Monday, December 14, 2015

Exotics Thresher Shark speciality

Thresher Sharks, Malapascua diving, Philippines diving, Cebu diving
Course  Director Johanssen presents
No visit to Exotic and Malapascua is complete without a visit to Monad Shoal in search of our famous Thresher Sharks. This week we welcomed two guests, Kim and Marielle, who undertook our exclusive Thresher Shark specialty with Course Director Becca Johansen. The Blog sat in on what was a very informative presentation.

Did you know?

Each female Thresher shark has not one Uterus but two. Wow.



Malapascua diving sunrise, Philippines diving, scuba diving philippines, thresher shark diving
Sunrise at Monad Shoal
As part of the specialty comes two dives to Monad Shoal and with that comes an impressive sun rise every morning.
Our guests who take the Thresher Shark specialty have all found that the background information they learn on this species really adds relevance to the dives themselves.

Did you know?

The Thresher shark is classed as vulnerable. This means it's just one stage away from becoming an endangered species.







Sharks, Thresher sharks, Malapascua, Philippines scuba diving
Shark Guardian Presentation
Coincidentally, Exotic were proud to host our friends at 'Shark Guardian' yet again just a few days later. These crusaders fighting for the rights of sharks worldwide set up camp in our restaurant and led by the impressive Camille Lemmens, delivered another informative presentation to a captivated audience.



Philippines diving, thresher sharks, malapascua scuba diving
Thresher Shark  

Did you know?

8000 sharks are slaughtered every hour....

This is destruction at an alarming and unsustainable rate.

 The following morning we were able to picture the shark seen here. But for how many more years will we be lucky enough to do so without changes to our own behavior.....


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Blog Round Up

Malapascua diving, philippines diving, scuba diving philippines diving
Tank assembling
This week the Blog decided to just pick up a camera and see what was happening around the resort. First on our travels was Caroline who was putting together a stage tank in preparation for dive three of her Deep dive course with Master Instructor Joa. If conditions permitted they might go as deep as fourty meters!









philippines diving, malapascua diving, divemaster philippines
assembling the emergency Oxygen
Ask a Divemaster trainee to assemble an emergency Oxygen unit and then leave the room for a few minutes and what do you return to? Answer, A DMT taking the p***. Feet off the chair Jason please. Oh, and stop using all the Oxygen.

Disclaimer: This picture was completely staged and no Oxygen was wasted in its making. All Divemasters produced at Exotic are of the highest professional standard.


guard dogs malapascua, diving malapascua, scuba philipines
asleep on the job
To the untrained eye this looks like an old knackered dog sleeping in the restaurant under a table. To those familiar with Exotic Resort this is the imaginatively named Brownie. Brownie and his colleague Blackie work as part of Exotic's elite security team which make the resort safe for all our guests. It must be said that dogs are not allowed in the restaurant and that Brownie was working undercover at the time.





diving malapascua, philippines diving, malapascua diving
dive shop team
They've made the Blog before but seeing as they're so special we again introduce our fantastic dive shop receptionists, Hilda (left) and Judith. This week saw Judith return after maternity leave and no one was more pleased than Hilda. No more double shifts!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Why Sidemount Diving? A Instructor's point of view

For anyone who has been following our GoPro page exotic on Facebook page its pretty obvious that we like sidemount diving. Why is this? Why change gear, add another first stage to the mix and then learn a bunch of new skills? You can't go neither deeper, or further into wrecks.... So why? Actually there are many other good reasons that Sidemount diving has and can add to your diving experience, here is my personal point of view. 

Sidemount is a great primer for more advanced diving such as Technical or cave diving. If you are interested in technical diving it will be pretty clear why sidemount will be beneficial to you, as a recreational diver it might be harder to see these benefits.

