Trip To Pescador Island

I live in a village where residents main source of income is Fishing. Our Papa was the greatest fisherman when he was alive. Our village name is called Panagsama Beach, meaning, Brotherhood Beach in the town of
Moalboal, 98 kilometers away from Cebu City, the Queen Ciry of the south, in our country, the Pearl of the Orient Seas, the Philippines .

Our country is composed of 7, 600 islands and this includes the Pescador Island, an uninhabited island and with a lighthouse that was built in the 50's.

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Pescador Island is about two hectares of solid rock, rocky soil and with varied small trees and shrubs all around. There is no water supply , the plants survive through the rain. There's plenty of birds tweeting without an end and with some reefs that are spectacular.
It is located in the middle of the Tanon Strait where international cargo ships are being seen once in a while. That's why the light house was built for the safety of the ships and its crew as they traveled by night. Tanon Strait is between Cebu and Negros islands.

Pescador Island is considered a part of my hometown, Moalboal, basing on the old records of lands. When we were young or when we were kids , at that time there was no motor boat or speed boat or jet skis. One can reached the place by a banca or a wooden small boat being paddled or by the same boat using sails when it was windy.Usually about an hour or more by using paddles and about 30 minutes by sailboat.

In our younger days until the time that we , the siblings of 7 got married and have children of our own, it was our Papa who held the key of the lighthouse and was the one who made the report for any damage of the lighthouse to the town coast guard office and Engineers usually came right away for repairs. It has a small kitchen and what we love looking at the light is that it twinkles and twinkles until now.

Our Papa and his brothers as well as his cousins usually went fishing near the area of the island. They always brought home abundant catch everytime they went there.

Each time that he told us that he's going to Pescador to go fishing,. he always refused and told us :
"Not now. ! " Then he added :
" One of these days, I will bring you there, that is a promise".


It was month of April, summertime and the sea was so calm , before the sunrise, after I finished feeding the chickens and goats, Papa instructed me and my younger brother. I was 6 years old , my brother was 5 years old
.My brother was my playmate and my partner in the household chores.

" Naomi, let your brother help you.
Prepare a big basket and fill it with
boiled unripe bananas and boiled sweet potatoes or Camote that your Mama already cooked. Bring a big pitcher of drinking water too with three plastic drinking glasses. Do not forget a box of matches and put the box in a small tupperware so it will not get wet.
Put also my dry clothes and both your dry.clothes in a plastic including three towels."
"Why ? PAPA? " My inquisitive brother asked.
Papa smiled and said :
'We will go to the Pescador Island. The three of us "
My brother and me looked at each others eyes and we both yelled :
" WOW ! Pescador Island "
Our happiness was very clear as in my brother and me were ecstatic and kept ourselves busy preparing the needed items and the food.

" We will go fishing there, Papa ?"
My brother asked.
" Yes ! We will try to catch plenty of swordfish and Red Fish there. Then a
Picnic for the three of us. We will be grilling fish."
" Will you teach us how to swim there
Papa ? " my brother asked again.
"YES ! " our Papa's quick reply.

We said goodbye to Mama .She placed her right hand in our foreheads as a blessing. Our house was only less than a hundred meters from the beachfront. Papa carried his basket with our hook and line, one for each one of us and he placed the big pitcher of water in his basket while my brother and me walked hand in hand carrying our food and dried clothes inside our big basket. My brother and me were filled with joy and excitement anticipating our happy moments ahead of us.

Papa let us got inside the small boat or banca, placing our baskets properly inside too. I was at the front. my brother at the center then followed by Papa.

We all started paddling the boat. The boat was running fast to our destination. The wide blue ocean, the vast high skies with white clouds, the very pleasant morning when the sun was about to shine, the calmness of the sea, the kingfisher taking a quick spash catching her food, it was our very own paradise. Since childhood I always stated that nothing compares the beauty of the sea .

