Further deaths at sea

The tragic sinking of another Indonesian people smuggler vessel ferrying illegal immigrants to Australia raises further questions regarding the sea worthiness of people smuggling boats, the tactics employed by the people smugglers and the willingness of people entering contractual arrangements with crime syndicates breaching the sovereignty of Australia.

The vessel, reported 25 nautical miles off the Indonesian coast had a mobile phone programmed to call Australian rescue authorities in event of problems, while some discrepancy exists as to when the call to Australian rescue authorities was made, it is clear Australian authorities contacted Indonesian authorities who coordinated rescue efforts. The Australian rescue authorities responded by sending notice to shipping in the area with a diverted merchant vessel unable to locate the stricken vessel, a border protection aircraft also joined the search.

Territorial waters generally extend 12 nautical miles, approximately 22 km from the coastline as defined by the United Nations convention on the law of the sea, the contiguous zone extends a further 12 nautical miles with the exclusive economic zone extending 200 nautical miles. It is clear the vessel was in Indonesian waters and although headed to Australia, was still in Indonesia.

To keep things in perspective, Rottnest Island is 19 km from Fremantle, is viewed by line of sight from the West Australian coast line, once a year a swimming race from Cottesloe Beach to Rottnest Island is held, it is not only possible for people to swim that distance, they do so on a regular basis. Private craft regularly get into difficulty west of Rottnest Island, Indonesian search and rescue is never called to provide assistance to these vessels, why then is Australian authorities called to rescue Indonesian vessels in Indonesian waters?

Australian and Indonesian authorities have been working together with the HMAS Ballarat rendezvousing with an Indonesian Coast Guard vessel transferring rescued people from another stricken vessel who then landed the people back on Indonesian soil. Cooperation between Australian and Indonesian authorities appears to be entering a new phase, the willingness of Indonesia to accept boat-people from the Australian navy in Indonesian waters is the turn around policy in practice.

Diving Malapascua

Making the bus trip from Cebu City to the north of the island is an arduous journey, a slow uncomfortable trip costing just 170 peso, the boat trip across the straight to the island is a further 100 peso. The other option is the dive centre picks you up from the airport in the south driving you to the boat departure point for $125 AUD, at an exchange rate of 39, that is a bus ride of $4.35 with the boat trip costing $2.56. The banca ride from Maya to Malapascua was uneventful, even discounting the odd wave splashing the occupants due to the surface chop. Landing on the beach, I removed my sandals to walk down the gang-plate so they don't get wet only to stand on a dog turd, not the start I had envisioned.

A walk around through the back paths guided by a bunch of local kids landed us at the rear entrance of Evolution Diving, great hopes ensured after my first disastrous trip to Malapascua in 2007 where no thresher sharks were spotted due to the arrogance of Thresher Shark Divers, a dive outfit I vowed I would never dive with again.

Left waiting at reception wasn't the start I needed but after finally getting it sorted, also spotting an electronic banking system sitting on the desk made me less than happy when I was informed to bring cash as no electronic facilities existed on the island despite paying electronically years earlier. I was forced to bring cash, I always feel nervous carrying large amounts of cash in the electronic age, I am after all in a developing nation with security always an issue.

I moved onto the dive centre where I added my name to the whiteboard for the 5.00 am and 9.00 am dives. I checked my mix for the early morning shark dive at Monad Shoal, to gain maximum bottom time, a EAN32 mix was tested and recorded. Great, increased bottom time; either more time searching for the sharks or a longer shark interaction should we be lucky.

After a late walk on the beach and an even later dinner next door at Exotic, the restaurant of the resort next door; I returned to the grounds of Evolution. I checked the whiteboard to find my name had been removed from the dive schedule for the dive trip. After a long discussion with staff, no further action could be taken as the boat was now fully booked. Further discussions ensured at 4:45 am the next morning with Mark the owner resulting in an even shorter answer "No changes, you will have to do some local dives instead."

Further annoying me, it was made clear checking in that if your name was on the whiteboard and you didn't attend, you would be charged the full price for the dive anyway. At their restaurant, you are also informed that if you are found having any forms of food at the resort, you will be billed the full value at their menu prices. Apparently, according to Evolution, if you cancel or don't attend, you pay - but if they bump you for more important clients "suck it up."

