Fra-and Quimpo

16/12/2024

Just when you thought SCUBA Diving in the Philippines reached a plateau, a Filipino dive instructor by the name of Ram Yoro , devised an innovative way of bringing deep sea planktonic critters to the reach of recreational divers without going kilometers off the shore... This is bonfire diving (intro video).. 😁😁😁

12/12/2024

Yep... Sa walay paborpabor, my favorite shark..

Thresher Shark Portrait
Kimud Shoal
Philippines

Buddy Dive Center x Mtd Diveshop
DIVE7 DOTCentralVisayas
Lumix
Lumix Philippines
Ikelite Underwater Systems

08/12/2024

The reef manta ray is the 2nd largest manta ray species, next only to the oceanic manta ray, and the 10th largest fish in the world. Decades ago they were believed to be only 1 species of manta ray but scientific research showed that there are 2 distinct species. Manta rays evolved from bottom-dwelling stingrays, hence, the dorsoventrally flattened profile, but instead of feeding on the bottom like the stingrays, they took to the "sky" (more like midwater) and evolved into the pelagic filterfeeding flyers we see today.. Manta rays are docile creatures and despite their enormous size, there has never been any record of humans killed by mantas. But there have been thousands of manta rays killed by humans, hence, the endangered status of these gentle giants. And gentle giants, that are currently endangered due to human activities, just one of the amazing things we need to protect in a healthy sea.

Reef Manta Ray - Mobula alfredi
Dive Site: Manta Bowl, Ticao Pass, Masbate, Philippines
Dive Operator: Ticao Island Resort
Dive Guide: DM Abel Bahillo

Shot on an exploration assignment with a Panasonic Lumix G9 with an Olympus 8mm pro lens inside an Ikelite DL200 housing with dome port and lighted by 2x Backscatter HF1 Flash.

Buddy Dive Center
Lumix
Lumix Philippines
Aquamundo Scuba
Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo
Ikelite Underwater Systems
Dive Philippines

06/12/2024

Manta Bowl Shoal - The Manta Capital of the Philippines

Manta Bowl Shoal, is a small seamount located off the coast of Ticao Island in the Province of Masbate, in the Bicol Region (Region V). The name is derived from its shape which looked like an upside-down bowl (see 2nd photo with the drawing with dive guide Abel Bahillo of Island Resort) and yes, from the presence of one of the ocean's majestic and noble creature, the Manta Rays. Manta Rays are the largest rays in the world, with "wingspans" (NERD ALERT: they are extremely modified pectoral fins and not wings but they function more like wings than fins hence the connotation wingspan), reaching up to 18-24ft depending on the species. There are 2 known species, the oceanic mantas (Manta birostris) which are bigger and more migratory, and the reef mantas (Manta alfredi) which are smaller and tend to be coastal or residents in some areas.

Diving Manta Bowl is not a walk in the park. The site is deep (topmost at 60ft) with, if you are lucky, a relatively strong current (unlucky, you get a raging current :-D) and a reef hook is an essential item in your dive gear. After dropping down at the shoal's edge where the current originates, you descend to the bottom drifting with the current towards the other end where the mantas usually converge to have their bodies cleaned from parasites by resident cleaner wrasses. A miscalculation and you end up in blue water and you would have to exit the dive and do it again, but luckily dive guides like DM Abel and DM Junery Azupardo have mastered their craft already and ensure that guest divers successfully navigate this challenge safely. The shoal is generally sandy but the hard substrates are typically filled with splashes of soft corals, hard corals, and feather stars which are adapted to the strong currents. As you drift through this sandy plateau, eyes gazing at the blue, and just as you are about to reach the end of the shoal, the familiar triangular black-and-white large shapes begin to take form, and as you approach, the distinct appearance of one of the ocean's most noble creature emerges, with its eyes looking at the strangers that arrived in their cleaning stations. They are barely spooked, and do not even flinch as we approach at arm's length making the interaction even more amazing.

Manta Rays are endangered creatures and are not regularly seen anywhere else. As much as this place is lucky to be one of the few places in the world where they can be regularly spotted, Manta Bowl needs more protection. Ghost nets abound in many of the areas in the shoal and mantas get entangled in these and die (I talked with some locals and they say some manta meat still finds its way to the local market). SCUBA diving is a non-extracting source of revenue for everybody (the fisherman, the barangay, the municipality, the province, the region) and mantas are a highlight of every dive, not only in the Philippines but all around the world. So a place where one could easily dive with Manta Rays is a gem of a dive site but it needs to be protected. Because as soon as the mantas are overfished or leave, then we have lost another treasure again.

And majestic creatures like the manta rays are "gems" that could bring progress to specific areas that can hopefully be managed sustainably, just one of the few creatures you can find in a healthy sea.

