CEBU DIVE CENTRE.

Today was a very special one, after weeks of quarantine the first glimmer of hope that things may soon change for the better here in the Philippines. After much negotiation with the local authorities we were allowed to send a couple of divers back into the water. Their mission was to check and maintain mooring lines and inspect the condition of the reef. This may seem like a small thing but we hope it could be a precursor for limited diving to resume. For today a small group of us made our way to the dive centre, the boss @scubahead myself @biggypauls my wife "Koz" and Phil. Only two divers were permitted to enter this time, that being Koz and Phil, It felt somewhat weird walking into what is normally a very busy dive shop to see no customers and all the equipment racks empty, the place was so quiet it was eerie. While the two divers set up their dive gear we took the opportunity to look around the centre to build a plan for some upcoming restructuring. Having my camera with me I also found time to take a few pictures.

Koz setting up her tank.

Phil being a bit of a techi went sidemount.

Filled and ready for action.

In the water behind the tanks you can see a couple of buoys, these are attached to some of the mooring lines due to be checked along with others out of view. Here in Moalboal we have a deep drop a very short distance from the shore, where you can see the colour change in the water it drops from 2 meters to 40 meters like a underwater cliff, incredible topography courteously provided by ancient volcanic activity. Lets get them divers in the water and find out the condition of those lines. It's low tide so only 10 meters from shore to drop off.

Fins on lets dive.

They spent just over a hour checking many moorings and some were in better shape than others, the purpose of today's dive was mostly inspection although some minor adjustments were made. The plan going forward is to improve and replace poor quality lines and remove any that are past their sell by date. A good job done they return, although after so long out off the water it is slightly reluctantly.

Safely back.

All findings were filmed on a gopro so we can go back through the footage and devise a plan of attack, there will certainly be the need to make a few dives to deal with their findings. After a short rest all equipment was washed and stored away until we come back in a couple of days to make a start on the work. All done for the day we head off home not before saying goodbye to the dive shop mascot "Leyla".

Just chillin.

Hopefully over the coming weeks we will be able to dive for fun in addition to this kind of work. It's sad to see the dive centre empty and although we are under no illusion things will change quickly it would be nice to welcome back customers. Just the small task of securing the gate and we can get off home for a much needed late lunch.

It's goodbye for now.

Thanks for taking time to read this and please check out my other posts. Stay safe folks!