Diving the VR3 dive computer

The VR3 dive computer was the de rigor technical dive computer that all technical dive computers are measured against. The VR3 is a full decompression dive computer supporting 10 gasses including air, nitrox & trimix that can be used on open circuit scuba & closed circuit rebreather.

For me, this is a bit overkill but should I really get back into mixed gas diving - I will have plenty of options.The VR3 computer was the first dive computer to offer full colour graphics with a green format for non-decompression stages of the dive, the format will change to yellow once a decompression obligation is required and red screen appears should a hazardous situation be encountered such as missing the deep stops, exceeding a PO2 or an incorrect gas switch.

The VR3 dive computer uses a derivative of the Buhlmann ZHL-16 algorithm; according to VR Technology, modified to assimilate micro-bubble avoidance for enhanced decompression safety - the deep stops represent bubble avoidance techniques. When undertaking decompression dives, the VR3 Buhlmann algorithm prompts for deep-water controlling stops of 2 minutes in duration.

The deep-water stops are recognised by their duration (normally two minutes duration) and a + displayed next to the time. It is important that these stops are conducted correctly for a safe decompression as they help to reduce the problems associated with potential micro-bubble growth during an ascent.

In my experience, this would involve a 2 minute stop at 16 metres and 2 minutes at 11 metres for most mild decompression profiles. These stops differ according to profile with some stops at 21 metres and 16 metres respectively, then the shallow stops apply.

The VR3 has user changeable batteries that may be a 1.5 volt alkaline or 3.6 volt lithium cell, access is available through the battery cap with a dedicated tool. I have found alkaline batteries to have insufficient capacity, the Eveready Ultimate 1.5 volt lithium battery is now my choice as both economical and suitably long lasting.

Two magnetic switches are toggled by either a short or long push to navigate the screens with changes to settings able to be made underwater. The advantage of the magnetic switches is that they do not provide a possible leak path, the I/O port is capped and if the seals leak then the compartment may be flushed with fresh water and dried appropriately.

The battery cover is the only possible leak path and the o-rings should be lubricated and changed when required. The final stop depth may be changed underwater; changing stop depths to either a 3 metre, 4.5 metre or 6 metre for the final stop depth depending on surface conditions.

Unfortunately, my quickly fading eyesight now makes such an operation hazardous, I should be wearing a prescription mask and can follow the prompts better, I haven't been gas switching lately but will be again once I upgrade my mask.

The VR3 dive computer is not a particularly easy dive computer to learn to use; much effort is required to read and understand the manual, that can’t be emphasised enough. The time spent practicing with the computer on the surface with the manual is time well spent, a number of shallow lead up dives within the no-decompression limits are mandatory.

 It is, of course, thoroughly recommended, no make that mandatory, that in any decompression dives, back up depth & bottom timer is used, a known dive computer is highly recommended to compare. I had been using an OSTC 2N dive computer until the screen failed, now back to my old Aladin Pro for air dives or Suunto Vyper in gauge mode and haven't switched gas after my 2N failed.

The VR3 dive computer is a powerful platform that could be purchased in the C1 configuration and can be expanded to trimix and closed circuit diving in the future. Once I learned the computer, and it did take a while, I find it an excellent dive computer and I now personally use the VR3 dive computer as my computer of choice.

The VR3 has now been replaced with the cut down version NHeO3 and the upgraded VRx, the later building on the technology platforms and lessons of its predecessor. The VR3 remains an excellent dive computer for both open and closed circuit nitrox & trimix diving, I won’t be upgrading my VR3 to the VRx just yet as I am happy with the performance of my VR3, all new users should seriously consider the VRx though.

Is the MBA still relevent?

There is some speculation on whether the MBA is still relevant, if not, what will replace the qualification as the leading indicator of business acumen?

An MBA is a very generalised qualification engaging in the broad disciplines of strategy, leadership, marketing, human resources, operations, organisational behaviour, finance, accounting, economics and ethics.

The Harvard model was predominately case study based; now MBAs can be completed by coursework or research, theoretical examinations, projects and other methods. I sometimes wonder if the original model has been changed to such an extent that it no longer defines the intent of the original qualification.

The purpose of an MBA program to participate in an academically grounded program applying critical thinking techniques to view and solve problems from theoretically grounded frameworks to provide solutions of managerial problems. Do other business based master level programs not provide the same conceptual framework?