RD Herbie Aguas
Buddy Dive Center
Region V
Lumix
Lumix Philippines
Ikelite Underwater Systems
Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo
Aquamundo Scuba
Garmin Philippines
island resort

20/11/2024

Of Shirts and Mantas Over the Years

A while back (like really a while back during my college days), my org, the Xavier University Marine Science Society (XUMSS) produced annual shirts showcasing endangered species... During my time, I chose the manta ray and designed a shirt based purely on my imagination of the species as I had never seen one during that time and mostly relied on books (google images wasn't a thing back then). I had my 1st manta ray in Malapascua 4 years after college, and then some sightings in Tubbataha but I never got the opportunity to photograph it up close. Fast forward to more than 2 decades since the shirt was printed, I finally got a good photograph (at least to me) of the manta ray and it had almost the same pose as the shirt that I designed (I also found this shirt again just this month after not having seen it for years so what a coincidence)... It has been over 2 decades since the shirt, and manta rays are still endangered and worse, are still being targeted illegally or incidentally. This particular one I photographed has a ghost net entangled in its left "wing" and as much as me and my guide would want to remove it, the current was too strong for us to approach it. And endangered species that we hope we could still save from extinction if only humans start caring about their impact to the environment, are just some of the amazing things that need our help even in a healthy sea.

Shot on location in the only place that Manta Rays are regularly sighted, Manta Bowl of Ticao Island, Province of Masbate, Bicol Region, Philippines using a Panasonic Lumix G9 in an ikelite housing lighted by 2 backscatter hybrid flash..

Many thanks to my guide DM Abel Bahillo and Junery Azupardo of Dive Asia for the preparations, and a shoutout to RD Herbie Aguas of the Region V for never failing to promote diving in his region.

Buddy Dive Center
Region V
Lumix
Lumix Philippines
Ikelite Underwater Systems
Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo
Aquamundo Scuba

15/11/2024

Hagakhak Playground

One of the most unique and interesting dives I had this year was at the island of Hagakhak, Dinagat Island, Province of Dinagat, Caraga Region, Philippines. The island is characterized by wall dives with colorful soft corals and gorgonians adorning the walls. Interspersed between the walls are crevices and in the shallow areas are arches and swim-throughs that were shaped by the sea. These swim-throughs and caverns are large and open all the way to the surface so no technical cave-diving skills are needed. And it is in these multiple dive "playgrounds" that make this dive site unique. It also helps that the Pacific waters at the end of the "tunnels" and arches are enchantingly blue, thus giving the dives here a unique experience. And enchantingly beautiful underwater formations, just one of the amazing things in a healthy sea.

Shot on assignment to explore the amazing dive sites (old and emerging sites) in the Philippines with Buddy Dive Center and this trip was guided by John Rey Pingkian of Current Dive Center with buddy gritton.

Department of Tourism - Caraga Region
Dinagat Islands - Tourism and Culture Office
Dinagat Islands Tourist SPOT

06/11/2024

The Ghost Nudibranch/The Phantom Nudibranch/The Ghost Melibe (Melibe colemani)

Monad Shoal, off the coast of Malapascua Island in the northern part of Cebu, is famous for the thresher sharks and tiger sharks and whenever one dives there, one does not look down as one might miss the sharks that come up and inspect the divers up close and personal. And just hiding in plain sight, under our very dive masks, is an extraordinary critter, a nudibranch considered to be by many as the "holy grail" in nudibranch photography, a species, that even if you have looked straight at it (or even in photos) you can still have a hard time understanding what you are looking at, until you see the familiar profile of the nudibranchs. This is the ghost nudibranch or ghost melibe (Melibe colemani).

The ghost nudibranch got its name from its ghost-like appearance, a translucent body with a whitish network of digestive glands that looks like a pile of strings, believed to be its camouflage. At the anterior part of the animal, is a net-shaped mouth with 2 rhinophores at the dorsal part (pardon the semi-technical description but I hope it will help you understand the photo :-) ). At the dorsal portion of the critter are the cerata, the typical body plan of the nudibranch. Once you have a clear picture of what you are looking at, only then will you realize what you have just seen, an amazing work of art by nature. Ghost nudibranchs, that are not scary, but are even considered the holy grail of nudibranch photography, just one of the amazing things you find in a healthy sea.

This particular individual was spotted by the keen eyes of Masters Jeston Dayday Gulfan and Tong Abyss Dayday of Mtd Diveshop , the only pure local diveshop in Malapascua Island. Taken during the recent Buddy Dive Center Malapascua 2024 v2 trip.