The first dive of the morning saw us slipping below the waves just after the sun had just appeared in the sky. We quickly moved to the first cleaning station and immediately spotted a single thresher shark circling. Only a short swim to the second cleaning station; we were able to view a further four thresher sharks slowly swimming with cleaner wrasse working hard. The sharks were at times just put of arms length and slowly circling with hardly a kick of their long majestic tail. While the sharks appeared to be trance like in their movements; as they swam past you, you could see their eye movement informing you they are alert and ready to respond to any threats. A response to a threat is kicking that huge trailing ribbon like tail accelerating their sleek body through the water and out of harm's way.

After we left the two cleaning stations, we kicked forward following the contour line of the shoal; the first of our group ascended on low air. I now buddied up with Reto, a tall muscular Swiss guy in his 40s who to me looked similar to Sacha Baron Cohen's alter ego, Bruno, the male model.

Looking down the sloping wall from the top of the shoal, I was able to spot a shark swimming in the deep on route to the cleaning station. Our chance encounter made our experience seem more natural and less of a premeditated show. At the cleaning station, our small group of three also shared space with a large Singaporean contingent of 15+ divers.

Everyone knows Singaporeans are well behaved above and below the water; this group in particular possessed fine diving skills, but unfortunately, sheer numbers made viewing space tight, our chance encounter, although at a distance felt so authentic, Reto commented afterwards back on the banca of our chance encounter.

Slowly working my way forward to the mooring line, a deep stop for 2 minutes at 15 metres allowed me to look back over the edge of the wall for any further sightings. Moving to my shallow stop depth, I was contented in finally viewing the thresher sharks after the disappointment of my earlier trip years back. Now the question remains, do I start making the rounds of competing dive shops to organise my diving?

Upon returning to the resort, I moved to my room for a quick shower to wash off the salt when a staff member knocked on the door to inform me I was indeed on the day trip. I quickly dried and wandered over to the whiteboard to see a couple of names had been removed and my name was now last on the list. Ironically, it was Reto and his partner that had cancelled, he even discussed the day trip on our return trip.

Previously, my name was listed as one of the first taking the trip, it was clear a last minute cancellation took place and I had been reinstated - cold comfort, but at least I was diving again.The long trip was worthwhile after all and by default, I was back diving again.

The local Filipino staff at Evolution are excellent from their office staff, dive guides, instructors and boat staff. In my mind, it is the team you remember more so than the facilities, that being said - the facilities were very good.

It now looks like the long bus journey from Cebu City to Malapascua was indeed a success, the rest of the dives around the island are a little bland taking into account the quality of diving around Cebu, Bohol and Negros. If it wasn't for the thresher sharks, I would never had bothered to make the journey north.

The road to the grand final

For the Fremantle football club, the first half of the preliminary final at Paterson's Stadium on Saturday night defined their season. Despite kicking 2.11 in the first quarter, the pressure inflicted on the Sydney football club was immense and unrelenting, unfortunately, this was not immediately reflected on the scoreboard.

The game should have been over in the first quarter, Fremantle dominated Sydney around the ground applying intense pressure on the ball carrier denying clean possession to a team under siege, the tackling was intense, if not for Fremantle's poor kicking at goals squandering opportunities, the game should have been closed out at the quarter time break.

The second quarter is where Fremantle displayed total dominance kicking 5.2; allowing Sydney just a solitary point, Fremantle strangled the opposition into submission. Sydney made their move after the long break, however, absorbing the pressure of the fightback, Fremantle countered with late goals. Fremantle won the quarter whilst absorbing the Sydney fightback kicking 4.3 to Sydney 3.3 to win not only on the scoreboard but the psychological battle as well.

Heading into the final term, Fremantle was focusing on the grand final next Saturday. Under no threat of losing; Fremantle played the final quarter out ensuring no injuries or reports preparing for their clash against league leaders Hawthorn for the premiership. Sydney kicked 6.3 to Fremantle's 3.3 closing out the game, for the first time in their history, Fremantle is off to the grand final. 

The atmosphere at the game was electric, the crowd of 44,000 was exceptionally vocal with the purple hue of the supporters dressed in team colours covering nearly every seat in the stadium, it was intimidating to Sydney and it showed.     

