Dolphin Watching and Island Hopping

The morning of our third day in Bohol was spent for dolphin watching and island hopping off the nearby water and islands. Dolphins appear only during early mornings so we had to leave a little after 5:00AM as we set sail towards an unmarked destination in the middle of the sea. The sun had just started to rise as we left the shorelines of Alona Beach.


boats early in the morning


The dolphins started to show themselves little by little, by 6:00AM. First we saw one of them and had to wait for around 5 minutes before more started to appear.


Most of the time, it's only the fins that were showing, and it's quide hard to capture the moment in photos because the movement is very fast and they appear randomly out of nowhere.


I had a chance to capture one dolphin with its head and mouth showing a bit while submerged in the water. We also saw a couple of dolphins do the flip but no pictures were taken of them.


As the day drew bigger and the sun shined brighter, we headed towards Balicasag island for the snorkelling activity.


We docked along the white sand shoreline of the island and a man from a small boat tried to persuade and contract the group to get his service. He wants to bring us to Balicasag Island Marine Sanctuary. Jojo and Patrick M. have proceeded with the activity while Patrick O. and me decided to stay in the island and explore.


small boat for snorkelling in the sanctuary


Walking around the shore of the island, we realized that there is nothing much happening from that side of the island. We were told that there are resorts on the other side but we have to walk across to reach them.


While walking around, waiting for them to finish snorkelling, we grew tired and thirsty and then we realized we didn't had our breakfast yet that morning. We saw coconuts in one of the stalls and each had one for PHP35, a bit pricey but we had not choice.


Talking with the locals while sipping the coconut juice and eating its meat, we were informed that a pathway leading to the lighthouse that we saw as we approached the island is just nearby.


There are two lighthouses in the island an old one and a new replacement lighthouse.


old lighthouse (left) and the new lighthouse (right)



The new lighthouse is modern and majestic on its design, painted in white, towers the island and the one that can be seen from far away.


The old lighthouse is rustic and different from the usual lighthouse structure.


Nearby the lighthouse is the chapel of Sr. Santiago Apostol.


Minutes later and the snorkellers have gone back. We boarded our boat again and proceeded to our next destination.


Another island near Panglao that is starting to get famous is the Virgin island.


The island is actually just a small sandbar with a few plants and trees. Unlike Balicasag, this island doesn't have any structure built onto it.


We just explored the island appreciated the beautiful white sand and pristine and untouched location.


the shores


me


log


This is also the place where Jojo shot his "farewell video". It was a memorable place and the shooting had at least 8 takes because of distractions around.


Before lunch, we headed back towards Alona Beach again to check-out of our resort and proceed back to the city.


eateries along Alona Beach