By Nathan Allen

1st Stop in Southern Leyte – Peter’s Dive Resort

When Peter’s Dive Resort sent me an invite to come and experience the region for myself, I jumped at the chance. Fascinating corals and thousands of colorful fish lied in wait just below the surface…and that was just the snorkeling…

On a beautiful day, our boat “set sail” out on the open sea. Next stop, Napantao Dive sanctuary on Panaon Island – just across Sogod Bay from Peter’s Dive Resort.

Napantao Dive Sanctuary

We anchored the boat about 10 meters from a rugged, coconut tree lined beach. After the divemaster pointed me to the best corals, I put my life vest, mask and snorkel on and swam out.

Full disclosure: I joined a group of Peace Corps Volunteers who were all diving, but I just snorkeled on this trip.

Snorkeling over Surreal Coral Landscapes

Just off the beach where we docked, I found the coral garden above while snorkeling in about 2-3 meters of water. Pretty cool!  They kind of remind me of flowers. I wonder if anybody knows the name of this type of corals? I have had no luck in my research so far…

I have snorkeled all over the Philippines, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many fish. They were small, but neon blue…and shimmering beautifully in the sunlight above. I also took a photo of a unique brain coral tucked away in a coral “cubby hole”. Never seen anything like it.

I also stumbled upon a massive group of Clownfish. Must have been 30 + in one location! I’ve seen a lot of clownfish in the Philippines, but never more than 3 or 4 in one place. I wonder if this was a breeding site, or what?

Feeling the after affects of my strenuous rifr around Leyte, after about 40 minutes in the water I was tired, cold, and hungry. Luckily, back on the beach,  the team was preparing lunch with fresh caught fish grilling over a fire. The problem was that the wood was moist, and not so easy to burn.

Here’s comes good ol’ Filipino ingenuity to save the day….a dive instructor borrowed one of my fins to fan the flames!

Totally worked.

There was much more to the meal than just fish…we had a full spread with rice, veggies, and even chicken, I think. We definitely didn’t go hungry, I’ll tell you that much. This was a pretty good intro to to snorkeling and diving in southern Leyte, but the next day I was super excited to join a boat trip to Limasawa island, to the south.

Limasawa Island Dive Site

The weather on the first day was a bit cloudy, which put a damper on my photography – both above and below the water. The Limasawa trip was much better, though. Beautiful, sunny day out on the water!

I noticed in southern Leyte the local fishermen wear conical hats, similar to the ones worn in Vietnam. I know they do a good job keeping the sun of your head, but I didn’t see them worn anywhere else in the country, so it makes me wonder if there’s a story behind them.

These fishermen were pretty curious about me taking pictures. At one point they started waiving their paddle in the air to get my attention for a shot! Haha.

Limasawa Island (which means “5 Wives” in Filipino) is supposedly the site of the very first Catholic mass in the Philippines, undertaken by father Pedro de Valderrama, sailing with the fleet of the explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

Anyhow, the island itself is just stunning. We weren’t able to get off the boat and climb up to the marker cross on the hill (I read about it), but the turquoise sea and white sand beaches dotting the island were just beautiful.

(continued below, but I do hope you’ll consider following along with me…)

Coral Reef + Fish @ Limasawa Snorkeling Site

This was one of the more colorful and fascinating coral formations I came across. If you’re wondering, I took all these photos with my underwater camera, the Olympus TG-5 (That link is for Lazada, Asia). The Amazon link is HERE

(More photos)

I wish I knew more about the fish and coral species, so I could share the names with you. If you know, please leave a comment! I know I saw some nice table corals  + other hard corals…as well as some beautiful soft corals, and even a Banded Sea Krait (snake)!

They are highly venomous, but also highly harmless…haha. They pretty much ignore you. If you were unlucky enough to step on one you could *possibly* get bit. Even then, apparently they don’t always release their venom. Beautiful creatures, in any case.

These last 2 photos are my favorites from this snorkeling trip. Above is a male clownfish protecting his nest in a beautifully sunlit anemone.

Below…I have no idea what this leopard-patterned fish is called. I’m hoping somebody can tell me. It’s the first one I’ve ever seen…so striking! I think it’s some kind of a bottom feeder. * I just found out that this could be a Leopard Blenny…or some other type of blenny perhaps? I wonder if any of you have any ideas?