Zurich in the winter

My first trip to Zurich was in the summer where I spent a fantastic 3 months enjoying all the sun this great city had to offer. My second trip turned out to be in the winter for a much shorter duration; gone was the beautiful sunny days, now replaced with delicate snowfalls - all of a sudden I actually love winter.

This was my first time in the snow - it was great watching the snowflakes fall from the sky. Four years before I had flown over the Rocky Mountains from New York to Vancouver viewing snow from the comfort of an American Airlines passenger jet.  

My second viewing was once again peering from the window of an airliner this time flying over the Snowy Mountains from Sydney to Perth.My first two sightings of snow; both from 30,000 feet - argh. I was over the age of thirty, yet to see a real snow fall instead instead restricted to long range views of snow laying on the ground.

I had spent every afternoon on my first summer trip to Zurich hiking around the wooded paths and had become accustomed to the lush green forests surrounding Neu Affoltern where I was residing.

The centre of Oerelekon was just a short bus trip after turning right heading down the hill, turning left took me to the lakes or heading up the hill and past the technical university offered great views overlooking Zurich.

For the first time in my life, I actually enjoy winter, I have found snow to be beautiful and I learned I could comfortably live in a cold climate. What have I been missing all my life?

Spring is here

Winter has now passed and spring is upon us; the days are getting longer, warmer and with the changing of the season, the feeling of thawing begins.

A Sunday at Kings Park is always a good day, one immediately sees wildflowers blooming with the activity of the local bee population gathering and transferring pollen at a frantic pace.

The sun was out on this magnificent Sunday afternoon; people were milling around the park lands, concerts in full flight with families partaking in picnics laid out on blankets on the grass. Like the bee population, Kings Park was alive with activity. 

Myself included and armed with my camera intent with capturing the moment, I focused my lens on some of the amazing wildflowers in the park. All in all, this was a pretty good Sunday.

Post graduate at Edith Cowan University

Having completed a mature age degree in Training and Development at the University of New England; the question is now, how do I gain a competitive edge in an employment market that is increasingly crowded?

Having sought undergraduate study in Training and Development at Edith Cowan University; only to learn the course would be discontinued, I chose the highly recommended University of New England undergraduate degree course instead. I'm glad I did; it was a long process and I was very unhappy along the way but the end result is worth the pain.

Now moving into post graduate studies; my application at Edith Cowan University is for a Graduate Certificate of Business as opposed to a Graduate Certificate in Human Resources, do I seek a more generalised area to study or should I maintain a focused approach to maintain qualification progression or a change in career direction?

In private enterprise, training & development is a function of human resources, however, degree studies incorporate in a number of human resource units in the training & development qualification and one must be careful not to gain too narrow a skill set when employers now seek well developed graduates, even mid 40s workers such as myself.

Since the election, speaking to industry figures I am resoundingly informed they will begin hiring again, it has only been a week and the new Prime Minister hasn't even been sworn in yet. It was reported major projects were left on hold during the climate of political uncertainty and looks to be resolved now, we could be entering a new growth phase, recent gains in the ASX 200 would indicate renewed confidence.

Upper Reach winery - Swan Valley

Driving down the gravel driveway from the bitumen road as I head to Upper Reach Winery, I am always looking forward to tasting and purchasing from their fine selection of fine wines. 

Just down the road are John Kosovich Wines and Mann Wines - more great value wineries. These small producers of Perth's Swan Valley are all within a short drive of each other nestled on the banks of the meandering Swan River.

The vines maturing in the summer sun, I am still yet to attend a concert here as I sail on Saturday afternoons and just can't attend. A number of Swan Valley and Margaret River wineries have summer concerts on their grounds and notwithstanding sailing commitments. 

A summer afternoon sipping a verdelho before moving onto their black bream chardonay/verdelho blend before getting serious with their wonderful chards.

The reserve chardonnay is has been a spectacular success for Upper Reach; it is by far my favourite offering, the 2012 breaks with previous vintage traditions that had superb French vanillan oak flavours balancing their premium fruit. 

I prefer the older vintages of 2010, 2009 and 2008 with the creamy flavours; the result of the malolactic fermentation, the 2012 vintage is somewhat softer, lighter and some would say more refined.   

