While some people spend their Saturday mornings curing hangovers, the gang and I cherish our weekends scuba diving. For a person residing in Metro Manila, heading to Batangas is one of the most convenient out-of-town hobbies this city girl can possibly have. Anilao always comes to mind when people talk about scuba diving in the Philippines. Branded as the Philippines’ world-class diving destination, Anilao is on the bucket list of several scuba divers I’ve met overseas. It is only roughly 100km away from Manila, after all. On a good day, it takes two hours to get to the resort. I myself have spent consecutive weekends in Batangas with my diving buddies. And yes, time always flies when you’re having fun with the right folks.

It’s true what they say, it’s the people that make a home. I look back to the first time I stepped foot in Arthur’s Place Dive Resort in Batangas in 2021. I knew no one, with all my dive buddies having stopped the hobby during the pandemic. By sheer luck, I got to know the Manila Dive Academy in the resort, and upon introduction, I found myself on the same boat as these seasoned divers, diving with the group. Back then, diving to me was like dancing with two left feet. My buoyancy was bad, and my air consumption was inefficient. Giving up the sport would have been easier, but my newfound dive community both encouraged and inspired me. I practiced more, and the good people of Manila Dive Academy and Arthur’s Place became family.

Manila Dive Academy is headed by Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) course director Alex Patrick. He is a Fijian native and has been teaching diving in the Philippines for over a decade. He has certified countless students over the years, from open water to dive master, and then finally to instructor development training. Meanwhile, our go-to Arthur’s Place Dive Resort was built during the 1980s by the late Arturo Abrigonda. He was survived by his wife, Lita, and she has since been managing the resort with her daughter, Marianne. Among the countless dive resorts in Anilao, Arthur’s Place is one of the very few to have traditional Filipino nipa hut-designed rooms and a central garden, to our delight. There was never a moment that we ever felt unwelcome by Nanay Lita and Marianne. They have shared the resort with us as if it were also ours, making it our home away from home.

As Filipinos, we get both the best beaches and underwater experiences. For foreign divers coming to Anilao, it is a place with pristine reefs and small sea critters. To Manila-based divers, Anilao is a getaway from the bustling city. It is where we get our dive education and hone our diving skills.

I am one of those (frustrated) locals who started out badly in diving. Through the guidance and support of my community in Manila Dive Academy and Arthur’s Place, I discovered the joy of scuba diving. It has become such a huge part of me that I pursued my dive master course with Alex. Diving is diving, which should be both safe and fun. I am forever beholden to everyone who helped me become the competent, but still learning, diver that I am now. It does make a difference to have a community with a shared interest.

And now, as my friends and I enter the water, I reflect… What a great privilege it is to access the underwater world with your beloved dive buddies. And how humbling it is to be surrounded by the creatures of the deep.