How To Get To Southern Leyte

You can take flights from Cebu or Manila to the smaller airports of Tacloban or Ormoc (that one’s further away). If you’re a bit flexible with schedule, you might find a great deal on a promo flight from Cebu Pacific Air. There are also fast ferries departing from Cebu (about a 3 hour trip) + a 45 minute bus transfer to the Resort.

If you’re adventurous, you could rent a car or motorbike from Haven’s transport in Tacloban and drive yourself!

Big thanks to Shelani and the Peter’s Dive Resort team! As a lot of dive resorts tend to be,  it’s pretty simple…but a good value with top notch food & service. Plus, the snorkeling and diving was fantastic. Definitely recommended.

Be sure to check out my other Leyte posts, too…

My Massive Motorbike Trip Around Leyte Province

Stunning Kalanggaman Island & Sandbar

A Tacloban City & Restaurant Tour – Leyte, Philippines

– Nathan Allen

www.idreamedofthis.com

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The post Snorkeling & Diving in Padre Burgos – Leyte, Philippines appeared first on I Dreamed Of This.

By Nathan Allen

“Nathan, what kind of camera do you use?”  I receive this question from I Dreamed Of This readers all of the time.  Well here you go…

When I read about the Olympus TG-4 and saw some test shots (both above and below the water), I forgot all about the GoPro and ordered one immediately. 

I’m a full-time travel blogger, and was heading out on a backpacking trip to document the beaches and marine life in the Philippines. 

I was looking for a waterproof, relatively compact, travel-friendly camera with equal photo and video capabilities, a large LCD screen, great image quality, low-light capabilities, and plenty of durability.  Oh, and a great price! Haha, I know…it’s a lot to ask.

Amazingly, when the camera arrived from Amazon.com, I realized I got so much more.  For those of you that are familiar with the TG-2 “tough” series, you should know that the latest series is a HUGE step up.  The TG-3 was already great, but the TG-4 improved on it even more.  A rugged, underwater camera that shoots RAW?  Yup.  Battery life is great, too – you can shoot all day before needing to charge.  I could go on and on, but I will let the sample photos speak for themselves. 

As you’ll see below, the Philippines is the perfect place to conduct a product review!  I have done my best to include plenty of unedited (as shot) examples of what the TG-4 is capable of.

TG-4 Test Shots – No Flash

On beautiful Boracay island, the TG-4 did great on sunny days, but the fast 2.0 aperture lens also allows you to take nice nighttime shots without a flash!  All of the photos on this page were taken handheld with no tripod. 

The camera has a very solid build and quality feel, and that makes it a bit heavier than its competitors.  It’s certainly bigger and heavier than the Gopro, but for me, the large LCD screen and excellent photo capabilities (including stunning macro) sold me on it. It’s still pocket-sized with no lens attached.

You can also purchase both a wide and telephoto option for this camera.  I have a wide lens on my APS-C sensor DSLR camera, and as far as I can tell, the wide angle Olympus fish eye would be the equivalent of about 11mm on an APS-C.

I don’t think it’s quite as wide as a Gopro, but as you can see, it gets the job done nicely!  Attach it to a selfie-stick and it’s perfect for solo travelers or group shots! A word of advice, though: Make sure you keep the lens cap on when not is use, and avoid getting fingerprints on the attached lens. It gets dirty very easily, and it can affect the pictures.

Waterproof, Kidproof, and a Super Fast 2.0 Lens

Who is this camera good for?  In my opinion, everybody!  Water sports enthusiasts or those with restless kids / pets will love the high aperture lens and durable, waterproof technology.  Jewelry and macro photographers will have an absolute blast playing with it (see below).   Those who are accident-prone will love how “tough” it really is.

Speaking of durability, when they say it’s “tough”, they mean it!  I have used it repeatedly in fresh and saltwater, I have dropped it on pavement (from a motorbike…at 40 MPH!), and I have crushed it.  It still functions perfectly.  It has no moving parts for beach sand to get stuck in and ruin. Let’s just say if I lost this camera, I would be devastated, and I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Unreal Macro and Micro Modes (a 1cm Focus Distance!)

I was so amazed to learn that the TG-4 has a 1 centimeter minimum focus distance…that means you can basically get as close as you want to a tiny object, and still be able to focus. 