The selection of reds ranges from Petit Verdot, Tempranillo, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and their Cabernet Merlot. My choice of red is the Cabernet Sauvignon followed by the Shiraz, a popular blend is their Cabernet Merlot but apart from tastings, I am yet to purchase. 

A number of times, late on a Sunday afternoon, I have sat in their restaurant enjoying a bite to eat washed down by a glass of Petit Verdot or Tempranillo overlooking the vines - Perth just made The Economist top ten livable cities and I am enjoying the lifestyle a mere 30 minutes drive from my house. 

Road rage on the rise

Is it me or is road rage on the rise? We live a highly stressed society; roads are becoming more congested, people are working longer hours and time is at a premium - we are under pressure, there is no doubt about it. 

Not only are people receiving abuse on the roads; idiots are chasing cars to people's houses to abuse them further, bicycle riders are being knocked over and even pedestrians are being run down. As a society, do we really need dickheads having punch-ups in the middle of the road? I think not.

It is now getting to the stage where guns are being pulled and shots fired - this is madness. Is it worth jail time for brain fades? Why do we have people on the roads with guns in the first place?

The justice system needs to get serious, more assault charges need to be laid with serious consequences for offenders with no more excuses. 

Only then will we turn around this alarming trend around where people have no respect for other road users. Somebody cut you off, drove slow in the fast lane or failed to indicate - snap out of it.

Fremantle v Port Adelaide

Sitting up in the stands watching the fantastic tussle between the Fremantle Dockers and Port Adelaide on a calm Perth winter's evening; the second last round of the home and away season saw defensive dominance outplay a rapidly improving and offensive Port Adelaide team.

The lights shone brilliantly over Paterson's Stadium; the home of Western Australian football, Fremantle's forwards shone even brighter this evening kicking 21 goals to 9 in a masterful display.

The pressure applied to Port's young midfield was relentless; however, Port learning from this experience overcome an arrogant Collingwood in the elimination final a couple of weeks later causing another great upset in the Australian Football League finals series.

Fremantle caused the first upset of the series taking down an experienced Geelong in the first final to be played at Simonds Stadium in over 100 years; a day later Carlton took down Richmond in front of crowd exceeding 94,000 fans to throw the first week of the finals into overdrive.

Who will lead the Labor party post election?

With the election result likely to be known Saturday night, initial polling will indicate the state of play and possible losses to be encountered for the Labor party. What will the future hold for Prime Minister Keven Rudd? Will Kev remain as opposition leader until the 2016 federal election - not likely. Rudd is no certainty to win his Brisbane seat of Griffith, but most expect him to be victorious albeit with a slim majority.

Chris Bowen

Will Treasurer Chris Bowen take the reins post Rudd? Bowen has been a staunch supporter of Rudd, the undermining of the Gillard administration and won't exactly be post Rudd. Has Bill Shorten displayed leadership qualities?  Shorten deposed two sitting Prime Ministers after all and may lack the respect of his colleagues, he however does have strong union ties. Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the other hand is a logical choice, but once Rudd goes, does he have the support of the party?

Bob Hawke

If the result is as devastating as it is expected to be, will Kev's colleagues be in a forgiving mood or will the party move swiftly to distance itself from the dysfunctional KRudd era? Will the once touted saviour of the Labor party be relegated to villain? Despised by all within the party for not only the election loss, but the annihilation of the party.

Pundits are even starting to raise the question, should the party have gone to the election with Julia Gillard instead? Kevin's rock star appeal waned pretty quickly, he was after all sacked by his peers in 2010 for being incapable to perform his Prime Ministerial duties. However, Rudd is not alone, Bob Hawke was deposed by his party in 1991 by Paul Keating whilst still in office.

John Gorton in 1971 and Billy Hughes in 1923 were also deposed whilst holding power. I get the feeling we will be finding out pretty quickly, I don't think Kevin Rudd will last more than two weeks post election.

The fun of the pre-season competition

As we head into the finals series for the Australian Football League, I reflect back to the pre-season competition where the teams travel around the country playing at smaller local venues. The advantage is that instead of large cheering crowds, grandstands, full stadiums, cheer squads and entertainment at the main break - the match has a more intimate feel with people seated on bench seats around the boundary cheering on. Fremantle captain, Matthew Pavlich (29) in a marking dual in the forward line - the advantage of these pre-season games is you are seated right on the boundary in the thick of the action viewing the game as the players do. You see the game from a player's perspective, viewing contests and duals instead of looking down on the game from the stands during the main season.

