Month: October 2017

Tinago Falls – The Hidden Falls of Iligan

When I got to Iligan City I had absolutely no other plan than the agenda (conduct a safety seminar) I have already set for the next day. So I contacted one of my friends @wanderingteddybear who is from around here and told him: “surprise me!” Initially he started with a quick city tour to get me a feel of the local city vibes and how to get around and then he decided to take me to one place that would quickly give me the iconic idea of what Iligan City is known for: waterfalls! True enough, Iligan is known as the City of Waterfalls due to the numerous accessible and inaccessible waterfalls in the city! In Cebu, if you want to reach one of the waterfalls (referring to Mantayupan and Kawasan), it’s a couple of hours drive or trek to even get to one that you could enjoy. Here, it’s just less than an hour away and it’s not very expensive to get there! Just one thing though, this particular waterfall we visited actually requires …

The First Freediving Convention in the Philippines

Published by The Crazy Juann

For the first time in the Philippines, a Freediving Convention was organised. We from Dive ta Bai did not aim for it to be big or grandiose. Our only objective was to get it happening to cause a ripple effect. Initially expecting at least 100 attendees, it was saddening to hear that several backed-out because of Typhoon Paulo which was causing some major cancellations for boat trips and some flight cancellations. However, some freedivers from DTB Cebu, DTB Bohol, SAWUM Freedivers, The Dive Channel, and Freedive HQ attended the event despite the weather and became part of history! I won’t lie, I was nervous about pursuing this event because there have been several things piling up on my plate for work and then this typhoon Paolo/Lan suddenly comes in and changes a whole lot of things. Truth is, I was half my mind to cancel the event and it really was eating me up inside. Then came for me to face the music. At 1:30pm there were still less than 10 people who arrived and …

Dive Ta Bai! – A Freediving Community in the Philippines

Published by The Crazy Juann

Five years ago on the 14th of October, it was a fine Sunday when three bloggers namely Edwin, Doi, and Johnn decided to try “freediving” in the reefs of what then was Tambuli Beach Club. The three were curious about the sport of freediving and did not know much except for what they have tried to experience for themselves. After almost 4 hours in the water, they were quite spent but extremely stoked about the whole experience. With smiles on their faces, they vowed to discover more reefs and take their dives to further depths. Back on dry land, one of them decided to create a Facebook group to invite more friends who might be interested in the group: “Dive ta Bai!”. The group wanted to connect with like-minded individuals who wanted to explore freediving in Cebu. Five years later, the Dive ta Bai community has now over 1000 members with chapters in Bohol, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Diplog, Iligan, and even Dubai! Dive ta Bai! “Let’s Dive!” The group was informally created as …

Exotic Bird Lovers of CEBU – XBLOC

Published by The Crazy Juann

It’s still less than a year since I decided that I will begin keeping birds again and I am rather thankful that this time I did not pursue the craft in my own but sought advice and guidance from those who have built several years of experience from mistakes and victories in aviculture. My mentors and friends are those known aviculturists from the: EXOTIC BIRD LOVERS of CEBU or more popularly known as XBLOC. Beginnings in Istorya.net The group had their early beginnings even before Facebook became quite popular. For Cebu, it was Istorya.net that was the choice place to be online and discussing topics of common interest. I remember even browsing pet discussions back in my high school days. This was the place to be in to share about your pets. One particular thread that focused on the keeping of Exotic birds was the: Exotic Bird lovers of Cebu. “We started as forumers sa istorya.net… There was a thread there about birds and we log-in everyday to talk about what birds we had, who …