Bauan, Batangas: 2020 Pre-Christmas and Year-end dive

posted on Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Who would have thought that it would take us almost a year to dive again this 2020? After 2019’s pre-Christmas test dive in Anilao, this turned out to be our second dive trip with my new Sony RX 100 camera and its Nauticam underwater housing. It was such a welcome distraction from this pandemic that literally took a toll in our lives this year. I couldn’t be more thankful that Ling and I managed to schedule a pre-Christmas and year-ender dive during the new normal.

We booked our stay in Bunker Dive Resort in Bauan, Batangas---a resort owned by Jayr Faustino, a fellow diver friend. Since Metro Manila and Batangas are still under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), local tourists are advised to follow COVID-19 safety protocols implemented by respective local government units. In Bauan, for instance, accredited resorts require any of the following (with 7 days validity prior arrival):

1. Health Certificate from Barangay/Municipal Health Office

2. Medical Certificate from Private/Company Doctor

3. RT-PCR Test Result

Guests are also asked to fill out the resort’s health declaration form in order to finalize booking. We reserved a private air-conditioned room for P1,950 per pax, inclusive of boat transfer. The guests are also required to bring the ingredients for their own meals; the resort can prepare it without any cooking charge. For equipment rental, divers are strictly advised to bring their own dive gears.

It was a Sunday-Monday overnight stay to avoid the weekender crowd. And though it rained in the past days due to the low pressure area, we had a fairly sunny weather for our two dives out on our first day. After setting up our dive gears, we were all set for our shore entry dives. And it was just like how I imagined---I instantly felt at ease...at home. Ling was also back at his element, spotting critters we missed during a year’s hiatus.

For our third dive on the second day, I was finally able to try going wide with my new Sony RX 100 babe. Though there were no more school of jacks in the Dive and Trek house reef and no school of batfish in the renowned bat cave, there were still quite a few schools of fish that caught our fancy. All pandemic worries aside, I certainly enjoyed snappin’! Enjoy viewing!

As of March 2021, Bunker Dive Resort no longer requires the submission of health/medical certificates and/or RT-PCR test results but guests are still required to fill out the health declaration form. They also don't accept walk-ins.