To top that, there are 2 and 4 X magnification modes that actual make the lens microscopic.  People even photograph snowflakes with this camera.

It also has focus bracketing built in, and that gives you the ability to shoot in macro modes with much more of your subject in focus.  You can take stunning macro video as well.

Oh, I forgot to mention that it has a 4 X optical zoom, too. From 25mm-100mm.

Raw, Manual, & Low Light…in a Cheap, Durable Point and Shoot?

It may not have the largest sensor out there, but in my opinion, when you consider the LCD screen, the ability to shoot RAW, and the price, these options blow the competition out of the water. There are plenty of manual settings available as well: Exposure comp, ISO, and white balance, to name a few.   Throw in art filters, photo collage features, panoramic and HDR options, and things really get interesting.  Wait, did I mention wifi and GPS?  Yup. 

 Yes, the technology packed into this little camera is incredible!

The green photo below is a leaf backlit with sunlight.  It was a handheld shot, and really shows how impressive the macro / micro features are.

Underwater Photography Samples

 The first time I got a glimpse of the underwater world in El Nido, Philippines, I knew I had to come back with a nice underwater camera!

The underwater modes are quite impressive – in fact, a dive master who borrowed it told me that it performed better than the Gopro in deep water. 

It shoots video up to 1080p, and while it’s not quite on par with the Gopro in terms of video, I think it makes up for it with a faster lens and (in my opinion) nicer underwater photos. 

You can use the wide angle lens underwater as well, but one drawback to this is the cheap plastic adapter that comes with it.  You need to be very careful when putting the lens on the camera, so that you don’t damage the adapter.  If damaged, while it’s doesn’t hurt the camera, the photos can be ruined by water leaking in between the external lens and the camera.

My solution to this was to let the water fill the space completely, so that I can shoot with no air bubbles in the way. I call it a “water filter”. Haha. As you can see, it still works beautifully!

Snorkeling and Diving Tests

The camera can be submerged up to 50 feet with no housing. I believe the housing you can buy (it’s quite pricey) can take it down to 150 feet. You can buy floater accessories and straps…sometimes the camera comes with them. It’s nice to use the strap when you’re snorkeling in deep water, trust me!

Underwater Video Sample

Here is some sample video footage I put together from snorkeling and diving in Moalboal, Philippines.  What an unforgettable experience!  The video is unedited, with the exception of the added music and transitions to join clips.  I also used youtube’s “anti-shake” feature when uploading it, because I started shivering after being in the water for a while! 

I definitely recommend watching it in HD if possible…

 There are also excellent time-lapse video options, and many more features that are better for you to discover on your own!  It is now my favorite all-purpose camera for traveling in the Philippines, because it takes stunning photos and I never have to worry about it getting damaged.  The lens options are nice and affordable, and are also waterproof. 

Where To Buy the Olympus TG-4

Understandably, this camera is highly reviewed and sold out very quickly. I had to backorder mine. Now it’s restocked in the US (Amazon.com), and also just became available in the Philippines.

As of now, the separate lenses must be purchased from Amazon in the US…check the links below.

“Fish Eye” Wide Angle Lens:
Olympus FCON-T01 Fisheye Converter for Olympus TG-1 & TG-2 (Black)

Telephoto Lens Option:
Olympus Telephoto Tough Lens Pack (lens and adapter) for TG-1, TG-2, and TG-3 Cameras (Black with Red Adapter)

Full disclaimer: I am not endorsed or sponsored by Olympus at all, and this is the first product I have ever recommended to my readers. I feel good knowing that I absolutely love this camera, and use it daily.   I bought it because of all the features mentioned earlier, but also because it was actually one-third cheaper than the Gopro!  Even the wide angle lens was quite affordable.

I will say that if you purchase yours through the links above, while it costs you nothing extra, a small percentage of the sale will go towards helping me continue documenting and promoting The Philippines and Filipino culture.  It’s a win-win for both of us!  For more information about my travel mission, click HERE

Do let me know if you have any questions about the camera, or need any help using it!

– Nathan Allen

www.idreamedofthis.com

Related blog: The beautiful, unexplored corals of Palumbanes, Catanduanes

Have something to add?  Please leave a comment! 

The post My Olympus TG-4 Field Test – Underwater in the Philippines appeared first on I Dreamed Of This.