Albert Y. Pingoy, managing director of Wind and Wave Davao, believes that one of the biggest problems Philippine dive spots face is their seeming anonymity to the outside world. Though we have 18, 000 kilometers of shoreline and 27, 000 square meters of coral reefs, we are still overshadowed by countries such as Thailand and Indonesia. It would be no exaggeration to say that we have one of the most bio-diverse and marine-rich waters on earth, and we can rival, if not, surpass any of them.

Since 2006, the Department of Tourism (DOT) headed by Secretary Joseph "Ace" H. Durano has recognized our country’s edge in the area of diving, and has embarked on an aggressive campaign to solidify our position as Asia’s Dive Capital.

Part of the promotional thrust is the participation in a series of expos and conventions outside the country. And at the recently concluded Asia Dive Expo 2008 (ADEX), held last April 18 to 20 in Singapore’s Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Center, the hopes were very high.

Fishing for Divers

The ADEX is the Asia-Pacific’s premier international dive trade fair. Serving as a sourcing, meeting, and networking ground for divers, it showcases dive-related products, services, and technologies. The event attracts as many as 10,000 professional divers and industry members from around the world.

Though Singapore is a small nation, it has a sizeable diving community. And the DOT hopes to persuade not only their divers, but those of nearby countries as well--specifically Malaysia--to dip their fins in our waters.

DOT’s 36-square-meter booth painted with the Philippines’ underwater bounties, imposed itself on the convention center’s grounds and drew numerous attendees. Rigged as a tropical café, the booth’s tables and chairs were packed close, perfect for mingling and conversations with curious divers. This was further highlighted by a massive screen showing our country’s many dive spots, as well as a commanding banner hovering above the booth proclaiming "Dive Philippines." Live performances by local percussion band, Patiqueros, (flown in especially for the event) also drew crowds.

The hospitality and humor of a good number of private sector participants didn’t hurt either. Though there quite a number of gimmicks and freebies from the private sector, their enthusiasm attracted more divers than anything else.

Particularly notable in the DOT’s three-day participation is the success of the ADEX Philippine Divers Networking Night. Held at the 7,017 Flavours Restaurant in Singapore’s Marina Square, 120 divers showed up, a first in the history of the department’s participation. Filipino food graced the tables, and free-flowing San Miguel beer quenched throats parched from the spirited dancing. Generous diving packages, provided by the private sector exhibitors, were also given away.

The party was used as a platform to launch the "Celebrate the Sea" as well. The event, to be held on June 13 to 15 at the Manila Ocean Park, will showcase an underwater film and photo exhibit and seminars about the ocean among others. Although it was a celebration of sorts, the party served as a casual venue to talk over contracts and more deals were sealed here rather than on the convention floors.

DOT Assistant Secretary Cynthia L. Carrion and Philippine attaché to Singapore Gerosel Siquia were present to oversee the events. The energetic Carrion is thrilled with the progress of their efforts and the response of the target market.

"We jumped 80 percent from nothing, and they (the local diving industry) are shocked. They cannot imagine the way we are helping them," says Carrion. "Now people are coming here, especially (the) Europeans, Germans, French, and Americans."

Pingoy also affirmed that Davao’s diving revenues have doubled since they started.

Local participants in the expo included resorts and various diving groups. Each notable diving spot in the country, from Luzon to Mindanao, was well represented. Participants included Asia Divers, Wind and Wave Davao, Wind and Wave Dive Resort, Samal Underwater Photography Camp, Scuba World Inc. /Expedition Fleet, Pier Uno Resort, Thresher Shark Divers, Dos Palmas, Dugong Dive, and Sea Explorers.

Preserving our Waters

However, Carrion emphasized that while promoting our local dive industry is vital, preserving our natural resources is even more important. She pointed out that we have already lost as much as 90 percent of these resources, and that number is still on the rise.

The same issue was also the concern of ADEX 2008. Speakers at the convention affirmed the threat of human exploitation towards reefs and the many fish species that count on them. These threats were specified as population growth, unsustainable development, and untoward acts by divers and fishermen.

The Philippines has the most number of discovered and undiscovered dive sites in the Asia Pacific region, which have earned accolades from the international dive industry.

Present in our oceans are over 800 varieties of soft and hard corals, 400 species of fish, and 500 fish families. It isn’t uncommon to swim side by side with sharks, eels, octopuses, and rays among others in our deep waters. In fact, of the over 100,000 species of shellfish in the world, we can stumble upon 21,000 of them here. Many of these species are considered rare, and many of them are inherent to our country as well.

With this in mind, our country’s claim as Asia’s Dive Capital isn’t without weight. Nevertheless, the need to protect our waters is imperative. Otherwise that fast-growing number of divers coming in can go down as deep as the waters they came here for.