Added Safety - Longer Dives
Apeks Sidemount Regulator setup
Apeks Sidemount regulator
Why am i saying that a sidemount configuration is safer? - There is the redundancy. Equipment malfunction is very rare today but it still happens. During my dives i have had hoses breaking underwater as well as o rings popping, free flowing inflators and so on. Considering the amount of dives this has happened on i have to say its still very rare that things break. When you have a popped tank o ring you have 1 minute (if your lucky) to make it to the surface or your buddy in recreational gear. Doing this in a big cloud of bubbles under stress is not fun. In sidemount its very different. As you have 2 redundant regulators on 2 tanks it doesnt matter if one breaks, you could cut all the hoses on one reg completely and still make it up to the surface by yourself (you should of course go up with your buddy) with a proper safety stop and surface swim if necessary. Lets say that both your regs fail at the same time (Extremely unlikely) a sidemount diving buddy can share air with you on a long hose, this is much more comfortable then doing so on a regular alternate air source were the hose is much shorter and pulling in your mouth unless your pretty much glued to your buddy.. And longer dives is also another great reason. Pretty simply, you got 2 bottles so even if you use a lot of air you will be able to stay down and enjoy the dive site for longer. If you make the dives on Nitrox then you can really see the added value. Sidemount diving all started originally from Cave Exploring were a very simple but very reliable way of diving is necessary. To me all diving should be as safe and gear as simple to use as possible.  

PADI Sidemount instructor Specialty course
PADI Sidemount instructor Specialty course
Why do I personally love Sidemount?
Let me explaining why I love it so much. I have logged plenty of dives, both in cold and warm water in icy lakes and on tropical reefs, before trying sidemount. I now live since 5 years in Asia and one of the reasons is because i much prefer the tropical diving, including the temperature and the reduced hassle with gear - No dry suits or thick gloves which makes getting around trickier. Same goes for me in sidemount, my chest is clean and free from clutter, my back is free from restrictions and tanks. I can bend and flex as much as i like with out having the gear holding back. This makes for a truly "free" experience underwater. Sure i am actually towing around 2 tanks but they are tucked in under my shoulders and out of the way and streamlined. 

Add even more time to you dive
Quite often divers come to Exotic asking for 15 liter tanks, they use more air then their buddies and want to be able to stay down as long as their friends. Sure we have 15 liter tanks and sure they hold more air then a standard 12 liter tank. However 2 x 12 liter tanks, now that's allot of air! This is great for a couple of different reasons. You can make really long dives as well as having a bigger reserve in case anything goes wrong. 
If something goes wrong underwater, your most valuable resource is time, underwater time is directly linked to the amount of gas you have to breath, the more the better!

Of course there is downsides as well, after all, I can say that sidemount is not for everyone even though i do believe it can benefit most divers. One downside is simple, the cost. You need to either invest or rent at least one more first stage and long hose and an additional SPG. Walking with 2 bottles on land is obviously trickier, however you can just as easy don both cylinders in the water. Of course you have to learn additional skills and procedures to safely dive with sidemount. With this being said the many benefits outweighs the costs, which can be kept small depending on the gear that you choose.
Even Rebreathers can be sidemount configured
Even rebreathers can be sidemounted

To me diving equipment is a tool needed to go and see or do something. Some dives requires more and some less. Shallow reef dives only requires a single tank and BCD while a deep cave dive might require multiple re breathers. Sidemount is in my book not the only way of diving but the most versatile way of diving!
If you have questions about the sidemount course, equipment configurations or want advice in general, just pop me an email at joa@malapascua.net

Joa Löfström
PADI Master instructor
Tec sidemount instructor



Thursday, August 20, 2015

Something Exotic

Written by guest blogger Scott Lindsay:


Guest Blogger and PADI instructor Scott Lindsay
Guest Blogger and PADI instructor Scott Lindsay

When I first arrived on Malapascua, I was probably the same as everyone else. Tired from the journey from Cebu city, and full of anticipation of what I would find on this small tropical island paradise. Like many who visit Malapascua, I came to the island for diving. This is probably the islands number one draw, but add to this the fact it has some beautiful beaches, awesome local residents and amazing food, what more could you ask from paradise?
There are many resorts large and small, and many restaurants offering all kinds of culinary fair. Prices range across the board, and I believe there is something for everyone. One resort in particular stands out from the crowd. That is Exotic Dive resort. Situated a little further away than the main bulk of the islands resorts and restaurants, it really is worth the walk (which is probably no more than 10 minutes from anywhere, as it isn’t a large island).

Thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) at monad shoal, Malapascau.
Thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) at monad shoal, Malapascau.
If you decide to stay in the Exotic resort, than you will have almost every need catered for. First they offer the islands original dive centre, and pioneers of the Thresher shark experience. Friendly, professional and incredibly eagle eyed dive guides will take you around many of the surrounding dive sites, pointing out the Thresher sharks, occasional other pelagic life, colourful nudibranchs, different sized frogfish, and mesmerizing flamboyant cuttlefish to name but a few.

