Scandi divers had the pleasure of hosting the Puerto Galera leg of the Dive Spotters Training Program. Alongside this we refreshed our knowledge about bonfire and blackwater diving.
Dive Philippines stalwarts Wen and Cels only work with the best, with the main presentations conducted by Ram Yoro. Ram is well known and a true sensei in the bonfire/ blackwater field. There were 19 participants from the dive shops in Puerto Galera. There was the added dangled carrot of a nice t-shirt and some great meals from chef Ivan at Scandi divers.
Ram shared his knowledge and techniques from the blackwater world to the enthralled room of dive professionals. We got to learn about all the amazing species that can be seen around the bonfire of placed dive lights. Time was also spent refreshing everybody on the current hot marine critters and where’s the best place to find them. After a break of almost 2 years from major tourism it was a very worthwhile exercise to reboot our knowledge on the bountiful marine life in Puerto Galera.
As the sun went down we prepared the lights and lines for a bonfire dive right in front of Scandi divers resort. With the dive pro’s spread over four light set ups we were flabbergasted at the amazing species that live in the mid-water. There were many larval fish, with juvenile pipe fish and seahorses drifting around. A tiny larval octopus decided to attract itself to one of the guys, even hiding in the sleeve of his wet suit. We lost count of the number of crustacean species that were attracted by the powerful lights. The dive blew the minds of the participants, for some it was the first time to experience this kind of diving.
The next morning was spent going over proof of life images and video footage taken by the divers. Ram was also mightily impressed with the amount of night life. We finished up by honing our spotting skills with two dives in our muck diving area. The area outside of Montani was described as a AAA dive site by Ram. The sightings included a hairy shrimp, sean the sheep nudibranch, blue dragon and a tiny flamboyant cuttlefish.
The evening was spent giving out certificates to the participants and then of course the Red horse started to flow. The karaoke was fired up and all the blackwater creatures decided to go to deeper water.
Scandi divers would like to thank Dive Philippines, the department of tourism and the master Ram Yoro for sharing his amazing experience with us. We now look forward to using our new skills to impress our guests once international travel restarts again.