The purpose of the case study method was to investigate real world problems with the student forming the role as the decision maker.An MBA was once a point of differentiation in the marketplace; it was a relatively tightly held qualification, now many variations exist ranging from the regular MBA to the executive MBA. Is the actual marketplace flooded with MBAs?

Is the MBA the most sought after post graduate program? Now a master of business administration can major in areas such as commerce, economics, finance, accounting, oil & gas, strategic procurement, business, leadership, human resources, project management, international business and organisational development. Has the trend to specialise the MBA program undermined the core outcomes of the qualification? How does an MBA majoring in HRM differentiate itself from a Master of HRM?

Many specialised masters degrees are now available from a Master of Accounting, Master of Marketing, Master of Finance, Master of Human Resource Management, Master of Business Leadership, Master of Organisational Leadership, Master of Economics or Master of Information Technology (Business). The list is extensive and one wonders if a Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Commerce does not provide the necessary conceptual capital and skill sets.

I am looking at undertaking a graduate certificate in management, undertaking four units in a post graduate management qualification to supplement a recent bachelor degree. Research is indicating some programs are reducing the qualification from 16 units to 12 units.

There is also a growing consensus that unless a graduate wishes to become a management consultant; the investment in time and money in an MBA program could prove to be a costly couple of years.

This doesn't even take into account the institution where the MBA was studied; a Harvard, Wharton, London Business School or INSTEAD MBA are world famous. In Australia, the Australian Graduate School of Business (University of NSW), Melbourne Business School and Macquarie are all top performing universities requiring substantial investments generally in the $50,000 range.

However, some of the second tier universities in Australia off the MBA in the $15,000 price range, but do employers rate the qualification? My concern is, after such an investment, would I really be more employable?

What is the value of an undergraduate university degree in your forties?

The value of education should never be underestimated; however, what is the value of an undergraduate university degree in your forties?

An individual who started work in the late teens or early twenties would have over twenty years employment experience; they may now be under-utilised, overlooked for promotion or need to upgrade skills to compete in the new economy. Even more important in their swag of experience; the ability to perform through cycles of growth and decline.

Attending high school in Perth in the mid 1980s saw high unemployment in Australia, a hangover from the severe 1982-83 recession and a lack of confidence in the employment market. Long term unemployment was a real risk with visions of a lifetime of unemployment and welfare dependency. 

At my high school, we were given lessons in how to correctly fill out dole (social security) forms for unemployment benefits. I was one of the lucky ones, I still don't know how to fill out a dole form correctly as I have never applied for the dole, friends of mine at the time refused to apply for dole payments thinking they would hurt their employment prospects should they ever make it to the interview stage.

We now live in different times, the last time Australia saw official recession was 1991; the Berlin wall no longer stands, the cold war is over, attempts at nuclear disarmament have pretty much eased the threat of all out nuclear war. New issues occupy our minds; international terrorism, global warming (oops, climate change now), the environment and nouveau capitalism are all concerns now.

Optimism is high, buoyed by long a sustained growth phase that has replaced the despair and feelings of doom of the 1980s. The 1991 recession once again dented confidence after interest rates peaked at just under 18% but for many of us, this is a distant but uncomfortable memory.

Getting a job, any job was paramount, getting an apprenticeship was even better - staying on at school and attending university mean't you didn't have employment prospects, it was in the area where I grew up anyway. 

But fast forward to the present; trade qualified employees seeking to move into mid and upper level management positions require new knowledge and skill sets, the workforce is changing and those who choose not to change will be left behind.

As an adult student, holding down full-time employment, a family and mortgage payments is difficult enough, the thought of committing to years of part time study is too painful for many - but are they damaging their future job prospects and employment potential?

After you have made the commitment to study, a couple of years of social interaction burnt and sleep deprivation problems - I sometimes wonder, what will a bachelor degree get a person that a diploma can't?

At this point, I don't know the answer.

Diving the Coron Wrecks

The reason we sit around calculating dive plans, blending gasses and equipment checks is to get into the water and get wet. Fortunately for Australia, war has not touched us in the same way our neighbours to the north have suffered; despite the best intentions of Emperor Hirohito, his band of generals leading his army of murderers, rapists and war criminals. Yes, Darwin was attacked in February 1942 and other occasions, parts of Western Australia were also bombed, Sydney had midget submarine attacks but we were never occupied in the same way that Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and many other countries of the region had to endure.

