Hesham El-Adly was kind enough to share some details, pictures and video of his journey to Sumilon a few months back. Below you will see a map of the island so you know where Hesham spent his time diving off the coast of the Philippines. Enjoy...
Hesham's Journey...
I returned recently from an incredible snorkeling trip to Sumilon, Philippines.
Getting to Sumilon is quite easy from Manila. A one hour plane ride to Dumaguete followed by a 45 minute pump boat trip to the Island of Oslob followed by another 20 minute pump boat trip to Sumilon. Sumilon is a small island with only one resort - Sumilon Bluewater Island Resort - and so is quite and peaceful.
Weather and seas were rough and visibility low at times but it was still amazing. I swam in three areas around Sumilon - a lagoon reef, a turbulent reef flat, and a marine sanctuary consisting of rolling fields of stony and soft corals. The variety, size, and color of the corals were fantastic and there was an enormous diversity of fish species.
Photos and videos are taken with an Olympus TG-1iHS underwater camera. This is a 12 MP underwater camera with an F2.0 aperture and can take 1080p videos. This relatively inexpensive underwater camera was purchased for its low light performance and continuous focus modes and is highly recommended.
The next few photos and video are of something really special ... visibility was poor and it was hard to get more than about 3 or 4 meters of this fish in the frame at a time but this fish should be unmistakable for those who love the sea ...
