WHY I HATE BEING LATE: The stress and rewards of traveling in Dinagat

It was high noon time, my sweat rolled down my cheeks as I checked my clock: it is still 12.20PM. We would depart by one. The ship blew its first horn, signalling our near take off. The sways from the waves created confusion in my head, yet I persisted and remained calm: it was my first time on a medium-sized boat (because I spent my entire time ‘enjoying’ land travel). By 1pm the ship bellows to announce that we are finally leaving. However, a throng of passengers demanded to be on board the ship, and we are already meters away from the dock. This is one lesson I learned from the start of our trip, BE EARLY. Everyone will despise you if you are not prompt. And so we did bicker at the passengers, but they walked away unfazed.

I lived in Surigao City for years and it was my first time to leave Surigao for uncharted waters, and, dear readers, we are not setting off for the nearby and now world-famous Siargao Islands. We rather chose a more unpopular tourist attraction, the nearby islands of Dinagat (well, unpopular for foreigners, that is).

The seas were, for most of the times, calm (except for the middle part were it got angry due to those late pasaway passengers, kidding). We arrived safely by 3PM, with ours souls left at sea (this is an exaggerated description of the fear we had during those ‘troubled times’). I question myself upon arrival at the port, how can Dinagat be this exciting? Actually, it was already exciting. The nearby islands we encountered were blessed with pristine, blue waters and white sand beaches. There was even a castle on top of a mountain, reminding of everyone how this one powerful political clan in this island-province dominates the Dinagatnons. I was just that nervous on our trip. Damn those waves.

The place that we arrived at is called ‘Tag-abaca’, one of the barangays of the island. I don’t know why it is was named that way, maybe it has a lot of abaca trees surrounding their gorgeous mountain? But I didn’t bother to ask the locals. Fresh fish greet my way (not a shocking sight to see) to our shelter and upon entering the gates of the house, we were greeted by smiles (except for baby Yaku who was crying loudly that the whole neighborhood was buzzed). Enough of all this chatter, let’s go down to the real deal.

The girl in green gazes over the water very seriously.
Thinking of something, or  ofsomeone? 

A very late post-Easter celebration. The evening passed and it was Sunday. We are both preparing for mass and for the mini-island hopping. Time flew by and by 1PM we were already travelling (another first, this time on a small-sized boat – it is getting smaller by the minute). The ride was more gorgeous than the one on the medium-sized boat. The color of the ocean ranged from dark blue (it is really a known fact that darker color means deeper lengths) to powder blue.

Cat vs. Elephant

Like the trip yesterday, we were greeted by a dot of islands. There was this one, sitting all alone. Another one was shaped like a cat (or maybe an elephant?) and another was shaped like a hand. We were then greeted by these huge limestone cliffs that I called mini-El Nido, Palawan (yes, and based on the picture, it actually looks like Palawan).

Is rappelling possible here? 

Crows and eagles dominate its rocky skyline. The water, on the other hand, is pristine. You can see the corals from the down below (and be tempted to dive down). From the near-distance we can already see the sand bar, an unexpected white sand beach. The place was already known, not unless you are a resident of the area or of the province of Surigao del Norte, but it still marveled me because I couldn’t picture out how these white sands will form out. But alas, the white sand was so gorgeous and the waters were so pristine that I decided to jump as the boat docked. It was already 1.20PM.

Taken from the south part of the beach. Still splendor even from this side.

The first touch of my toes on the sand felt like I was touching powdered milk (yes that is how soft the sand is). The beach, which is secluded on this part of the island, stretches for just a mile, yet Mother Nature will offer you more than its length. I dismissed the thought of food and headed for the waters. I was disappointed to know that nobody brought a single goggle. But, the waters were that clear already and you didn’t need to wear such contraptions in your eyes (still, it would be better to have goggles… next time!).

Nature love. Aside from being picturesquely beautiful, the island also hosts a wide variety of species, both for land, air, and sea. In a small wood that rest near the shoreline, we were greeted by this green lizard, sitting, and is covered slightly by sand. Nearby, below our ship, a starfish rests innocently, waiting for people to recognize it. I was thrilled by this because it was my first time to actually see and touch them. A small jellyfish greeted us and it wandered the ocean alone. It was tiny, yet we fear the thought of being stung. The sky, meanwhile, was dominated by the two birds I mention a while ago. Though, we didn’t get to experience it, the stone cliffs host bats as well. Who knew such place could be that diverse in such a small area?

Having satisfied our beach craving on this side of the shoreline, we headed south. The place was equally diverse as the other side. School of fish swam freely in this small lagoon. Dots of sea urchins greeted our way, but most or all of them are already dead. Maybe tourists arrived here early and enjoyed a sumptuous feast of sea food. The color of the sea is a little different on this side, it has a more powdery look than the other. And the waters were cooler. What a sight it was. And you can see the shoreline from here, starting with the limestone peaks that greeted us to the powdery white sands.

Storming the other side. I joined my mom in a little task of picking shells. The entire shoreline hosts a variety of shells in different colors and shapes. Before we bid adieu, I encountered my second starfish for the day, and this one is a bit larger than the previous one. It was like asking to be picked and be shown it to the whole world, I voluntarily do so.

We called it a day, BUT we are not finished yet. Turns out the beach stretches further, extending itself to another side of the island (it was broken off by the cliffs). As we docked, I jumped again for the water and it was surprisingly cooler! We investigated and it turns out there was a passageway from the other side of the island, the one we visited before. They passed numerous rocks before spreading into the ocean. I tasted the running water, it was less salty than on the actual sea. And it is on this island, too, where we greeted the kings of the sky.

After a couple of minutes swimming, we encountered yet another marvelous sea creature. A lone and small puffer fish wandered its way to ours, giving us a chance to fully examine the creature. After minutes of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the kiddos, we climbed the boat and sailed back to Tag-abaca. The day has officially ended.

Of tapiocas and tardiness. I am scared of sea travel, like really. But it was the stunning view that makes me want to forget the horrors of travelling. We docked at 5PM, exactly hours before dinner. I was already full even before we landed, so I dined tapioca, with which we added apples. It was a very sumptuous way to end the day full of adventure and a ton of surprised. I am no expert in travel recommendations, but the way I experience it and the pictures I showed will testify that the island is worth a visit! Wait, I didn’t mention the beach. It’s called Bitaog. Set a date and ride miles from Surigao City to here and experience a one of a kind of adventure which is less crowded and more bonded with nature and your co-peers in the travel. Just don’t be the one who is tardy, everyone will be irate at you, if you know what I mean. :D

HOW TO GET THERE? Regular trips are bound to Dinagat from Surigao City. One is scheduled to leave by 7AM, the other mentioned in my article, 1PM. The trip lasts three hours.

Trips to Bitaog are open 24/7. Boats wait at the dock in Tag-abaca. The trip lasts thirty to one hour, depending on the currents.