The early success of the Imperial Japanese military allowed the Japanese combined forces to sweep down and occupy all before them. When Singapore was lost; Australia was in a perilous predicament with arguments still raging whether Australia was next to be invaded or the Japanese forces were overstretched and will to advance no further and stabilise their gains. Years of determined fighting faced the allies; McArthur as supreme commander now based in Brisbane after being ejected from the Philippines. The US Navy under the leadership of admirals Halsey, Spruance & Nimitz led the charge for the allies in the Pacific theatre of war.

Australia played a critical part in the Pacific war with our soldiers fighting in the jungles of Borneo & Papua new Guinea to name just a few. McArthur and the US military was based in Brisbane during critical stages of the conflict and later returning to the Philippines for the final thrust on the Japanese home islands.

The Pacific war was to a large degree a naval war, which is fortunate for divers as we have the opportunity to dive some pretty cool wrecks. You certainly don’t have to be a technical diver to enjoy the Coron wrecks; however if you want the extended bottom times and wreck penetrations, an advanced nitrox & deco procedures qualification and wreck diving experience is required.

The Pacific war was predominately a naval exchange with aircraft carriers launching the attacks, battleships & cruisers protecting the fleet, providing naval gunfire and shore bombardment and destroyers protecting the fleet against submarine attack.

The Americans using the Yorktown and Essex class carriers launched the attack at the Battle of Midway decimating the Japanese fleet while mostly reserving the big 16" guns of the battleships mostly for shore bombardments. In a certain degree of irony, the Iowa class battleships were mothballed and recommissioned a number of times with their last action see during Gulf War I with shore bombardments and tomahawk missile launches. The greatest irony was reserved for the formal Japanese surrender signed on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo harbour.

The Japanese were losing territory as the war progressed; the Philippines were no longer secure although it would take some major battles for it to fall into allied hands. Starting in PNG and leapfrogging past whole islands isolating the Japanese forces defending them until the end of the war while the allied forces moved north towards Japan.

Task Force 38 lead by Admiral Halsey and Task Force 58 commanded by Spruance worked in tandem with one TF conducting operations while one TF was planning and preparing for the next operation. This also acted as a ploy to confuse the Japanese command, the TF were operating around the Philippines and later engaged the Japanese at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Usual enemy activity was detected in the North Palawan region around Coron Island, Tangat Island & Busuanga Islands from aerial reconnaissance from the 21st to the 24th of September 1944 and in true American military style – decided to bomb the crap out of them to be sure.

It is still debated whether radio transmissions were intercepted alerting the Americans to the presence of Japanese shipping in the area or the fact that the camouflaged ships had been noticed moving around tipping off aerial reconnaissance interpreters.

A number of ships that had been in Manila Bay area streamed to the islands to avoid damage were at sitting at anchor. Halsey and his task force east of Leyte launched the Helldiver bombers and Hellcat fighters equipped with wing tanks extending their range to attack the targets. Launched at dawn on the 24th of September, they flew completely across the Philippines and surprised the 15 ships in the bay and Coron Passage.

Using bombing and strafing tactics, they sent a number of ships to the bottom with these ships now laying in divable depths. While the Akitsushima is the only true military ship in the area, the refrigerator ship the Irako & fleet oiler the Okikawa Maru are military support ships with the remaining wrecks being freighters.

Akitsushima – A navy seaplane tender laying on its port side in 36 metres of water. The crane is intact making a great structure to dive along while then turning back to the main superstructure and flying boat mounts. The main deck is ripped open allowing a fantastic entry point to enter the hull with a number of passages to swim along and allowing access to the engine room. I would not recommend reels for this dive as it is possible to swim down the passages exiting at multiple points. Getting in and around the bridge is also good looking at the AA gun (hard to picture though) and moving forward to the bow. It is a great view to see the point of the bow cutting through the water on a horizontal plane instead of a vertical plane. Returning along the starboard hull at 22 metres shows holes ripped through the hull opening up like a can. The currents are strong here and deco can be taken on the mooring line towards the stern.

Irako – An armed refrigeration provision ship sits in 45 metres of water in an upright position. I prefer to dive on EAN32 as there is no need to head to the bottom and there is so much to see in the decks and holds. The fore and an aft mast where the mooring lines are attached are excellent starting points, the bridge is interesting as it is banged up pretty bad from the bombs. A good entry point into the hull is through the fore cargo hold door but beware, the silt is very fine so a reel and good quality reel is a must.