Rooms vary in size, price and luxury, and all are well maintained and looked after by the friendly housekeeping staff.  The resort also boasts one of the best restaurants on the island. It takes the whole of about a minute to walk from the ocean to a seat, so after a hard days relaxation on the beach, or after a day of diving, you don’t have far to travel to satisfy the appetite you have worked up.
Exotics beac front restaurant
Exotics beachfront restaurant 
Firstly, let’s start with the staff. All are super friendly, smiling and joking, and always happy to help you. Even at its busiest times (there is a reason it can get busy) they are able to help you with anything you need. Next, let’s look at the menu. Well if choice is something you want, then there is no lack of it here. An Asian/ European fusion with of course some mouth watering Local Filipino dishes and surprising Dutch snacks, with many other favourites thrown in, the only word I can find to describe it is epic. Epically large in choice, epically large in variety, and portion size is never an issue (bring an appetite).  They offer 267 Dishes, which can be easily navigated through the Exotic resort app (currently available for android and soon available in the App store). 


Exotics android app
Exotics app
And if you are after something to wash down these amazing dishes, then happy hour is between 5pm and 7pm (they aren’t shy with the measures) for cocktails, or shakes and juices are available all day. There is also draft beer and quality coffee from the coffee shop style real coffee machine. If you have a sweet tooth, then one of the many deserts will entice you (if you have left room for one). The cheesecake is a particular favorite of mine. Maybe not the best in the world, but considering the location, it really does impress and satisfy.
Breakfast varies from a full buffet at busy times, to just a cup of good coffee for those in a rush (I am not sure where you would be rushing to though). As a diving day can start early here, as with many dive centres (around 4.30am), there is nothing quite like being able to return to a hearty breakfast to fuel you for the rest of the day.
So all in all, Exotic dive resort ticks many boxes. If you dont believe me, come and find out for yourself. 

www.malapascua.net


Saturday, August 1, 2015

Underwater Transformation


Happy PADI Discover scuba diving participants, Malapascua Exotic Island Dive resort
Happy PADI Discover scuba diving participants

 It’s probably one of those things Instructors get used to, as the number of students they work with increases the smaller details may tend to lose their sharpness. So it is with a Divemaster at the start of an internship, and commencing a professional career these details can be most apparent.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving is a gateway for accessing scuba diving in the shortest possible time while remaining safe. It’s a straightforward ½ day course which can include an open water dive, if the student is capable and up for it.

Today I’m assisting a DSD course, which means I get to meet the guests, ensure all the paperwork is together, sort out their equipment and keep everything running smoothly for my instructor Joa.

Taing your first breaths underwater, PADI Discover Scuba Diving, Malapascua Exotic Island Dive resort
The joy of breathing underwater!
The key thing to remember is that typical DSD students have never taken a breathe underwater before, they may well be a proficient skin diver but the idea of strapping a tank to their back and diving for longer than 30 seconds has only just become a desire for them. For me I originally got into diving because I wanted to see things closer up, and experience the freedom I often observed in Scuba divers while I was trapped at the surface snorkelling.

Todays student Leo, is no exception, I sense his excitement the minute we meet, he tells me he loves snorkelling, but he’s never taken the next step into Scuba, but today is the day. There is a determination I recall from my open water course, even before my confined sessions, knowing the equipment would be on my back and I’d be breathing underwater without having to rush back up to the surface for another breathe.

Joa takes us through the briefing, a few pointers on process and what the in water experience will be like and Leo is head down for his multiple choice quiz. I’m impressed the key safety standards are still maintained, even in this slimmed down course. There is no official accreditation at the end, but the DSD booklet includes a mini log book, a certificate of completion and everything a budding diver needs to know about this course and the potential future courses available.

Finally we are getting on the boat and setting up the kit, the boot is finally on the other foot, I’m setting up a guests’ equipment for them. Leo is ready, we are in the shallow water in-front of the dive shop and ready to get under the water with a regulator for the first time. I’m sure every student is different, but I’m sure they all take that first breathe with the same amazement we all once did. Eyes widen, second breathe, okay brain time to tune in, we’ve just turned into a fish.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving, Try dive, Malapascua Exotic
The more you dive the more you smile :)
The skills requirements and practicing are just the essential safety requirements, we are in the water to do as much as possible for them when we make it onto the dive so it’s a case of clearing mask, recovering regulator and BCD inflation, deflation. Along with the presentation, Leo now has all the elements he needs for the dive. The mask clearance is always difficult, you’ve just worked out you can breathe underwater, now you’ve got to tell your brain to breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose. I can see the frustration in the mask clearance, you can never be sure if the skills will be too much and the student will run out of the water. Leo is sticking with it, tells himself to stop breathing in through his nose, sea water doesn’t taste so good. Then we spot a little baby puffer fish. Joa points to it, Leo looks, points himself and before he’s realised his breathing is calm, he looks at home. We’ve cracked it.

