Thalatta Beach & Dive Resort, Philippines: Undercurrent 09/2026

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As we pulled up to our first dive site in a bangka, the crew burst into excited chatter. Busy with my gear on the other side of the boat, I didn't pay much attention. But they had spotted a whale shark so close that I regretted not paying attention. While I recognized the words "whale shark," I couldn't interpret their Filipino, so I didn't know it was a stone's throw away. But one of their regular guests, an expat named Bob, jumped in with his GoPro to get great footage as the 20-footer slowly glided past him.

Thalatta Resort from the sea My buddy and I began our dive at Thalatta Beach & Dive Resort in Zamboanguita, just south of Dauin, with Oien, a local guide. The crew helped me into my gear, and I made a four-foot giant stride off the side of the spacious 50-foot wooden outrigger (the smaller one was about 40 feet). Oien and the other guide, Banjung, were experienced guides, finding creatures so small or camouflaged I would never find them on my own. The dive began slowly as Oien searched for a Shaun-the-Sheep nudibranch, something many photographers want to shoot because it is cute and showcases their macro skills.

On a silted, dark sandy slope, Oien slowly scoured the bottom until he found a minuscule Shaun-the-Sheep on an algae leaf. I shook my head no, not wanting to spend the time it would take to get a good shot of the rice-grain-sized slug with my TG-7 camera and two Inon S-2000 strobes. Something a little larger, please, I signaled. Oien then pointed to a wriggly juvenile spotted sweetlips and yellow pygmy gobies. I have photographs of these fish, but I took a few shots to show I appreciated his pointing them out. He then spotted three juvenile frogfish and an ornate ghost pipefish. While I tried to photograph them, Oien suddenly "pinged" his tank and waved his light: it was a striking goby with wide black-and-white bands and a yellow nose -- a black-rayed shrimp goby on my wish list, OK.

After shooting a pair of flamboyant cuttlefish (we rarely dropped below 70 feet), I headed back to the boat smiling. I handed up my camera and fins, climbed the sturdy wooden ladder without removing my gear, and as I came aboard, one of the crew dumped a small bucket of fresh water over my head.

My buddy and I and two other couples were on the last leg of a three-week May Philippines' dive trip. To get to Zamboanguita, we flew from Manila on a 90-minute Cebu Pacific flight to Dumaguete, at the southern end of the diversity-rich Visayas. At Manila's domestic terminal, we were questioned about our large camera case and escorted to another counter to check in, where the staff placed "Priority" tags on our bags. I had purchased extra luggage and weight allowance in advance, as I'm aware of strict weight requirements, such as 7kg for a carry-on, on Philippine domestic flights....

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