My Second CCC Expedition
Added to website: 03 May 2006
My second expedition was far more relaxing than my first; I knew exactly what I was diving into. My expedition to Honduras had given me the confidence to go off and explore the world. In the five years between trips I had lived in bamboo huts and meet head hunters and Zulu warriors, all of which makes a Coral Cay expedition look very civilised.
Having booked my trip, the first thing I did was contact Alex at Wexas and arranged stop-offs on route, three nights in Kuala Lumpa on the way there and three in Singapore on the way back, both good choices. I had been warned that Manila was not the best city in the world and was pleased I only overnighted there, but a short plane ride to Southern Leyte changed that, the people were a delight.
The science training was exacting for an engineer like me, but as before everyone was determined that we would all get up to standard. Tips were readily exchanged as we sat by the fantastically beautiful beach.
The interaction with the local people was really good as English was widely spoken. The children collecting shell fish on the beach were always pleased to see us and showed us their catch.
On the first Saturday we held a fete for the children of the local staff, families living close by and the nearby orphanage. Pin a tail on the donkey became stick an eye on Nemo. Hook a duck, Wet sponges thrown at a willing volunteer, and of course a coconut shy, with our very own coconuts. With a tug of war and obstacle races on the beach, no child went home without sweets and a balloon. The whole afternoon was a real success at integration.
The following Saturday we were all invited to a pool opening party were we danced with the locals to three live bands. I thought they were all excellent until our expedition leader took the stage and proved he could have earned a very respectable living as an entertainer.
Like all trips there has to be a down side, apart from coming home, mine was missing the whale shark that swam right by our boat while I was a few hundred metres away on the bottom. But Coral Cay does that to your diving, you see so much more after the science training you find yourself studying a pretty little flat worm while you miss a hammerhead that goes cruising past your back.
Looking back allows me to see the bigger picture. The girl who so enthusiastically gave the presentation I first attended in 2000 had worked in Danjugan. Thanks to her and the hundreds of other volunteers the island is now a conservation area. The survey work that I assisted with in Honduras in 2001 is now just completed, it too will soon become a conservation area that will benefit divers and locals for years to come. A legacy I can look back on with pride.
- Peter Shepherdson
Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project, Nov. 2005