Taking control of the ball after disposing of his opponent, Pavlich well outside the 50 metre arc pumps the ball long towards the goals. A booming kick, Pavlich regularly kicks goals from outside the 50, today he was lucky to play on only one opponent, all throughout his decorated career, he has been double teamed.

Midfielder David Mundy (16) attempting to take possession while feeling the pressure of his close checking Western Bulldogs opponent.  

Mundy breaking free in the centre square kicking to a contest in the forward line. While pre-season games don't really count for much, Fremantle bought a near full strength side down to Rushton Park in Mandurah as this was the last hit-out prior to the premiership season. This was the final chance to give players a run under match conditions trying new tactics before the first game of the season - the Western derby. 

I brought my Olympus E-410 DSLR camera fitted with a 70 mm - 300 mm zoom lens to capture contests throughout the game. I wasn't disappointed because despite the score; the game felt much closer than the scoreboard indicated and was played predominantly man-on-man with little zoning or flooding tactics applied. I watched the game with my 12 year old nephew, he hasn't had the opportunity to go to many premiership games and this was a great opportunity to see star players close up. It reminded my of the local WAFL competition where I would watch the stars of East Fremantle and South Fremantle play in similar circumstances prior to the formation of the national competition.

Is Bill Shorten the man to lead Labor into the future?

Bill Shorten is no dope; a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Monash University in Victoria would tend to dispel that myth.

Further studies saw him complete a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Melbourne, some would argue the best business school in Australia strengthening his business acumen.

Its pretty unusual for a high ranking union official to hold an MBA when it is more customary to hold a golden gloves title, cricket bat or 4 x 2 lump of jarrah.

As the National Secretary for the Australian Workers Union from 2001 - 2007, Shorten held a very high profile position, none more so than during the Beaconsfield mine disaster when he became the public face of the rescue.

The more cynical would associate disaster management with the current state of the Australian Labor Party, in such a case, he is well credentialed.

Acting as a director for the Victorian Funds Management Corporation from 2005 - 2007 and Australian Super from 1998 - 2007, Shorten has established himself as the leader the right faction of the Australian Labor Party.

However, I get the feeling he didn't fare too well in the MBA leadership unit; I'm pretty sure they don't teach knifing leaders at Melbourne Business School. Being a very prominent figure in the Keven Rudd axing in 2010.

Shorten then withdrew his support for Julia Gillard less than 30 minutes before the leadership ballot returning Kevin Rudd to power in June - Shorten has effectively assassinated two sitting Prime Ministers.

Most expect Labor to be at least a two term opposition so he would be in no rush to become opposition leader any time soon, however, his high profile assassinations might well prevent him from becoming a leader with any moral credibility.

Labor in crisis or just the normal retirement cycle?

Politicians retire before elections, this has happened in many election cycles and will continue to happen.

However, the forthcoming federal election is rather interesting due to the experience of the candidates who announced retirements after the Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd leadership spill earlier this year. This was surprisingly after the election had been announced, although in all fairness, it was the longest election cycle in Australia's history.

What is interesting is the skills and experience retiring in such a short space of time, guys like Martin Fergurson and Simon Crean are well respected on both sides of parliament; both strong performers, their knowledge and experience will be missed.

Stephen Smith performed well in foreign affairs before Kevin Rudd got his position in compensation for the Prime Minister's position he lost in the knifing. Some would also argue Kev liked the jet-set lifestyle and as Foreign Minister would spend more time out of the country (causing less problems) leaving Gillard and Swan free to do as they wish.

However, despite his ongoing assurances, Wayne Swan was never able to balance the accounts and post a surplus in his time as Treasurer, instead presiding over huge debts and inefficiencies. Likewise, Peter Garrett lurched from one disaster to another. 

Greg Combet on the other hand was the biggest surprise for me, I had expected him to lead the party in the future, if polling is to be believed, between 20 - 25 seats could be lost in this election and I thought he would be the one to lead the party out of opposition.