We check with Leo he’s feeling okay, take a short break to all get ready and jump in the flat boat for the short ride to house reef. A brief look over the side and Leo is checking the depth with Joa. 6m, I’ve put a decent line over the side of the boat and Joa and Leo will go down bit by bit with me following along. Plenty of equalisation, we arrive at the bottom, Leo is absolutely loving it and we’ve only done the decent, “Just wait till we start moving” I thought to myself.

Banded sea snake, one of the things you can see at Exotics house reef
This friendly sea snake can be spotted at the house reef
The house reef has plenty to see, though experienced divers definitely forget how little it takes to raise the breathing rate of new divers and DSD students. As we swam around, I had a firm grip on Leo’s tank valve to help him keep balance and buoyancy level, frankly we are both experiencing something new. I’m working with my first DSD student, assisting Joa, with real customers. The sense of responsibility is massive, I know Joa has everything under control and if anything was wrong he’d be ontop of it before I even realised. But I’m still there with Leo, experiencing his first ever dive.

25 minutes in, Leo signals that his ears are no longer enjoying the experience, we aim back to the decent line and do a safety stop. Everything remains calm, and before we know it, we are on the surface, relieving Leo of his equipment and getting him back on board.

It’s now, this very moment that brings it all home to me, Why diving? Why Divemaster? Why IDC and teaching ? Just look at Leo, he’s the happiest diver in the world, a matter of hours ago, he was a snorkeler, dreaming of escaping the surface to dive underwater and experience the freedom. He’s transformed and he’s not the only one.

We do a de-brief back in resort, his smile is even wider now, he can’t wait to get back in the water again, the experience has opened his eyes to so many possibilities and the sights underwater, I doubt it will be long before his PADI open water course is booked and he is back in the water again.


For me, it’s just the start of my Divemaster course, I’m seeing these actual transformations for myself 1st hand and I want more too. You read about it, in the PADI books, we are in transformation industry, just words, but when you witness it first hand, it truly is emotional.

Ryan started his diving with a DSD and is here doing his Nitrox course, its easy to get addicted to diving!

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Training, Tec and Teambuilding.

Hi all of you out there!

White Arrow NT3 diving on Malapascua Philippines
The White Arrow NT3 Sidemount in action!
It is time for a quick update, This month has been great fun for all of us here at Exotic, here are some of the highlights!

Our good friend Jason Lim has been back to Malapascua, this time teaching Technical diving both in back mounted twin tanks and Rebreather. Of course on the White arrow NT3 which looks absolutely brilliant underwater. Jason will be back soon for some more diving and we are looking forward to some more deep deep adventures!


Setting up the White Arrow NT3 at Exotic
Jason teaching set up of the White Arrow NT3 at Exotic in sidemount configuration





PADI Rescue exercise 7 Malapascua IDC
Scott practicing rescue exercise 7
PADI GoPro is in full effect with our IDC going on. In house PADI Course director Rebecca Johanson is doing a great job getting Jerome and Scott ready for upcoming PADI IE in a matter pf days, we wish them all the best. Our instructor Rey is also joining in doing his IDC staff instructor course! There has been some absolutely stunning weather lately with seas flat as a mirror and they have for sure been taking full advantage of it!






Finally some even more exiting news if that is even possible, The EXOTIC SPORTS FEST! The entire exotic crew and believe me its a big crew was split in 4 teams and enjoyed 5 days of challenges, sports, games and fun. There was plenty of different sports and games with some of the highlights being basketball, volleyball, swimming and Palusebo. For all of you who don't know what Palusebo is the winner of the game is the one who can climb the highest/fastest on a bamboo pole covered in oil! Believe me when I'm saying that it is very very hard!
Below you can see a few of the pictures from the event that was a huge success! We cant wait until next years sports fest!

Malapascua Exotic team, Sport fest 2015
The whole Exotic Crew!


