The Davao Reef Divers Club had its first club dive of the year yesterday, with 28 members taking part in the day-long activities. The main objective of the event — as is the tradition of the Club — was to give back to the marine environment, which needs our protection more than ever. This was also the first club dive that I put together as the club’s new president.

We did a clean-up dive of a portion fronting the eastern coast of Talikud Island, near the ferry terminal in Barangay Sta. Cruz. We split up into five teams and swept an area probably covering a square kilometer, at a maximum depth of 20 meters. At the end of the dive, we were able to remove 102kg of garbage from the sea. Collected were plastic wrappers, cellophane bags, old clothing (even shoes), bottles, discarded fishing nets, and other junk.

Here are a few underwater pictures taken yesterday, courtesy of Shauming Lo.

The Davao Reef Divers Club conducts club dives once a month. This month’s was in collaboration with Talikud Island’s Bgy. Sta. Cruz. Together with the barangay councilors, Barangay Captain Fidencio B. Matro expressed his desire to educate his constituents regarding the marine environment and the need for conservation efforts.

Post-dive at Leticia by the Sea

Davao businessman Ray de la Paz was instrumental in bridging the divers’ club and the barangay, and making more joint activities possible. Mr. & Mrs. de la Paz graciously hosted the club members, the barangay officials and members of the media for lunch at the Leticia by the Sea Resort. Divers themselves, the couple believe that keeping the marine environment clean and protected is essential for Talikud Island’s tourism industry.

Talikud Island is a favorite destination for scuba diving in the Davao Gulf. It is home to several dive sites: Coral Gardens, Angel’s Cove, Dizon Wall, Dayang Beach, among others.

The club event was sponsored in part by Casa Leticia and Carabao Dive Center.

The Davao Reef Divers Club is open to all scuba divers of any skill level. If you’re interested to join, please see our Facebook group page or call (82)300-1092.

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