Okikawa Maru – Oil tanker resting upright in 26 metres of water and as I found out on my three dives on this wreck is usually in a ripping current. Entering the water near the bow the whole fore section is collapsed allowing the diver to swim straight into the hull. Getting back outside is a very interesting structure and due to the reasonable shallow depths a long dive is easily achievable.

Kogyo Maru – A 129 metre cargo vessel that was captured and used by the Japanese fleet, the exact origin is unknown and was more than likely constructed in Europe.

The Kogyo Maru lies in 36 metres of water on its starboard side with a cement mixer, bags of cement and a small bulldozer in one of its holds. The top of the wreck (port side) is in 22 metres of water with two moorings connected, one mounted forward and the other mounted aft.

There are a number of freighters laying both upright and on their sides as second dives and most are around the 30 metre mark making them great second dives. 

I love heading over to Coron to dive the wrecks, I have been three times so far and more trips are planned, the Akitsushima and Irako are my favourites with some really good penetration possiblities.

Will the residential properly boom in Makati continue?

The residential property boom in Makati has been booming, high rise residential property has been looking extremely attractive. Two questions remain; will the strong market conditions remain and how long will such conditions persist?

Favourable economic conditions in the Philippines; strong remittances by Filipinos working abroad and low interest rates have been driving the residential property market in recent years. Every trip I take to Manila in the last seven years has seen the growth accelerating; I see a number of developments nearing completion around the city and new developments immediately starting.

Walking around the major shopping complexes; sales centres have been set up, some complete with mocked up apartment units in various developments. I am targeted by sales vendors as I stroll around and I am more than happy to view their developments; as a foreigner, I would certainly consider such an investment, but these developments need to meet long term investment quality indicators of rental yields and capital growth.

The financing schemes remain a concern; the apartments are pre-sold with vendors providing the financing until the project is completed. A 10% deposit is received followed by monthly installments, a loan then has to be arranged in presumably a Filipino bank with a scheme of finance extending over the next 20 – 30 years.

The high rise apartments fueled by Megaworld, SM Prime Holdings and Ayala Land are targeting foreign retirees; overseas foreign workers and young Manila professionals that includes doctors, lawyers and prominent business identities.

I often look at the huge complexes with in excess of fifty floors and wonder if sales are meeting projections; the sales agents I spoke to are normally unable to answer such questions.

When I ask specific questions about the demographics of the buyers, I am normally met with vague answers so it would appear sales agents haven't been fully briefed, surely I am not the only one with such questions.

Increased government spending, a high rate of consumerism in the Philippines, a low interest rate environment and a building boom in Manila appear to be driving the current high rise residential property boom. 

Property booms can come to an abrupt end, sometimes taking a decade to recover, parting with retirement savings in current economic conditions causes much anxiety. As such, I was in two minds as to what to do. 

The sub-prime boom and bust in the United States is still clear in people's minds, loose lending standards and a low interest rate environment fueled speculation in that market that led to the property market bubble bust.

A number of questions remain regarding the quality of workmanship are concerning; loose building codes and a recent explosion at the Two Serenda complex that was similar in nature to the explosion in Glorietta 2 in 2012 needs to be urgently addressed. 

Work practices on the construction sites leave much to be desired, the safety of workers does not appear to be a priority although increasing work stoppage orders issued may change current industry trends of profit over worker safety. Too many lives are lost on these building projects, one hopes no more lives are lost in construction. 

Diving Sogod Bay, Leyte, Philippines

Knocking off work late afternoon in Perth mid July during the depths of winter for two weeks diving in the Philippines leaves a sense of relief in my mind, the weekend before; I was diving in the Swan River in 14°C water. A two week trip to the Philippines usually results in approximately 20 odd dives in clear 28°C – 31°C water. Now, while there are many interesting dives in the Swan River including wrecks, sea horses, squid, prawns & crabs amongst other things, it is easy to dream of the warm tropical waters of South East Asia during the depths of the Perth winter.

From Perth, the flight to Singapore is five and a half hours with a six am arrival for the red eye special, leaving a couple of hours wandering around in the award winning Changi airport. From Singapore to Manila, a further three and a half hours flying time is required giving an arrival in Manila early afternoon. I choose Singapore Airlines for their friendly service, extensive network & reputation, there are many options for flights including the low cost carriers and this can make considerable savings to the whole trip.  

