Story & photos by Bernard L. Supetran
DAVAO City is widely known for its icons—the Philippine Eagle and the durian, and, lately, the Philippine President who hails in this premiere urban hub in Mindanao.
But for the regular tourist, little is known about the lush underwater world at the Davao Gulf and the charming island of Samal just across the channel.
While a separate political entity, the Island Garden City of Samal has been largely mistaken as Davao’s beach area and dive site because of its proximity to the upscale Lanang district. But for visitors who are out to enjoy the best a place can offer, political boundaries are but imaginary lines.
The island has more than 20 dive sites, the most popular of which are those around Talikud Island, just across Samal mainland. Beginners are often brought here, as it offers the easiest diving at Coral Gardens and Angel’s Cove, which even snorkelers and free divers can easily navigate.
Those who love coral walls will be amazed at Dizon Wall, Mansuod, Dapia, Balet, Maxima, Big Liguid, Aundanao and Mushroom Rock where night diving is superb for its enormous basket sea stars on the reef.
The sea mounts of Marissa 1 & 2, San Juan Reef, Marikit and The Pinnacle features consecutive narrow cone-shaped mounts with a rich profusion of aquatic life.
After the diving comes the equally, exciting “surface interval,” which has taken on a rather amusing meaning for seasoned divers who have made Poseidon’s playground their second home. Nowadays, any time spent on dry land has become the proverbial surface interval, which could be anything from having an ice-cold drink on the boat to partying in between the dives.
While Davao doesn’t have the dive sites, it has a plethora of recreational activities to keep divers busy while on terra firma and imbibe the consummate “highlands to islands” experience the city is peddling.
About an hour away from the beach is Malagos Garden Resort, one of the city’s old-time favorite attractions because of its orchid flowers, which would bloom into a flower business of the famed Puentespina Orchid Garden. This cutflower farm, which started as a family resthouse, has grown into a full-blown 12-hectare posh theme resort, which offers something interesting for guests aged 5 to 85.
Malagos tropical boasts of greeneries, manicured landscapes, a bird-feeding Dome, Butterfly sanctuary and Museum, a mini zoo, a science park with a treeline bird-watching tower, avant-garde playgrounds and pocket parks, which punctuate every nook and cranny.
There are regular bird shows, which dazzle the young and the young-at-heart, with the colorful and amusing avians as the stars of the show.
But its piece de resistance is the Chocolate Museum, the first of its kind in the country, opened in 2017, which gives a “tree-to-bar” briefer on the evolution of the Philippine cacao industry. It is the last stop of a cacao farm tour where guests are taken to the plantation to observe the processes involved in producing fine chocolates Malagos is now known for.
An optional conclusion is the make-your-own-chocolate activity at the kitchen adjacent to the museum, where visitors can concoct their own chocolate ingredients and take them home later on.
Since surface interval is often equated to eating, the cuisine at Malagos measures up to the expectations of divers who have a whale of an appetite. Its restaurant takes pride in its all-time Filipino and international favorites, rendered with a local twist by putting chocolate as ingredient in its bestsellers.
And if the lure of the greeneries is irresistible, yield to temptation and stay a little bit longer and spend the night in their luxurious and scenic riverside villas.
But before hitting the sack, soothe your mind, body and soul with its signature Chocolate Retreat Spa, which use cacao butter, citronella, tropical fruits and local oils. Massages almost always are a vital wellness activity after a dive.
Another ideal hang-out place is Waterfront Insular Hotel, which is literally a swimming distance away from Samal Island across the Davao Gulf.
An old guard in the local hotel industry, it exudes the old world charm and the comforts of modern amenities, making it a choice lodging for divers and non-divers like.
A waterfront property in the real sense of the word, it boasts of a garden ambiance with its landscaped lawns ideal for a lazy promenade while gazing at the island across the channel. It has its own jetty where boats from accredited resorts in Samal can dock directly. For aquasports addicts, the hotel can arrange recreational activities, which include island-hopping and scuba diving.
Café Uno, the waterfront’s main resto is sought-after because of its reasonably priced buffets and Filipino dishes prepared by noted Chef Rolando Laudico who occasionally visits Davao to personally oversee the kitchen.
The other dining outlets Pizzaoilo, Vinta Bar and La Parilla will soothe your cravings at different parts of the day, before you plunge once more into the deep.
Back at Samal, you can engage in paddle boarding, kayaking, jet-ski, banana boat and the good old island-hopping at Punta del Sol, a quaint native-themed resort, which is among the pioneers of scuba diving in the area.
If you’ve got moolah to spare, the posh Pearl Farm Beach Resort is your best bet for an ultimate experience under the sea and the surface with its triple-A accommodation, classy dining and spa services, to name a few.
Its also got unique water recreation which includes sailing the trademark Mindanao vinta sailboat, tours to its Taklobo farm, the heart-pumping hydro jet, and top-of-the line Hobie brand kayak, which comes with foot pedals and a sail.
Whether under the sea or on dry ground, Davao definitely never fails to dazzle.
Image credits: Bernard L. Supetran