Cebu | Dive at Kuya Jom’s Crib, Catmon

 

Where do I begin? I have always loved the ocean and to be as close as it as much as possible. Because for me it is simply healing to look and hear the waves crashing. And although I know how to swim in safe spaces, I was never confident swimming in open waters. But I have always adored free divers and scuba divers alike and dreamed of one day experiencing either.

So, in my exactly one month of stay in Cebu, my travel blogger friend, Ed of eazytraveler.net, encouraged me to try together with my newfound travel buddies aka “iPGang”, Lao and Alen. We arrived on a Monday morning at Kuya Jom’s Crib (KJC) at Catmon, Cebu. I was both anxious and excited that I wasn’t able to sleep before the trip but very determined to finally be doing it.

Kuya Jom’s Crib, the pioneer dive shop in Catmon, offers drive, dive and dine services which, for me, completes the whole experience. Not only that, but they also have an ongoing offer for Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) or Introductory Scuba Diving for only Php 1,500 inclusive with complete gear, photos, and meals for a minimum of 4 persons a group. My two days was both DSD wherein I have a scuba diving instructor beside me all the time. The rest of my friends who has open water and advanced open water licenses can free dive at Kuya Jom’s Crib for Php 800. For open water diving certification, they offer Php 10,000 which is a three-day training. As what they say, because they have dived a lot already, Kuya Jom’s Crib offers the most reasonable price when it comes to diving plus the dive sites at KJC are incredible especially to first time divers like me. After the awe-inspiring experience, my next goal is that one day I would be able to get an open water license.

The first day, we started off with everything basic you need to know about scuba diving including the hand signs needed underwater since you won’t be able to communicate verbally with your instructor. After that is the preparation of gear you need when scuba diving – mask, neoprene wet suite, buoyancy control device (BCD), regulator, pressurized air cylinder (that weighs around 25kgs might be the heaviest I have lifted in my entire life lol), diving fins, weights, air/depth gauges (could be diving computer or smart watch for the more sophisticated kind), among others. We then have a skills training at sea which is a practice of some needed underwater scenarios and how to go about it like when water gets inside your mask, how to breathe/equalize, or for regulator retrieval in case of accidents.

The first dive was a total adjustment to equalizing. I have always had trouble with it during flights and have motion sickness for most of my life which I overcame eventually but you see the history. I can equalize the left ear with no problem, but the right ear keeps hurting. Tried several attempts until I can adjust but whenever we try to go to shallow waters and go deep again, the same problem recurs. Good thing I have a very patient instructor who understood my concern and tend to my needs but pushed me to keep trying again and again. Nevertheless, it was majestic to see everything under the sea – bed of corals, different creatures (including Nemo), cracks, sea cliffs, and the like.

The second dive the next day was impromptu actually. I was about to lounge at the Huna Huna Cliff Resort, but my friends have another dive, and I was excited to try again because I felt like my ear adjusted the night before. I was able to practice equalizing on both ears! Yay! And what a good decision it was because on our second dive site at Katmon Cove, apart from a much grander sea cliff, we were able to swim with sea turtles. I pretty much enjoyed everything this time because I had no equalizing issues unlike before. I just have to work on my fins because my instructor say I swim too fast. Haha Excited much?

It was an unforgettable introductory scuba diving experience. A wonderful greeting to the vastness of the deep blue where one could discover landscapes and creatures I have only seen in different media before. But nothing beats when you are in it. As I was silently passing through, observing, and absorbing everything with nothing but my breathing to hear, it was like seeing untold stories of magical worlds underneath. I only hope that as we inherit this incredible planet, we would be responsible to be able to protect it and find ways of making it a better home for our friends that live beneath the sea.

Kuya Jom's Crib is located in Catmon which is 2 hours away from Cebu City. For more information and further inquiries, check out Kuya Jom’s Crib facebook page.

*Some images are grabbed from Kuya Jom's Crib and eazytraveler.net

 


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