Gear used:
Panasonic Lumix G9
Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm v2
Olympus 60mm macro
Ikelite Housing with flat port
Lighted by 2x Hybrid Flash Strobes
Aquamundo Qtec 2 BCD and Qr12 Regulator

mj ochoa
DIVER on Board
DIVE7 DOTCentralVisayas
MTD Diveshop
Explorers Travel and Tours
CDN Digital
Ikelite Underwater Systems
Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo
Aquamundo Scuba

02/11/2024

What do you see when you go diving on All Soul's Day??? Ghosts of course!!!! This particular ghost is called the ghost nudibranch or ghost melibe due to its unique characteristic of having a transparent mantle (or flesh)... This nudibranch is literally "see-through" like a ghost, hence, the name.. It is one of the most difficult to spot species and high up on the bucket of every underwater photographer's list, even considered the ”holy grail" of nudibranch photography... And spooky ghost nudibranch, just one of the amazing critters you find in a healthy sea..

Shot during the Buddy Dive Center Malapascua Trip v2 and spotted by the keen eyes of my diver bros Jeston Dayday Gulfan and Tong Abyss Dayday of MTD Diveshop with Dive buddies Norman William Macababayao , K Joe LD , dacs, Renlie D. Castillo , tin, and master dondon...

Taken using a Panasonic Lumix Philippines G9 with an Olympus 60mm macro and lighted by 2 Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo Hybrid Flash.

05/10/2024

The 2024 Camiguin Divefest Snaps

I am often asked what Camiguin can offer in terms of diving and I would like to quote my mentor and a pioneering pillar of the dive industry in Northern Mindanao Mr. Dodong Uy ( Roel Uy ) of Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort Inc. , "Camiguin's got a little bit of everything.". If you want wide-angle, the underwater sceneries of the offshore shoals of Burias and Jigdup will not disappoint, if you want a little bit of action, the current of white island and Cabuan can provide you with an exhilarating dive experience, if you wish to see large marine creatures, the turtles of Mantigue Island, schools of jacks and drummers, the occasional eagle rays and even whale sharks and white tips (if you are very lucky) are just there to welcome you, if you are a critter chaser looking for rare critters like sheep nudis, cyerce, among others, the coastline around the island has multiple nooks and crannies hiding them, and if you are after the midwater denizens, bonfire diving just about anywhere in the island can offer you a glimpse of a different world.

I spent 3 amazing diving days with world-class photographers ( Ram Yoro , Noel Guevara , Alexis Principe ), real-life mermaids ( jimenez and ocampo), a world-class critter spotter and dynamic dive advocate RD Marie Elaine Salvaña Unchuan along with the ever supportive PCSSD ED Marco Angelo Ancheta and Shaliane Carvajal, DAN representative and dive health advocate Romir Aglugub , and underwater photographers and friends across the country who converged to this island to participate in the recently concluded Camiguin Dive Festival Underwater Shootout hosted by the Department of Tourism - Northern Mindanao Office and the Province of Camiguin thru the CAMIGUIN TOURISM OFFICE. The outputs and winning photos were amazing as the contestants captured the diversity of the underwater scenery of Camiguin. Truly, the island is ready to take over the diving scene. Here are my own snaps (in batches).

Candice Borromeo-Dael , Kurt Chan , John Baclig , Nico Calo , Norman William Macababayao , Dive NorthMin

02/10/2024

Funky Cold Medina

The dive sites of Duka Bay, Medina, Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao are one of the funkiest colored sites ever. Each rock and hard substrate is adorned by colorful soft corals, anemones, sponges, and even feather stars. Splattering this colorful substrate is a confetti of anthias and damsels that brings the color to the midwater with their dazzling dance as they move like synchronized swimmers. And funky colored dive sites, just one of the amazing things you find in a healthy sea.

Taken with and Olympus Em10 IV with an Olympus 8mm FE inside an AOI Backscatter Octo Housing and lighted with 2 Backscatter HF1 Strobes.

Dive Sites: Almost Paradise and Aquarium, Duka Bay, Medina, Misamis Oriental
Dive Buddies: Team BisDAC Norman William Macababayao , Tsip Aye , Jeff Ong , c

Dive NorthMin
Department of Tourism - Northern Mindanao Office
Duka Bay Resort
Buddy Dive Center

22/09/2024

Capping my 4th Camiguin Dive Festival with this image of a flamboyantly designed juvenile pompano which is rarely seen during a day dive (or even a night dive) but are fleeting members of the blackwater diving scene, shot during the last bonfire dive of this trip with the father of bonfire diving himself, .. Bonfire diving opens up a whole new world and experience to divers who are interested to try blackwater diving but don't have the capabilities (and logistics) and the mental preparation for it yet. The Philippines is perfect for this type of diving due to our location being a biodiversity hotspot for marine critters and Camiguin, is one of the perfect site in the Philippines to showcase it. There are more critters out there, and its great to be able to record them before we might lose them.. and bonfire diving critters, some of the newly discovered amazing things in a healthy sea..

