SOUTHERN LEYTE, AN UNKNOWN PHILIPPINES

by Per Lagerberg

Unknown Philippines Southern Leyte

My eyes are sparkling, I can't see it myself but I know they do. I've just gotten on the boat after experiencing the most amazing wall of my life. Completely covered in sponges, black coral, gorgonians mixed in a swarm of life where the amount of fish was absolutely extraordinary. I've just experienced how you wish it was everywhere. I'm going here again! I'm out experiencing a part of the unknown Philippines Southern Leyte.

About an hour's flight from Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is Tacloban on the island of Leyte. The airport is small and we are quickly packed into a car that will take us three hours south. We are going to the unknown Philippines, Southern Leyte. The journey goes through villages and forests everywhere else and finally we arrive at what will be our "home" for two weeks.

We sign in and soon we are placed in our small rooms and gathered in the restaurant which will be the natural gathering place in the days ahead, here we take morning coffee, breakfast, lunches, dinners and here we often sit and talk or for those who must have internet then it is the best place.

After a rather late first night, as usually happens when you travel in groups for some reason and a few hours of talking to get to know each other and the staff, we wake up the next morning and after a nice relaxing breakfast it's time to start diving. We are transported from the beach out in small boats to the slightly larger bangka boats as the waves hit the stone-covered bottom and it is a bit messy to walk.

Then it's off and we do two dives before going back to the Tripst for lunch. The rest of the days look the same and of course there will be one or two more dives almost every day including some night dives. I can probably say that the night dives here at the pier are among the best I have ever experienced.

Colorful nudibranch sea slug with blue spots on brown skin, swimming near coral reef.

Vivid close-up of a colorful reef fish with an open mouth on coral reef.

Colorful sea slug on sandy ocean floor, unique marine life photography, perfect for scuba diving enthusiasts.

Diver floating in turquoise ocean near lush green coastline with diving boat sailboat in the background.

Bright pink sea horse camouflaged among vibrant coral reefs, showcasing incredible underwater marine life.

High-quality scuba diving tanks on the beach with boats and calm sea in the background, perfect for scuba travel adventures.

Varied diving

The diving is very varied. There is a chance to see a whale shark here, especially at certain times of the year. Also reef sharks, rays, tuna, barracudas and other larger marine life. Coral gardens, artificial reefs that have been managed for a long time and are now like any natural reef. They are covered with masses of different corals and teeming with different species of fish. Slopes of black lava sand, covered with colorful corals and sponges. Lots of invertebrates, several of which I've never seen before. Crustaceans, mollusks, echinoderms, sea urchins and various nettles in a really nice mix that you don't see very often in many places. Wall dives that are pure magic. The diving site Napantao is probably the best I have experienced in my entire life and the place is the way you wish it was everywhere and maybe it was like that once upon a time. A spawn of life that only makes me happy.

There is also fantastic muck diving here, the dive site little Lembeh lives up to its name. Like its Indonesian "big brother", the place offers lots of strange and colorful animals. Frogfish, nudibranchs, strange scorpion fish, and waspfish, echinoderms in strange shapes and colors. Octopuses such as mimic octopus, wonderpus, flamboyant cuttlefish and more, anemones and lots of colorful crustaceans.
Visibility is not always or rarely good when diving at some of these muck diving sites. While we are here, it is also unusually windy for the time of year. On the other hand, we experience other places with almost magically good visibility. Limasawa Island, about an hour's boat ride south, offers wall diving, coral gardens and visibility of over 50 meters.

The days end as they should, dinner and something to drink after the meal and a few hours of flame and laughter and bad stories from the past. Just like a group trip should be. The advantage here is that it's small, it's hard to get lost and there aren't many other places to experience in the corners, it makes the community good.

Time to travel home

Our two weeks go by quickly, it's fun to travel in a group. We experience a lot during these weeks. When we pack our cars and go back home, it's a bit sad to have to leave a place like this. It is simple and spartan but with charm and very good friendly staff and owners. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm going back. Tourism has not found its way here in large volumes yet and I hope it will take some time, even though I know it is being built and equipped for volumes. Southern Leyte is part of the still "unknown" or less noticed parts of the Philippines but oh so good. It is not luxury in any way, the luxury is to be here.

Southern Leyte is still very unexploited and there are only a few dive Tripsts here yet. Sogod Bay Scuba Tripst is located here directly by the sea. Also, the rooms, the diving center and the restaurant where you will spend the majority of your time on land are not many meters from the shore. In direct connection there are a number of Ocean front rooms which all have air conditioning, TV, shower and toilet and fridge. One deluxe room and five simpler ocean front rooms are available. The rooms are very simple but functional.

On the other side of the road a couple of minutes walk away is a building with additional rooms. They are simple but also offer air conditioning, TV, fan and refrigerator as well as a balcony with a view of Sogod Bay and Limasawa Island.
Two budget rooms with air conditioning, fan and bathroom without a view are also available.
All rooms have coffee or tea and Wifi is available but don't count on it being very good.

Breakfast can be pre-ordered when you book accommodation and diving. You order other meals in the rest line and pay on the spot. The food is good and the supply is ok for 7-10 days, but then maybe there will be repetition.

About the diving

The diving takes place directly from the beach or from a boat. Here you can find everything from muck diving, to walls with enormous fish and animal life. Here there is also the chance to see whale sharks, which relatively often pass through the area. Also rays, turtles and reef sharks and other slightly larger animals, but the focus is often on small and beautiful reefs.

The beach consists mainly of stone and coral and there is not much else to do at the Tripst. There is some game and it is also possible to make day trips on land with visits to waterfalls, viewpoints, churches and the town of Maasin arranged on request.

Photo: Per Lagerberg