Alighting out of a bus
from Dumaguete, I arrived at the quaint town of Bais at the flinch of sunlight.
This idyllic municipality was a bastion of 19th
century barons who spearheaded the raw sugar boom Negros Oriental came to known
for. As I took my first strides around the town, I quickly noticed the
miscellanies of its storied past evidenced by the run-down but still charming
pre-war colonial homes.
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| This is why Dolphin watching in Bais is a must-do |
I would have explored the
town further on foot towards the old factory of Central Azucarera de Bais – the
pioneers of the sugar industry in the country, had I not have one thing on my
mind that day: Dolphin watching.
Master
Show-pins
Buoyed by my enthusiasm of
seeing dolphins out in the wild, I hustled to reach the port by taking a 20
minute tricycle ride. Since I was alone, I took up a chance to wait for other
tourists so we could split boat rental fees. Just like how the Gods gifted my journey
with fine weather, a foursome arrived a few minutes later and inquired about
a boat.
After the compulsory
introductions we quickly hurried boarding a spacious motorboat. Under the
bright shimmer of the morning sun we stared towards the far sea while our
boatman stood at the forward edge surveying the waters. Using hand gestures to
direct the boat captain, we sailed straight into the waters of Tañon Strait - -
the body of water that separates the islands of Cebu and Negros.
Declared as a protected
seascape, the 100-mile long Tañon Strait serves as a resting, breeding and
feeding marine area for 11 marine species that includes the bottlenose dolphins
and the rare pygmy sperm whales.
Dolphin Watching is ON
It didn’t took long before I start hearing our boatman whistling to call our attention. Just a few feet from our boat, I saw a pod of dolphins showing off their spinning flair. They look like spinner dolphins because of their elongated muzzles.
As if surveying us for the
first few moments, the dolphins maintained a steady distance by darting over
and under the water. I was already satisfied at seeing them up close but what
happened next really took my dolphin spotting experience to another level of
high.
It started when one
spinner dolphin suddenly shot out from underneath the water and somersaulted
mid-air with aplomb, eliciting oohs and
aahhs from our group. That lone showmanship turned out to be a cue for the
others to start strutting their acrobatic skills.
For the duration of our
more than one hour cruise around Tañon Strait, we saw the dolphins in all sorts
of maneuvers. They soared and curled up in the air before diving back to the
water with gusto. The sight of their playfulness out in the wild, tugged me at
my heartstrings with fondness of their freedom.
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| Dolphin watching up-close |
Fulfilled at what we all
witnessed that morning we decided to cruise back for a pit stop at Manjuyod
Sandbar. As our boat sailed away from the waters of Tañon Strait, I looked back
and saw a few dolphins flapped their tails before disappearing into the abyss
of the ocean. I know it’s just happenstance but I wanted to believe that it’s
their way of bidding goodbye. Besides, dolphins – other than being the most
loveable, are one of the most self-aware and smartest animals in the planet.
This trip is part of my Traveloka solo-backpacking series all over the Philippines. Traveloka is a mobile app and web site that makes travel simpler by letting you experience the easiest and fastest way of booking cheap flights and hotels in less than a minute.
