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El Nido, Palawan: A Surprising Macro Gem
posted on Thursday, March 7, 2019
Second time’s the charm as Ling and I were finally able to dive in El Nido, Palawan early March 2019. It took us 5 years to return and we timed it perfectly unlike our trip in 2014 which was scheduled on the rainy month of July. I originally booked our dive with Nudy Divers two months before the trip. It was the dive shop in the same building as our supposed accommodation, Ogie's Beach Pension. But upon our arrival, we were informed by the tricycle driver that both Ogie’s and the dive shop were gutted by fire just last month, February 2019. That was the start of our string of El Nido surprises.
We took the news in stride and immediately found a new accommodation at Tandikan Beach Cottages in Calle Hama. We also found another dive shop near Tandikan which is Aquanaut Dive Center. Dive rates are pegged at P4,400 per person inclusive of 3 dives, lunch and equipment rental. The resort is co-owned by a French and a Spanish couple.
Ling and I weren’t really expecting much of our El Nido dives. But we were in for the trip’s greatest macro surprise! The first dive was at North Entalula and my macro heart went oohlala as Ling spotted a sheep-like Stiliger species. Imagine seeing several Stiligers in just one area. After snapping some using my strobe, I was reunited with my Scubalamp MS30.
The macro surprise didn’t end there though as we also saw a flatworm, several flabellina, common nudibranchs and several ghost pipefish. 3 dives in El Nido may not be enough but my macro heart was smiling after the day's dive. =)
El Nido Flabellina 1
El Nido Flabellina 2
El Nido Flabellina 3
El Nido Flabellina 4
El Nido Flabellina
El Nido Flatworm 1
El Nido Flatworm 2
El Nido Flatworm 3
El Nido Flatworm 4
El Nido Flatworm 5
El Nido Flatworm 6
El Nido Flatworm
El Nido Ghost Pipefish
El Nido Nudibranch 1
El Nido Nudibranch 2
El Nido Nudibranch 3
El Nido Nudibranch 4
El Nido Nudibranch 5
El Nido Nudibranch
El Nido Stiliger Sp 1
El Nido Stiliger Sp 10
El Nido Stiliger Sp 11
El Nido Stiliger Sp 12
El Nido Stiliger Sp 13
El Nido Stiliger Sp 14
El Nido Stiliger Sp 15
El Nido Stiliger Sp 16
El Nido Stiliger Sp 17
El Nido Stiliger Sp 18
El Nido Stiliger Sp 19
El Nido Stiliger Sp 2
El Nido Stiliger Sp 20
El Nido Stiliger Sp 21
El Nido Stiliger Sp 22
El Nido Stiliger Sp 23
El Nido Stiliger Sp 24
El Nido Stiliger Sp 25
El Nido Stiliger Sp 26
El Nido Stiliger Sp 27
El Nido Stiliger Sp 28
El Nido Stiliger Sp 29
El Nido Stiliger Sp 3
El Nido Stiliger Sp 30
El Nido Stiliger Sp 31
El Nido Stiliger Sp 4
El Nido Stiliger Sp 5
El Nido Stiliger Sp 6
El Nido Stiliger Sp 7
El Nido Stiliger Sp 8
El Nido Stiliger Sp 9
El Nido Stiliger Sp
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About Mona
Certified as a PADI rescue diver. Got my first compact camera in 2011. I was simply content then to just capture a glimpse of what I see during my dives. It was only last February 2014 that I fully maximized the use of manual macro settings.
My camera skills and knowledge are still a work in progress. Enjoy browsin’!
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