The Mercer most liveable city ratings has not been harsh on Manila, it is listed at the bottom of the ratings for very good reasons, poverty, pollution, over-crowding, crime & corruption ensure Manila is a city best avoided at all costs, for reasons I sometimes don’t know, I do catch up with friends living in the metropolis of Manila. For the best part, Manila does not have many attractions so there isn’t much exiting to see there or do apart from catching up with friends. I would avoid Manila altogether if it were not for these social gatherings. The up market area of Makati has the Greenbelt shopping malls giving the traveller the best respite from the poverty of the slum areas so frequently seen in this city. Specialty shops such as Versace, Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabana, Tiffany, Rolex & Louis Vuitton all trade from the five malls in this five star complex, these up-market goods don’t just cater for the expatriate living in the Philippines and a rapidly developing class of Manila elites is emerging.

The top end restaurants and bars that reside in the Greenbelt complex are tastefully decorated by the green leafy surrounds of the entertainment precinct for their upwardly mobile clientele.

Once out of Manila, the Philippines have much to offer the diver, while the Philippines has been slow to develop its tourism infrastructure, the islands of the Visayas are busting with potential to satisfy both the experienced and novice diver. There are many dive resorts scattered around these under developed islands with many dive sites begging to be discovered.

A number of airlines service the Philippine islands including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Sea Air, & Zest Air there is also the ferries to cater to the diver with a little time to spend and a tighter budget.

Travelling to Leyte requires a short one hour flight from Manila to Tacloban, the small capital city in the centre of the island. The exchange rate at time of writing was approximately 40 peso for 1 Australian dollar. A short jeepney ride from the airport to the bus terminal will set you back about 40 peso ($1.00), the minivan ride to the city of Maasin will cost you 220 peso ($5.50), the ride takes about four hours and is crowded & bumpy ride on their concrete roads. Maasin is a thoroughly forgettable city; a change of transport is required to get to Padre Burgos, another forgettable town located on the entrance of Sogod Bay. A short tricycle ride to the bus station will set you back around 10 peso then a one hour minivan ride to the resort will cost 30 peso (75 cents).

All up, the ride will cost around 300 peso ($7.50) and is a six hour ordeal, you could of course call up the resort and they pick you up from the airport and you can ride in air-conditioned comfort for 4000 peso ($100) and you are there in three hours.

Peter’s Dive Resort is owned and managed by an Australian family originally from Perth who has relocated to the Philippines; the resort has been operating more than 10 years and was the first on this stretch of Sogod Bay. 

The resort is located directly on the shore overlooking the passage from Leyte to Panaon Island.

The best dive sites in this area are located on Panaon Island, there are a number of vertical and sloping walls loaded with soft corals and gorgonian fans, the soft corals are in magnificent condition. A non-profit coral conservation organisation studies the coral growth and fish species in the area using volunteers who reside on the island. Most of the volunteers seemed pretty young and all who swam past our boat had British accents, this appears to be the perfect recruitment process for potential marine biologists.

Napantoa is the premium dive on Panaon Island beginning with a sloping wall and the moving to a vertical wall with a 45 metre depth and ending on a sloping wall with the larger pelagic fish patrolling the walls. The smaller bait fish are in abundance in the area bravely venturing out into the current and then darting to the safety of the coral when a pelagic is sighted. The Panaon Island reserve is a marine sanctuary, patrolled by the locals keeping the destructive fishing methods found across the Philippines out of the bay, this community based policing is working well.    

The trip across the bay is not usually mundane, it pays to keep your eyes open as there is always something moving through or jumping out of the water. On one trip across, a pod of spinner dolphins was sighted ahead, there would easily be 40 dolphins in the pod and they all raced forward to ride the bow wake. We had as many as ten dolphins riding the bow wake; I never fail to get excited about this. Fortunately for us, this style of boat has a narrow beam and pointed bow and it didn’t take much effort video these guys playing. Every trip across Sogod Bay from Leyte to Panaon Island resulted in a sighting of this pod of Spinner dolphins frolicking on the surface.

The local reefs in front of the resort are sloping walls to 50 metres in depth where the whaleshark of the region traverse. Interesting species such as pygmy sea horses, frog fish and & hawksbill turtles are found along these walls and some great macro photographic opportunities present themselves. The whaleshark season runs from December to May although many of the sharks are still sited outside of the season. I back-rolled off the tender on the house reef 150 metres from the resort and much to my surprise was face to face with a whaleshark cruising directly under the boat. I don’t know who was more surprised, me or him, but before I even cleared my mask, I was paddling hard to get out of his way. I always prefer a negative entry from a back-roll so to clear the boat and any other divers rolling off and into the water, today it was my lucky day. This guy was gently moving along and I had no trouble keeping up on scuba, I was at a depth of 14 metres following this big fella along the reef.

