as the best cruising area of the Philippines. Nice beaches, clear water, good diving, seclusion or places to party, reasonably priced resorts, cheap beer, and good food. What more could one ask?

The islands also offer another non natural attraction. Due to the very well protected anchorages and good hiding places, the Japanese support fleet was hiding out here in September of 1944. On the 24^th of September a surprise attack by some Hell Diver bombers from a US carrier sitting in Leyte Gulf sank over nine vessels. This was a distance a little over 400 miles away so was a pretty dramatic raid at the time. Not only did this help in the war effort but it left more than nine rather large wrecks for divers to explore. A typical day diving is to do three dives and a different wreck each dive. Also the wrecks are large enough and varied enough even if you dive the same wreck 2 or three times the dive still seems like a new experience. I dove the Irako Maru, the Olympia Maru and the Tamakaze gunboat. The Irako is the deepest of the local wrecks at 40 metres and was my first Nitrox dive. We penetrated all through the wreck but one of the most bizarre sites was getting into the machine room which still has a lathe and drill press pretty much intact. The Olympia was my favorite of the wrecks as there were so many ins and outs and marine life that one could dive this wreck several times and for sure have each dive unique. The last dive is a gunboat, that story has it the crew was trying to get to shore and scuttled it. It certainly is close to shore with the bow in 3 metres of water and the stern in 19 it makes a nice shallow dive to aid the nitrogen to degas out of your system after a long day.

If wreck diving is not your cup of tea there are also several coral areas to dive. There is even a lake which supposedly is the only place like it in the world where there is warm fresh water on the top (29°C) and warmer salt water (37°C) a few metres down. This is a very unique dive as the visibility is quite good and the sides are fairly sheer limestone that has eroded to eerie formations. And other than the feeling one gets with the sudden temperature changes as you go through the reverse thermoclines the optics that play through the different density layers of the haloclines adds a surreal atmosphere to the experience. Of course wearing your dive gear as you climb up and then down several steps to the lake’s edge is a bit of a chore but the dive is every bit worth it. There is also supposedly a large barracuda that lives in the lake. We didn’t see him but did spot a fairly large black grouper hiding in the rocks.

On Calauit Island is a wild game reserve which has giraffes, deer, antelope, bearcats etc offering an African Safari type theme in the heart of the Philippines. Another of the islands has an old settlement with buildings etc from the time the Spanish ruled the Philippines.

At the top of one of the highest points in the area is a very large cross. It overlooks the town and the bay. With well over 700 steps it offers a bit of exercise for those feeling like they want to do something on land rather than in the water. Other than the large number of steps the walk is very pleasant and offers spectacular views of the surrounding bays and town. The cross is lit up at night and offers a bit of reassurance when the wind pipes up in the night and you need to do a quick visual inspection to make sure you are not dragging. It makes a perfect reference point.

Anyway we have repaired Sari Timur and enjoyed some great diving, and sight seeing but feel we still have only scratched the surface here. We will be a bit sad to leave but need to keep on moving. But we are certainly glad we made this unscheduled stop!