A Marine Excursion: Dolphin Watching, Balicasag Island, and Virgin Island

We've had lots of expeditions in the past: into cities, caves, and mountains, among others. Our world is only about 30% land, where these travels happened. The remaining 70% is a whole lot of world underwater that we barely had a chance to see and admire in person. Now, we have an opportunity to explore this less seen world and we are not skipping the chance.

It was the third of March and the third day of our Bohol sojourn. After the muddy ascent to Mt. Matunog of the previous day, we're going to freshen ourselves up as we go to the sea to watch the dolphins, dive into the coral reefs of Balicasag Island, and walk the ephemeral sandbar of Virgin Island.

Bohol Island Hopping Tour

Perhaps a trip to Panglao Island in Bohol would not be complete without the island hopping tour. The typical itinerary for this trip would be a jump off from Alona Beach in Panglao Island followed by dolphin watching, then going to Balicasag Island for snorkeling, and finally to Pontod Island, otherwise known as Virgin Island.

Dolphin watching is first on the list as the pod of dolphins would pass by their usual routes very early in the morning. There is no guarantee that the dolphins will show up and there are also concerns that the trailing of the boats to get a good view of the pod might stress the dolphins out. Thus this part of the tour can be optional.

Balicasag Island is a small island off the coast of Panglao Island and serves as a jump off point for the snorkeling and turtle watching in the Balicasag Reef. There are multiple diving spots around including Black Forest, Cathedral Wall, and Diver's Haven. For our part, we will snorkel on Balicasag Marine Sanctuary.

The last leg of the tour would be a visit to Pontod Island, more popularly called Virgin Island. Virgin Island is a stretch of land that is usually submerged during high tide. During low tide, a narrow strip of sandy beach is visible and is surrounded by a few mangrove trees.

Dolphin Watching

Our day started early at six in the morning. We had previously arranged the island hopping tour with the Flower Garden so as we headed out, a car was already waiting that will take us to the shore. We first wondered why the car is needed since Alona Beach is just a few minutes walk from the resort. The tour proprietor explained to us that the boats used for the tour has long been made to dock at the other end of Alona Beach away from most of the people. Upfront, we paid a Php 2800 fee for the whole tour plus a Php 450 snorkeling fee for the two of us.

Alona Beach where tour boats are docked

The car ride did not take long before we arrived at the end of the beautiful Alona Beach. Many tour boats are gathered waiting to pick up tourists who would make their island hopping tour for the day. Our boat was already waiting for us and soon we were navigating Bohol Sea to watch the dolphins.

On the way to dolphin watching

It was nearly seven in the morning when we arrived at the location where the dolphins are usually spotted. There were already many boats in the area so the prospect of us having a good watch was low. We waited for a while and clamor among the operators would indicate to us that dolphins were spotted. Our first view of the cetaceans are not promising as we just saw from a far only the fins of the creatures and we resigned to the thought that that may be the best dolphin view that we would have. Again the chances of spotting the pods in full view is not always guaranteed.

Boats at the dolphin watching area

The boats then dispersed and our boat moved on to other spots for better viewing opportunities. It didn't take too long before the boat operators again beckoned us to look far in front of us. There we saw another boat trailing a pod of dolphins, as if they are running from a predator. We were probably a good hundred meters away from the pod but we still had a good view from our position, what with the other boats far away from us.

Dolphins!

It was amazing and we could have had a better look had our boat not blocked their path and they all together dived in, never to emerge again at least near us. I guess it was too much to ask for them to show a display for us, since we, as humans, were still encroaching their territory. Staying away and only watching them from a distance would still be the best for them.

We had another short glimpse of them emerging a few minutes later but for a dolphin watching tour, it was more than we can ask for these gentle creatures.

Balicasag Island

Having seen the dolphins, we started to head for Balicasag Island. It took us around fifteen minutes to reach the island from where we last spotted the dolphins. The lighthouse at the center of the island cannot be missed as we approached the island. Balicasag Island is the gateway for the many diving sites around the area and it would be where we would first register before we can dive.

Approaching Balicasag Island

The snorkeling fee is Php 450 per person and already includes the boat ride to the marine sanctuary and the snorkeling gears. There is also an option to have a breakfast where you can order beforehand and have the meal after the dive. We tarried a little bit on the island watching the several dogs contentedly sleeping on the sands.

Geared up and ready for the dive

At fifteen to eight in the morning, we manned our boat with our guide Kuya Jojo, steering and bringing us to the diving area which is not too far from the beach. The day is still very clear and we were excited for what we would see under the waters. We had a number of snorkeling in the past and most of them have been let downs so our expectations are high.

The moment of truth has arrived and we began our dive.

A very different world greeted us. Immediately, schools of fish surrounded us in different colors. We do not know what species they are, but the multitude of colors set one school apart from the other ones. A number of them, and some starfishes, lurked among the corals and everywhere we looked was teeming in life. The reef slopes to an abyss which terribly reminded us of the depths of the sea and of a much larger world hidden from us—we were mere guests to a colorful and yet mysterious kingdom.

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We might have been snorkeling for an hour—time passes by quickly when you enjoy things—when Kuya Jojo suddenly tugged us. Not so distantly, we began to see the silhouette of a sea turtle! Kuya Jojo led us farther into the ocean to follow the turtle. We hit jackpot as other tourists were still waiting for other turtles to pass by. At a distance, we continued to follow the turtle. It was a blissful and an amazing experience to swim together with this majestic creature.

Our dive together with the turtle did not last long and soon I could see small jellyfish and Kuya Jojo beckoned us to come back to the safety of the sanctuary. We probably dove for another thirty minutes before we had our fill of the marine paradise.

We had a brief rest back in Balicasag Island, where some locals were peddling souvenir items such as ref magnets and pearl earrings and a couple of goats were frolicking among the sands and leaves.

Virgin Island

Our final destination for the day was Virgin Island. From Balicasag Island, it took us about half an hour ride to reach island, which is a sand bar that would mostly be invisible during high tide. It was already ten in the morning and the sun was high up in the sky, but we didn't mind the heat. There were already a lot of tourists when we arrived and before we disembarked, we paid a Php 30 entrance fee per person.

There's not much to do on this island but you can take a dip on the shallow waters surrounding the island or walk the whole stretch of the sand bar. There was a couple of mangrove trees where we took some pictures. We wallowed in the sea among the starfishes under the heat of the sun for more than an hour which we barely noticed has passed by.

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Wrapping Up

There's still a lot that was left unexplored by us as we left Balicasag Island. A lot of diving spots, a lot of hidden paradise that we hope, one day, we can get back to and explore to our hearts' content.

Alas, our island hopping experience came to an end as we landed back on Alona Beach. The time was eleven o'clock and we decided to walk the less crowded stretch of the beach as we made our way back to the resort to freshen ourselves up.

Up Next

Our Bohol excursion is far from over. Next step is a day tour of Panglao Island which, in retrospect, was quite an interesting one.