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Island Hopping in Davao - by Brian Dexter M. Medija |
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Page 4 of 4
Further, we found floating fishcages scattered near the Samal coast. That moment I knew we were already in the Fish Sanctuary of Samal, where the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) maintains its fishcages for fish culture a nd studies. This is a testament to the fact of rich marine diversity in the Davao Gulf. It is therefore of paramount importance that the ecological balance of the Davao Gulf must be protected and maintained.
Not very far from the fishcages of BFAR (wow, it rhymes!), we found a group of nice buildings set on a rolling slope on Samal Island. Excited to approach its umbrella-lined beach, the boat captain complained saying the water was too shallow for our 90-capacity boat, and the we should use the mini-wharf a little distance back south. Looking at the mini-wharf, my Dad was quick to change heart, thinking us and my small nephews had to walk the narrow, rail-less wharf catwalk hundreds of meters to the resort. Instead, we The Hof Gorei resortasked one of the crew members to go ashore via mini-boat (banca) to get brochures of the resort. We found out the name of the resort as Hof Gorei - a relatively new resort owned by a Filipina-Austrian. From the brochure pictures, it looked good.
From the waters off Hof Gorei, we could see the World-famous Pearl Farm Beach Resort and the Malipano Island (known officially Isla Malipano, perhaps to make it sound appropriately expensive).
After trailing past the Pearl Farm and Isla Malipano, we found our last destination: Wishing Island - a rock islet crowned by mangrove (?) trees and surrounded by a rich growth of corals. There were around two other boats when we re ached Wishing Island: one was filled with either Koreans or Japanese, and the other one hosted a Pinoy family. “Samal Island and Davao Gulf developments spurred by international patronage,” went a phrase from my thoughts.
We reached Wishing Island at around 4 PM where we swam, snorkeled, dove some more. Basking in all the excitement that the day had brought us, it was with much reluctance that we had to set sail back to Sta. Ana Wharf. Arriving at the wharf at around 5 PM, we concluded our Full-day Full-quality island-hopping experience in Davao Gulf.
Looking back now, a map of Davao Gulf in hand, it is only too clear that one full day of island hopping isn’t enough to unravel all of the pulchritude scattered throughout the wonderful Davao Gulf. (This article was written by Brian Dexter M. Medija at http://bridex.wordpress.com.
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