Volleyball at Malapascua Exotic island dive resort
Volleyball, blue vs white
Sport fest parade, Malapascua Exotic island dive resort
The opening Parade, here its the Red team going strong!

Badminton at Malapascua Exotic island dive resort, Sports fest 2015
Badminton was great fun!

Palusebo, Malapascua Exotic island dive resort, Sports fest 2015
Palusebo, Ryan giving it a go, there was a lot of oil on the bamboo pole!

Chess, Malapascua Exotic island dive resort, Sports fest 2015
Of course we had to have Chess as well, a welcome calm sport in the mid day heat!


Swimming, Malapascua Exotic island dive resort, Sports fest 2015
Swimming was an easy pick for all our boat crew and Dms!

Tug of war, Malapascua Exotic island dive resort, Sports fest 2015
Tug of war

Palusebo, Malapascua Exotic island dive resort, Sports fest 2015
Palusebo revisited, this time with a little less oil.

A little balancing act, here is Janet and Barry with small but significant  calamansi fruit
A little balancing act, here is Janet and Barry with small but significant  calamansi fruit

Basketball champions, Malapascua Exotic sports fest 2015
Red team were the basketball champions! 

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Kerikite Exclusive Part 1


For months now the Blog has been dropping hint after hint to try and blag a visit to Exotic's new resort on Kerikite island. This week all the hard work paid off with the offer of an almost all expenses paid trip. An offer too good to refuse!

The private beach of Exotic resort, Kerikite
Exotic beach, Kerikite
Here is a shot of the scene as we arrived at Exotics private beach which fronts this idyllic location. Sensational. The faces of all the assembled journalists and photographers on board were of pure amazement and wonderment. And no wonder they're only human after all.
World class philippines scuba diving below Exotic 2
Exotic 2 parked above House Reef
As soon as we arrived the Blog set about making a detailed inspection of the newly completed bar and restaurant area as food and drink is never far from mind. Christopher, one of the resorts resident chefs was hard at work preparing lunch so the Blog admired the view from the restaurant into the bay which featured our ride over from Malapascu, Exotic 2. It's hard to put into words just how beautiful Kerikite island and its surroundings are. Keen for an even better view the Blog headed off to check out the accommodation.


OMG. Firstly, the sheer quality of the premium rooms was something quite special. Beautifully finished with such attention to detail and who doesn't want a four poster bed?! No expense would appear to have been spared here.

It's a four poster bed
Then a swagger out onto the balcony was met with yet another view of jaw dropping quality.

   
budget rooms at exotic resort kerikite malapascua
Jungle hideout
After sizing up the four poster bed the Blog was ushered out and down toward a row of newly erected wooden bungalows, one of which would become a comfortable home for the next couple of nights. One of the many striking aspects of this resort and island is the lushness of the surrounding greenery.



sunset on exotic resort kerikite malapascua
Sunset on Kerikite island
So, the facilities were of high quality to say the least. The Blog sat on it's balcony to watch the sun go down, ice cold beer in hand, to contemplate the following day of diving. Oh, did I mention Kerikite is also host to some of the finest scuba diving in the Philippines? We'll look into that during part 2 of our exclusive.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Staying alive! Malapascua "low season"...?


This week there has been lots of different things going on at Exotic, much more are still in the planning, which I can assure you that you will find out about soon enough. At the moment we are now in what people like to call "low season" or in other names" lean/green/rain season" - Sure we had a quick rain shower the other day, but that was pretty much it, weather has been great, plus we also have great visibility and lots of shark sightings....

For us "low season" is a great time to catch up on all our projects and ideas. Right now all our dive shop staff are getting a first aid and oxygen refresher course. It is lots of fun and everybody gets to have a go at Annie ( the CPR doll)  with both CPR, rescue breathing and providing oxygen. Our PADI instructor Rey, together with our PADI Course Director Becca Johansson are in charge of the training and performance requirements for the guys. For keeping the correct pace for the chest compressions they are all practicing to the tune "Staying Alive" by Bee Gees plus we also have time for some scenario practice. Keep checking in for more Low season fun!

PADI Instructor Rey teaching oxygen use
Rey teaching how to use a pocket mask.