Juvenile pompano in a bonfire dive
Mambajao, Camiguin, Northern Mindanao, Philippines
Taken during the Department of Tourism Region X and Camiguin Tourism office 4th Dive Festival..
region10



ph
Dive NorthMin

11/09/2024

Sea ya in Camiguin everyone! ☺️☺️☺️

Meet the official panel of judges for the 4th NorthMin Dive Festival - Camiguin Underwater Shootout! Introducing our third judge, Mr. Fra-and Quimpo.

Fra-and Timothy Quimpo is Cagayan de Oro and Northern Mindanao’s premier underwater photographer and videographer. His images, underwater and topside, have won multiple awards both locally and internationally, and has made it to various online and print media. By profession, he is a marine biologist and a dive instructor and is an avid educator, promoting the beauty of the underwater world through his videos and images in various platforms. He is also active in engaging with various government agencies, from developing programs for marine protected areas, dive tourism, and even professionalizing and empowering local dive guides in his region.

He owns Buddy Dive Center in Cagayan de Oro City and despite his numerous activities, his primary work is being a fulltime dad.

🔗 Registration is still on-going. To join, pre-register now: https://forms.gle/hwKJCwdwmqf3WsjS9

07/09/2024

Balabac, The Last of the Last Frontier

The Municipality of Balabac is the southernmost municipality of Palawan. It is known for its "off-the-beaten-track" vibes for adventurers and explorers as it has numerous uninhabited islets that are so picturesque with surrounding white sand beaches and turquoise waters, and rarely with a crowd of people (although that may change sooner than later) and the presence of large members of the Indo-Pacific crocodile or more commonly known as the saltwater crocodile. I had the opportunity to explore the world beneath the waves of Balabac to check for the potential of diving in the area, and boy, the area did not disappoint. Although we were only relegated to one side of the islets due to the strong Amihan during our visit, the sites had very high potential. Clear waters, steep drop-offs and walls, good reefs in the shallows, and interesting critters like eagle rays, devil rays, white tips, turtles, made our dives there very interesting. It has the profile of its more famous neighbor and one of the best dive site in the world, the Tubbataha Reefs, but just with fishing and some environmental damage associated with it. Nevertheless, managing the resources by managing the fishing and tourism before everything goes out of hand is key to its sustainability. The world beneath the waves of Balabac is truly one I shall regularly visit for its sheer beauty.

Diver in frame: M. Rivera , Oceanus Executive Director
Dive Guide: Ninox gymaholic iron
Trip Buddies: Dr. Hilly Ann Roa-Quiaoit,
Harry Chio, Piepie Roa-Chio

04/09/2024

Life may be a blur but it is still beautiful, like this nudibranch, Chromodoris elisabethina shot off the shores of Duka Bay, Medina, Misamis Oriental.

Dive NorthMin
Duka Bay Resort

29/08/2024

Photo tiles for our Faith and Light Ministry brothers and sisters, from the shot, to the print, to the mounting (in photo tiles), it was an awesome experience with them...

23/08/2024

It is always astonishing seeing a digital image take on a material form. Printing images, whether for personal collection, as a gift, for display, or even for selling, completes the cycle of photography as it brings into the real world THE MOMENT seen by your eyes, captured by your camera, and processed by your computer. A digital image stays in the digital world, but a printed one is now in the real world....

Image by Champion Underwater Photographer Samal Isla Hopping Earl of Davao printed on an Ilford Canvas Natural and mounted on 20 x 30 canvas mount.

21/08/2024

Like stardust glistening on fairies' wings, little girls dream are of magical things. - Sherry Larson

I shoot portraits too.. Especially if the model is my mini clone.. :-)

20/08/2024

One of my favorite dive sites in the island province of Camiguin is without bias, Turtle Point. It's partly because I used to study turtles during my marine science era and this is one of the few places that I have dived that you can see and approach multiple green sea turtles in one location. The sizes range from small half-meter individuals to as large as a meter and you can see them either napping, having their bodies cleaned by fishes, or scrubbing their carapaces onto rocks as if to remove an itch. Given more time and more dives there, we could eventually identify them individually as each of them has unique characteristics, such as the one I named "Buddy" who lives under a sort of coral bommie and he or she has been my sort of inspiration for my dive shop as most of the time I am there, she is always there also not minding divers peeking into her home as she sleeps. So if you want to experience diving up close and personal with multiple green turtles, do check the waters beneath the waves of Camiguin Island. You may send a message to my dive shop Buddy Dive Center if you are interested in diving here or would want to have an organized trip to Camiguin. Meanwhile, hope you enjoy the video.



Dive NorthMin
CAMIGUIN TOURISM OFFICE
Department of Tourism - Northern Mindanao Office