We were that close to the resort that the boatman was able to signal to the resort manager and he was able to grab his snorkelling gear and wade out too. This was late July and the whalesharks, while less frequent were still swimming around, today was my lucky day. The day before, a whaleshark swam straight under the moored boat as we were preparing to leave, on this occasion, we were too slow to get in the water but the trail of bubbles was a giveaway of his presence. 

The banca (pronounced bunker) is an outrigger style boat used throughout the Philippine Islands and is a perfect diving platform. The boats have a narrow beam ensuring minimal resistance through the water, these boats use old truck engines and power through the water. The banca, Whaleshark II owned by Peter’s Dive Resort is a very powerful outrigger boat giving a fast and comfortable ride across the bay.

Moorings have been sunk along all the dive sites ensuring no anchoring damage to the reef, the banca drops the divers at the entry point with the divers drifting along with the current, at the completion of the dive, the guide deploys a surface marker buoy and the following banca picks the divers up.

The dive sites on the Leyte side of the bay have sloping reefs that may be accessed as a shore dives, there is no visible dynamite fishing damage to the reefs that I dived, many of the typhoons miss the area resulting in pristine reefs. A small dingy can also whisk the diver to the local reefs and we dived a reef that the guide hadn’t visited for a year, he was overjoyed about the coral regrowth in that patch of reef, a positive outcome for health of Sogod Bay in general.

During my stay, parts of the resort were under refurbishment with the hard working Filipino locals toiling away for long hours, I was impressed with their work ethic. The dining area was close to completion with fantastic views across the bay, I took my meals poolside due to the construction and the views were no less brilliant.

Alan, a Tasmanian, runs the dive operations and is Philippines based, Alan is a commercial diver who is also into the tek scene and fluent in the local dialect. Nitrox fills are available, while I never requested any as I had sufficient bottom times in all of my dives, they were ready to go, I am sure he would be more than happy to offer decompression diving to the suitably qualified. I did show up with a DIN regulator and they easily accommodated me, sometimes not so easy in this part of the world, no request seemed too hard.

The resort staff was very professional and made my stay at their resort memorable; the dive staff were very good at locating the small macro creatures. There were times they were pointing out tiny creatures and I was straining to see what they were actually pointing at, they were all good guys and made the days on the boat fun, and this is what we get into diving for, I couldn’t ask for more.

I would recommend diving Leyte to my friends and Peter’s Dive Resort is an excellent establishment, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, the diving was superb, the staff professional and the resort was very relaxing.

Is Boracay the best beach in South East Asia?

Boracay is the playground of the Philippines; the beach is now well developed, some might say over-developed but still retains much of its charm in a way that a Patong, Kata, Karon or Laem Singh lacks. Discovered by tourism in the 1970s after a Hollywood movie was filmed on location, frequented by backpackers in the 1980s and building on that momentum in the 1990s, Boracay is one of the premium beaches of the world.

There is plenty to do during the day with bars and restaurants lining the beach, hanging around coconut trees might provide shade but could also end up with a major headache.

Sandcastles are built on the beach every morning and dated, this picture originates from a trip to the beach in 2007, April 29. A second trip in 2008 went bad when a typhoon hit and a third trip over in 2012. We covered up, forget about watersports and the beach, just tried not to get blown away - of course, diving was out too. 

There are plenty of activities to fill the day from beachcoombing, swimming, sailing, scuba diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing and parasailing.

  



Watersports are what Boracay is all about, sailing during the day or evening is always popular.

Plenty of opportunities for swimming and taking in a little sun and then a stroll up the beach for lunch.

Restaurants setting up for evening service, there are numerous choices of quality places to eat.

Plenty of shops, restaurants and bars are just a quick step off the beach at D'Mall D'Boracay.

Sailing is a popular activity late afternoon, sitting on the beach with a bottle of wine is pretty good too.

While there is not much wind for serious sailing; a banca style boat with a sail makes for a pretty good cruise. 

Frolicking on the beach in the late afternoon sun; the ways are hot and the evenings warm and balmy.