Treasures of the Duka deep

Misamis Oriental may not come to mind when one thinks of resorts and dive spots, but therein lies the charm of Duka Bay. A hundred kilometers from Cagayan de Oro City through excellent roads lined with mango trees (it is about as far from Butuan City, but I can’t vouch for the condition of the roads), the town of Medina is home to Duka Bay Resort, an environment-sensitive resort development with interesting and comfortable cottages tucked unobtrusively into the landscape, hidden amidst lush vegetation that offer up a fascinating symphony with every breeze. The tree houses are the most charming, and from the bedroom or balcony you get a view that will literally take your breath away. You can sit or lounge there for hours without getting bored, watching the sun rise and set as the day grows old.

When you do venture down to the beach, large old trees line the shore, and you can ponder the expanse of time and space from under their generous shade, or from a hammock strung up between two trees.

It is very tempting to do nothing here except maybe read or knit if you’re into that, but the water is so inviting it’s hard to resist. This is where the water is so clear you can see way down. The resort offers the usual range of water recreation facilities–kayaking, snorkeling, canoeing, banana boating, aqua biking, and the fishing is great!–or you can hop into the resort’s glass-bottom boat and explore from the surface, but that’s missing the true beauty of the bay.

Take it from a non-diver–me: the world underwater that the bay offers is not to be missed. If you’re staying long enough you can take one of the several certificate courses offered by the resort, which has a roster of certified dive masters and dive instructors to get you ready for the deep. My visit, unfortunately, was way too brief for that, so–having done several non-certificate intro dives–I did the next best thing: I went in the water with a very kind and patient dive master, whose only instructions to me were "remember to breathe, and enjoy yourself."

The resort has full equipment for rent, and you get suited up and fitted with your tank and weight belt in the boat. Our destination was an area not too far from shore which they call the Japanese Garden, partially destroyed by a mudslide a few years ago and consequently is the site for an award-winning experiment in coral regeneration that we were checking out.

Marine biologist Lemuel Alfeche, resort owner Manny Pelaez and dive master Eddie Yap collaborated on an octopus-like, multi-legged lego-type cement structure, the "legs" built on shore and then assembled on the ocean floor about 40 feet deep in the part of the reef where coral life was destroyed by the mudslide. This structure, called the acanthasia, was planted with juvenile corals, and the growth of these corals as well as the activity around the structure were carefully monitored to chart the progress of the budding reef.

Because the structure is made of cement, which is porous and contains lime and calcium, the building blocks of natural reefs, the model is most conducive to coral growth and thus regeneration of the reef is quicker than if other structures like old tires or even junk cars are used.

The oldest acanthasia structures were 18 to 24 months old, and we were ecstatic to see thriving communities of coral and fish of all sizes and other marine life around the acanthasia. A fair-sized turtle even came around to check us out. The corals that were initially planted have since grown quite a bit in size and have begun to multiply.

Variations on the design of the structure, which will make it cheaper to build, are also being tested in the area, with promising results. The acanthasia won the silver prize for the Asia-Pacific region in the first Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction. It was cited for "intelligent use of a simple technology" and for its replicability in different parts of the world where coral reef destruction is rampant.

Having finished the "work" part of my dive, we proceeded to the portion of the Japanese Garden that was not destroyed by the mudslide. In this area, which comprises about 20 percent of the total pre-mudslide garden, the colors were vibrant, with a great variety of corals. For a non-diver like me it was like swimming among the pages of an underwater picture book, coming face to face with large coral, moving and swaying, opening and closing, and fish of all colors, shapes and sizes darting in and out of complicated communities.

It was such a joy to behold–bursting and throbbing with life yet so peaceful and serene. We went deeper into valleys, then followed walls of coral back up. I was so entralled by all I was seeing I even forgot that I had a dive master babysitting me the whole time. It was he who tugged at me and signalled that it was time to go back up. Reluctantly I followed him up, and broke the surface a few meters from our boat. Only when I was back in the boat did I remember I was cold, and began shivering.

After a welcome shower and change we warmed up with the most delicious ginataan and turon as Lemuel, Manny and Eddie gave us updates on the acanthasia project as well as this well-kept secret that is Duka Bay.

The Japanese Garden is only the first of several dive spots in the bay, which is one of the ten coldest dive spots in the world due to the many fresh water springs that aerate the waters and account for the large diversity of coral and marine life in the bay.

A little further out is what is known as the Aquarium, so called because of the big volume of fresh water springs coming up from the sea bed that makes the area seem like a giantic fish tank. Millions of small fish congregate here to feed on the nutrient-rich waters. Deeper in the Aquarium, at about 90 feet or so, are different varieties of black coral.

An even more challenging but rewarding dive is the Paradise Garden, where one can see coral starting from 10 feet, all the way down to 110 feet. At about 80 feet one encounters a crater, with an overhanging ledge. Needless to say, the coral and marine life in this area is nothing short of spectacular. But only experienced divers should attempt to explore this underwater paradise.

There are countless places of natural beauty around the country, but common plaints are the difficulty of getting there and the lack of facilities for visitors. It is a happy discovery that neither problem attends a visit to Duka Bay, so keep it on your must-visit list.

Visit their website at www.dukabay.com