Lets see who has departed:

Julia Gillard - former Prime Minister, ousted in a leadership ballot after gaining the Prime Minister in leadership spill and then formed a minority government in 2010.

Wayne Swan - former Treasurer.

Stephen Smith - former Foreign Minister and Defense Minister.

Craig Emerson - former Minister for Trade and Competitiveness and Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research.

Peter Garrett - former rock star, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts and the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth.

Greg Combet - former Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation.

Stephen Conroy - former Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

Martin Fergurson - former Minister for Resources and Energy and Minister for Tourism.

Chris Evans - former Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs, Science and Research.

Simon Crean - former Leader of the Opposition, Minister for Science and Technology, Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, Minister for Employment, Education and Training, Minister for Trade, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for Education and Minister for the Arts.

Nicola Roxon - former Minister for Health and Ageing and Attorney General of Australia.

Robert McClelland - former Attorney General of Australia.

The question remains, did all this experience depart in such a short time frame because they felt they are unable to work together with Kevin Rudd or do they feel the government's time is up and they don't wish to spend a couple of terms in opposition?

Philippine Airlines has cancelled flights to Perth after 3 months

Navigating the Philippine Airlines booking site looking for flights from Perth; noticing Perth was no longer represented on the drop-down menu, I went looking for answers only to find the service was no longer running. After only three months of operation, Philippine Airlines has already cancelled its Perth to Manila service - what has happened here?

Flying to Manila via Darwin was a hassle, spending an hour on the ground was a case of get off the plane, buggerise around and get back on. Whilst stopped at Darwin airport, the transit lounge was pretty ordinary, but with budget flying, you didn't mind too much. It appears this service didn't really get off the ground, was the choice of aircraft incorrect? Was the lack of advertising the reason why seats were left unfilled? Surely, in the planning stage, multiple scenarios would be analysed - this appears to be a monumental failure of planning.

The aircraft flying between Perth and Darwin were largely unfilled, the flight filled between Darwin gaining more passengers but still looking unprofitable, maybe cargo can add some revenue to the flight? Either way, the chance of flights being restored seem very unlikely as is the chance of wide body aircraft flying directly to Manila. What started with optimism only a few months back has turned to tears in just three short months; visions of Manila becoming a regional transport hub vanishing into obscurity.

Diving in Boracay

Boracay is not only recognised as the top beach in South East Asia, but also one of the top beaches of the world. White Beach is pretty good; I have no doubt this is the best beach in South East Asia but I do have some reservations as the top beach worldwide.

Despite its many attractions; what Boracay is not well known for is as a dive location. The Philippines is a top notch dive location spread across its thousands of islands; however most of Boracay's divesites are pretty ordinary and not recommended with the notable exception of the Yapek wall.

The most outstanding dive in Boracay is Yapek II, a vertical wall beginning at 30 metres and heading downwards, a dive here will earn you some hang time in blue water if you wish to spend some time at 40 metres. On my last dive there; we were swimming in the current surrounded by schools of fish rounded up by a series of sharks against the wall - this is by far my most favourite dive on Boracay.

Other top class dive sites include Yapak I, Punta Bunga and Channel Drift may be ok when the current is running.

For me, dives to avoid in the area are any of the dive sites directly in front of White Beach, a number of times we got dropped in flat featureless terrain and swam for 20 - 25 minutes to get to a small wall or rock.

A down side of Boracay diving is price fixing; the majority of the dive centres are located on the beach, whilst wandering around the beach comparing prices, I firstly noticed that all dive centres display the exact same price for dive courses, introductory dives and dive trips. I enquired with numerous shops on the beach and none were willing to negotiate on price; I was told that the Boracay Association of Sport and Scuba Diving fixes prices and should they sell dive trips under the mandatory minimum price, they will be reported to the association by other dive association members and fined. A number of dive centre staff openly admitted to institutionalised price fixing and felt there was nothing wrong with this. 



I was even given the contact details of Niek, known as The Sherriff for his robust policing of their price fixing cartel; I went to visit him a number of times to seek clarification but was unable to get hold of him as he was always out - presumably in the water as he is a local dive instructor.

  

Boracay is sun and fun, with the exception of a couple of sites, this is an expensive place to have some pretty ordinary dives - better to head to Anilao, Bohol, Moalboal, Malapascua or Sabang.