Recovering tourist economy

[Mike J]

Prior to covid there would be two to three live aboard dive boats that would anchor off shore dive the coral wall.  They usually arrive in the afternoon and leave the following day to allow for both daytime and night dives.  This is the first live aboard yacht since covid.  Photo taken at 5:00 am this morning.  Boat left later in the morning to head for another dive location. 

 

 

[Snowy79]

2 hours ago, Mike J said:

Prior to covid there would be two to three live aboard dive boats that would anchor off shore dive the coral wall.  They usually arrive in the afternoon and leave the following day to allow for both daytime and night dives.  This is the first live aboard yacht since covid.  Photo taken at 5:00 am this morning.  Boat left later in the morning to head for another dive location. 

 

 

I was led to believe a lot of the coral there has been damaged. 

[Guy F.]

12 hours ago, Mike J said:

Prior to covid there would be two to three live aboard dive boats that would anchor off shore dive the coral wall.  They usually arrive in the afternoon and leave the following day to allow for both daytime and night dives.  This is the first live aboard yacht since covid.  Photo taken at 5:00 am this morning.  Boat left later in the morning to head for another dive location. 

 

 

Location please.

[Viking]

7 hours ago, Guy F. said:

Location please.

Probably Moalboal, Cebu.

[Mike J]

8 hours ago, Guy F. said:

Location please.

Moalboal.  We live a bit west of Tongo Point, photo is looking south.  There was extensive damage to the coral at Pescador island, not sure how much to the local reef.  I will ask my neighbor who dives three times a week. 

[Guy F.]

11 hours ago, Mike J said:

Moalboal.  We live a bit west of Tongo Point, photo is looking south.  There was extensive damage to the coral at Pescador island, not sure how much to the local reef.  I will ask my neighbor who dives three times a week. 

Hoping your local reef is not in bad shape. Heard that the sardines left Moalboal for a while but have returned. Damage was not great to reefs around Dauis Panglao Island but those around Cabilao Island off of NW Bohol were devastated. I wonder if the western coasts were harder hit.

[Mike J]

13 hours ago, Guy F. said:

Hoping your local reef is not in bad shape. Heard that the sardines left Moalboal for a while but have returned. Damage was not great to reefs around Dauis Panglao Island but those around Cabilao Island off of NW Bohol were devastated. I wonder if the western coasts were harder hit.

Another dive boat last night and left this morning.  I am wondering now if they are doing night dives or just anchoring in the harbor at night where the water is more calm. basically flat, and better for sleep?  My neighbor dives three times a week so I asked him about the damage to coral reefs here in Moalboal.  Below is his reply;

"Damage depends on where. 

Here (off our beach) petty bad, Pescador island in the shallow water totally destroyed but not bad below 20m.

Panagsama beach area badly damaged.  South of that not so bad, north near Kasi resort is pretty good.

Past White beach the shallow coral destroyed.  Deeper in good shape.

It is going to hurt dive tourism here for a long time."

 

 

 

[Guy F.]

13 hours ago, Mike J said:

Another dive boat last night and left this morning.  I am wondering now if they are doing night dives or just anchoring in the harbor at night where the water is more calm. basically flat, and better for sleep?  My neighbor dives three times a week so I asked him about the damage to coral reefs here in Moalboal.  Below is his reply;

"Damage depends on where. 

Here (off our beach) petty bad, Pescador island in the shallow water totally destroyed but not bad below 20m.

Panagsama beach area badly damaged.  South of that not so bad, north near Kasi resort is pretty good.

Past White beach the shallow coral destroyed.  Deeper in good shape.

It is going to hurt dive tourism here for a long time."

 

 

 

When we visited Cabilao the most competent freediver in the group said life was still beautiful below 13m. Above that, soft coral is beginning to come back but hard corals will require many years. There will be more incentive to take up Scuba diving as opposed to merely freediving, so as to be able to enjoy unspoiled environments.

Edited October 26, 2022 by Guy F.