Bohol: Balicasag Island

October 17, 2013


After that wonderful experience with the Dolphins, our next activity for the day was interaction with different kinds of fishes, and when I say interaction that means we're going to swim with them. That sounds so exciting, doesn't it? Well, it did excite me. I wonder how big those fishes would be! I grew up near the ocean and corals but to swim with big fish, that's something I had not done before.


From where we saw the dolphins, the boat headed toward south where Balicasag island is located. As we moved closer to the island, my attraction to the place had doubled. I couldn't believe I was seeing what looks like a paradise to me. The island is being surrounded by a pure, crystal clear water and that truly amazed me! I grew up in a huge island and our house is by the beach but our seawater is not as clear as what I'd seen in Balicasag. Their water is pretty much amazing, with blueish and greenish water on, I wonder if there has been a mermaid around the island or if Poseidon does even exist!


By just seeing the blue green water, that made me want to go ahead and jump and swim! But I couldn't no matter how much I love to swim. With intense heat of the sun, I knew my skin would get burnt. :) Nah, I'm exaggerating, but it was really hot by the time we reached the island. Astounded by the beauty of nature, I found myself being captive in my photography world and took as many photos I could.

Gord likes to collect corals and seashells so when he got on the shore, he walked around and looked for some corals. I used to do that when I was a kid.

Balicasag seemed like a very small island to me, so when I learned that there are people residing there, that surprised me a bit because it's too far from Panglao so I wonder how those people act on certain emergencies. There must have been a large supply of food and gasoline in the island.


Some of the residents there rent out snorkeling gears. Some make bracelets and different kinds of accessories from corals and seashells and sell them. They have a very good source of living. The island itself is already a good one.


When we had all the gears we needed, we hopped in a small boat that would bring us to the fish sanctuary. It was a very tiny boat and considering my weight and Gord's, I worried the boatman would have hard time paddling, but it looks so easy on him. Well, we were floating and we were moving so I must trust his strength :)

This is Vincent, the boatman

After few meters of boat ride, we reached the sanctuary where I got to see a lot of fishes that I don't even know what they are called. I'm a fisherman's daughter but I'm familiar with only few fishes, just fishes that my dad would catch :)  The moment I got myself down into the water, my body got surrounded by those beautiful fish. Some fish bit me somewhere in my body but that didn't hurt. 

It was fun having those tiny creatures around me and I felt like I belong to them at some level of perspective. Then, my wild imagination got me and I thought I of being a mermaid or the ocean's queen and Gord's the king in the ocean.

Snorkeling is all fun especially when you get to see those beautiful corals and different kinds of fish, and our snorkeling in Balicasag is the best of all. It's far way better than our snorkeling in Donsol and Caramoan. I wish I own an underwater camera and could have taken photos of those beautiful things that appeared right before my eyes, including my baby who was having so much fun swimming around with the fish, like I did.

Spending some time at the island was one of the best moments in my life that I will cherish forever. I used to dream of a sweet and romantic date on an island when I was in my high school, and I would say I am lucky to get what I dreamed of. Gord was my ever first date, and a date in an island, that was just so perfect. I wish we could stay longer or spend a night in Balicasag like what we did in Caramoan.


There was another island to visit, the so-called Virgin Island, but we decided to head back to the resort. I guess we'd seen enough. Besides, it was almost lunch time and my tummy was already crying for food.  

UP NEXT: Panglao Tour




Ma Cristina
Mandaluyong City