PH Gets Diving Thumbs Up

Marine biodiversity

MANILA, Philippines -- Foreign and local participants to the First Philippine Dive Seafari raved about the success of the project and thanked the Department of Tourism (DoT) for the privilege of experiencing the center of marine biodiversity in the world up-close.

“Nothing but highest praise from foreign participants, great pictures too. This accentuates our great strength in marine biodiversity,” said tourism secretary Alberto Aldaba Lim.

As a way of uniquely promoting tourism and discovering underwater wildlife in the country, the DoT recently hosted the first Philippine Dive Seafari in the country’s top four diving destinations.

The Seafari’s theme, “Marine Macro Photography: In the Philippines, small things make the big difference,” aimed to discover and document unusual underwater critters and to promote the Philippines as haven for marine macro photography.

Foreign underwater photographers and dive tour operators, mostly from Europe, North America and Asia were invited to take part in the 10-day event. They were distributed to the Philippines’ top four diving destinations such as Anilao, Coron, Bohol and Davao.

“I anxiously look forward to sharing this experience with audiences at my numerous film screenings and speaking engagements in the coming season. As soon as it is completed, I shall send you a copy of the documentary of our Coron experience. I shall also provide you with links to any Philippines-related content I produce for Ocean in Google Earth or other web-based carriers. These will join the segment I produced about Apo Island, and its companion piece about the Apo-inspired Wild Reef Exhibit at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. These are two of the most popular pieces in Ocean in Google Earth,” said Paul Cater Deaton adding that it takes vision and courage to create and nurture such an event.

Deaton applauds the efforts of the DoT in making the Dive Seafari a reality, “Without exception, every DoT representative we met across the country was friendly, accommodating and motivated. I have already dispatched a message to Alberto Lim, expressing my gratitude and telling him how impressed I am with everyone concerned.”

Rick Morris, highly regarded in the dive industry and whose works appear in National Geographic, was impressed with Filipino hospitality, “Well, we can’t thank you enough for this opportunity.  The trip and conference were amazing and far exceeded my expectations...  The people, the diving, everything was handled without the slightest worry or concern and we were made to feel like royalty.  The Filipinos were the warmest and most inviting hosts I have ever experienced and I have formed life-long friendships already with other participants.“ Morris also wrote back, “a quick note to express my thanks for your invitation and incredible hospitality during the 1st Seafari to Anilao...  Joel Uichico and his team as well as all the great folks at DoT made this one of the most memorable experiences of my life.  If you had a chance to see my film, I hope you enjoyed it and know it came from the inspiration I drew from this experience. Magical.”

Steven Poulton of the United Kingdom said he believes Bohol is home to some of the best macro photography in the world. He hopes the DoT and the Filipino people can work together to preserve the wonders under its waters.

Scott “Gusty” Tuazon, a local photographer said, “The Philippines has the best diving spots in the world. I hope the DoT can harness this fact and attract more divers to our country.”

International photographer, author, and environmentalist Lynn Funkhouser felt it was a dream come true to see everyone realizing that the Philippines is the most special place on the planet, “I feel like my prayers were answered. … they are all planning to return and many plan to lead trips.”

For Mike Bartick, diving in Anilao is like peeling an onion, “There are so many layers of animal life. If you’ve never been here before, the first layer of animal life will blow your mind. Wow! I’ve never seen so much. Ten days you can be here and fill your memory card and go home and show your friends. You book your second trip. Second layer of the onion. You’ve seen that stuff, so now you get into the more intricate things. Studying animal behavior, seeing more rare animals. So you get into your third trip. You’re getting to be selective and so on … Every time I leave, I can’t wait to get back.”

Marcello di Francesco and Riccardo Giannini, diver/photographer from La Spezia, Italy who dove in Coron recently emailed RP’s Tourism Attache in London the following: “I spoke this morning with the Seafari participants… they are really enthusiastic about the event and the visited areas… so enthusiastic that they are quite thinking to leave everything and go to Philippines to work there ;-) !!! We agreed with Gulf Air and H20 to prepare a newsletter to distribute among travel agencies with the description of their experience and special packages to promote the destination.”

Lawrence Alex Wu waxes poetry, “This is your window. This your voice. Let your images tell your story to this world. Diving is your country’s asset and the oceans of your country are your National Heritage and Treasures. Protect it like your home. This Treasure is for us the citizens of this world. Passed to us by our mother -- Mother Nature. But you are the guardians. This is your country. So show the world and let your pictures tell your story ... of the Philippines.”

Bob Whorton summarized it all when he said, “The event was really awesome!!! Hope to be involved again.

Robert Yin, noted diver/photographer from San Diego, USA, who dove in Bohol was all praises and enthusiastic, “I can’t say enough about how well the Seafari event was conducted. It indeed sets the standard of the Philippine events to come. I wish you all the best for the Seafari 2012.”

Bea Zobel, local diver/photographer and supporter of the Philippine Diving Industry was thankful, “I have seen this group (Joel and Adrien Uichico, Gutsy Tuason, Marissa Floirendo, Tet Lara, Bunnee and Mike Santos, and Nonoy Tan) working so hard for so many years doing the dive guide training out of their own pockets and finally to see the fruits of their hard labor makes me very happy. I am only too happy that the DoT believes in this as we all do. I really believe we can make it bigger and better in the coming years and bring in more sponsors. But most important, you really see where the DoT money is going to and bring in instant response. This is the way to promote our country. Direct access to the professionals so they can instantly spread the rich resources we have.”

The Philippines is acknowledged as the “center of center” of marine shorefish biodiversity in the world. The book “Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Philippines” says that Philippine waters have no less than 800 species of corals; and, a study by Dr. Kent Edward Carpenter also showed that central Philippines has the world’s highest marine biodiversity according to different categories of distribution type, habitat type, and major taxonomic group.

According to Secretary Lim, the event promotes the country’s underwater treasures while involving the community. Local fishermen were trained to guide the photographers in locating critters in the seas and also, other locals were given the chance to promote their goods. Moreover, the event also aimed to share ownership of the underwater photos taken by the renowned marine photographers so that they can be used for international promotions.

The event’s highlight was the awarding ceremonies where Omar D. Linsangan of Coron was adjudged first “SEAFARI Photo Competition/National MAD Special Edition 2011 Grand Champion.”

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