.....This might actually be the best time to travel to Malapascua.... Why you ask? Just consider this; there are less divers here during low season which means plenty of space on the boats and dive sites. You will also find better deals on dives and enjoy a nice afternoon on a quiet beach. Not saying that it's not nice when its busy but if you are the kind of traveler who likes to avoid the crowds this is the time to come and see us and enjoy a nice diving or snorkeling holiday in the sun. We can never guarantee that it wont rain of course, but this has never really bothered us as we all get wet during dives anyway.



Setting up the oxygen system
Our Diveshop secretary Judith setting up the Oxygen system

Some photos from our last training sessions. Judith is busy setting up the Oxygen Kit to aid a diver. 

Providing Oxygen to a unresponsive diver
PADI Divemaster Ervin providing oxygen to Feman.


And we almost forgot! - Nudi branch of the week is back again! 
This week the winner is a Chromodoris Coi. The picture below was taken at Chocolate island, a dive site located 30 min away from Malapascua and was recently one of our guests said that Chocolate Island is much better for Nudibranchs spotting than Lembe in Indonesia!



If you want to enter a picture to our Blog Nudibranch Wall of Fame, please email your picture to diving@malapascua.net, together with name, date, and dive site name.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!  

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Exclusive and Rare Footage of a Breaching Thresher Shark at Monad Shoal.

Hammerhead sharks swimming in the sea
After leading last time with a feature on Hammerheads and picturing a Whale shark, the Blog was quite simply slaughtered from all quarters. So to make things right and rectify this editorial catastrophe we open with a picture of Hammerheads! Diving in the Philippines is so diverse and Malapascua diving is just the epitome of this.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
The free throw that took the Exotic junior team into extra time
Not only is it Hammerhead season  but it's also time for Malapascua's annual basketball tournament.  Every year Exotic enters two teams and here we see the resorts junior under 21 side, in green, going down to a hard fought extra time defeat. It was a highly competitive game and despite the loss we're confident the lads can progress to the later stages. The senior side would appear to have less ambition of glory judging by the amount of training time being spent in the bar as opposed to the gym. The Blog concludes that it's the taking part that counts! 








                                               

And finally, we finish with very rare video footage. No, it's not a recording of the Blog getting a round of drinks in but a recording from Malapascus's most famous diving location, Monad Shoal.  Last week Exotic received a visit from a representative from one of our much valued agents, Ultimate Diving. Hats off to Mr. David Churchman for recording this magical moment a Thresher Shark decided to leap from the water above Exotic's very own cleaning station. Occasionally seen leaping by our guests who are not yet in the water, we know of no other instance where this phenomenon has been recorded from under the water. You can't top this so until next week....

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

It's a PADI Rescue diver special

PADI instructors simulating panicking divers on an Exotic Rescue course in Malapascua, Philippines
Exotic dancing competition
When asked to assist on a PADI Rescue course a few days ago, the Blog was as usual overcome by excitement. After turning up and being confronted by people standing on wash basins waving their arms around, the Blog was slightly scared and confused. However, there was no need to be. It was just Master Instructor Joa Lofstrom conducting dry practice of rescue excersise 2, diver falling into a wash basin from height..... only joking, the panicked diver exercise which would later be acted out in the water.


PADI Rescue students practising in water mouth to mouth resucitation in Malapascua, Philippines.
Rescue breathing
                                                                          Later in the day saw our two budding Rescue divers, Patrick and Manfred practising their mouth to mouth rescue breathing skills. Assistants, Kathy and Scott played their unresponsive diver roles admirably as the lads repeated this complex skill until it was virtually perfect. The PADI Rescue diver course is a fun and challenging couple of days and doing it somewhere as perfect as the Philippines and Malapascua certainly adds to the experience.



Padi Rescue diver student Patrick lifts unresponsive diver, Kathy from the water in Malapascua, Philippines
It's all innocent
Malapascua can at times have a romantic feel about it but don't be fooled, it's not what it look like! This was only Patrick practising the removal of an unresponive diver from the water and onto the boat. Again please note Kathy's sublime acting as she manages to keep a straight face throughout despite much provocation.
Manfred, PADI rescue diver student carries victim from the water in Malapascua Philippines
Baywatch
At the beginning, this Blog was intended to be about Patrick and Manfred visiting Malapascu to undertake their PADI Rescue course. But it seems to have turned into the Kathy show. Anyway, move over Hasselhof, here's Manfred practising the fireman's carry using Oscar nominated you know who. In truth, she'd been dropped and knocked about so much by this point I'm not sure if she was acting or not.  The bottom line is, come to Exotic and do your PADI Rescue course.