Papa was whistling a tune while paddling while my brother and me pointed our fingers to the dolphins on line jumping showing their swimming ability. It was a lovely sight that vividly lives in my heart and in my mind forever.

We were about 50 meters before our boat would reached the shoreline when Papa instructed us in a very firm voice.
"Put down your paddles and jump. Swim to the shoreline. I will be following you."
Feeling safe and secured that Papa was at our back in his boat, we both jumped without hesitation and made our way to the shoreline panting and laughing.
It was the best swimming lesson we ever had. When we arrived it was high tide. The three of us sat at the Cliff and hurled our hook and line to the sea with each corresponding bait that Papa prepared. We caught plenty of sword fish and red fish we called Solid due to its solid white meat.

Papa taught us how to build a fire without using a match even if we brought along a box of matches with us. He used two small dried sticks rubbed it to each other and told us it was called friction. It was a success and my brother and me called it
Magic.hahahaha It was fun.

We grilled all of the fishes that we caught with a plan to bring home some for Mama and for our three older sisters helping her in our Sari Sari (Assorted Items) Store. My two younger brothers were two years old and an infant so they were all being left behind with Mama

After we cooked the fishes , Papa instructed again.
" We will eat after a few minutes swimming. " He told my brother and me to stand straight at the edge of the cliff facing the deep blue ocean.
Then he yelled again :
"Ready, get set, one, two, three JUMP "
We did jump without any fear at all. He quickly followed with a big Splash.
He went swimming with us. He taught us the breaststroke and also on how to dive underwater holding our breath for a minute or two then emerged with a big breath out.

My younger brother was a quick learner and the stamina to do it so accurately. He had beaten me three times and never gave me a chance to win. But, I was a happy loser.
Hahahahaha

After we had eaten our picnic food and drank plenty of fresh water from our pitcher, we packed our things set to go back home.

As we were all seated inside the boat, the weather changed. Papa said " Hurry, let us paddle faster."
While we were in the middle of the trip it started to rain and the wind started blowing. My brother and me cintinued our paddling while Papa got the sail and placed it properly beside him and told us to stop paddling. The wind became stronger and the waves became bigger while the rain became heavier. Our small boat was playing with the waves as it was running so fast moving. We were about 400 meters away from the shoreline and we saw people at the beach front looking at our direction, telling us later that they were ready to swim to rescue us if needed. They were all our relatives who were also fishermen.

Papa yelled again. Squat inside the boat and hold tightly. I will maneuver the sail. " The boat was having the quickest trip to the shoreline and when our boat was docked at the white sand my brother and me were hugging our Papa and we told him " Papa we will go there again next week."
Our Papa laughed with tears in his eyes and said " Thank You Lord, we are all safe." He asked us " Are you not scared that you want to go there again ?"
My brother replied" No , Papa, You were with us , there is no reason for us to get scared. Our Papa hugged us tightly, then we walked back to our Home Sweet Home bringing cooked fishes for the rest of the family.

How can I ever forget that trip to the
Pescador Island? No way ! It lives in my memory beyond forever.


Pescador Island Nowadays

It is still uninhabited and the lighthouse remains standing inspite of the many typhoons that passed. Our
Papa died in the year 2012 . Before he died ,he turned over the key to my younger brother who later gave it to the coast guard chief.in town.

My brother owned Nelson Scuba Diving School/ Shop and assisted by his sons who are also scuba divers.

Pescador Island is now visited daily by local and foreign tourists as it is one of the best scuba diving sites in the world with a cathedral of corals and colored fishes underwater plus the added attraction of millions of sardines in the vicinity that you can swim with them and take pictures with them.

You may Google Search
Nelson Diving Shop
Panagsama Beach
Moalboal Cebu
Philippines
Or
Pescador Island
Moalboal Cebu
Philippines

My story about Pescador Island goes on and on as my brother tells every scuba diver that he brought there.

GOD BLESS US ALL...