The El Capitan The WWII wreck of Ilanin Bay, Subic It is a very cool experience to watch your expired air bubbles snake their way up the walls and between corals and clams on the wreck of the El Capitan. Even more cool to surface inside the wreck in a large pocket of trapped C02! Warning: DO NOT BREATHE! The 3000-tonne freighter, launched in 1917 was built to transport merchandise during WWII. While it was moored in Ilanin Bay, Subic, awaiting a refit, an...

The Case of the Health Inspector 01.05.2011 36 °C When I last spoke to Brian last over some oh-so-good Filipino breakfast loganissa, I mentioned the restaurant was not quite complete without a REAL parrot to complete the vintage Pirate-esque feel he has going on at Vasco's. I was devastated to find out that not too long ago, there were TWO parrots and a white cockatoo!The closet thing that Vasco's has left which resembles a real parrot is the plaster o...

Yesterday was intense. I was in bed by 9pm! The first test in becoming a rescue diver is a 400m swim. No problem right? Except that it was in the ocean.... and I had no goggles!!! Needless to say there were people on standby should I have drowned half way through.Of the 17 minutes I was given, I finished it in 7. I am a shadow of my former competitive swimming self and my Dad (also my coach) would be ashamed. I did manage a little better in rescuing Jayson,...

The Royal Wedding Special I have the day off, I have the couch reserved and I have popcorn in anticipation for the big day. I LOVE a royal wedding! The queen came rushing down stairs at Buckingham Palace screaming "Charles! Charles! One of my corgies has just been hit by a truck. He's dead! He's gone...... DO SOMETHING!!!!"Poor Charles sits for a minute, thinks about it, then takes off down to the secret archives beneath the palace, rummages ...

Got a text message from my Dad yesterday asking for an email describing the diving, the food, my accommodation etc.... I thought "Hang on a sec... SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG!!" Nice one Dad :) The Recalcitrant's Corner A stay at Vasco's Resort and Museum is not complete without an evening spent in the 'Recalcitrant's Corner' of Vasco's Restaurant, the closest experience I've come to feeling like a retired and vintage pirate. Between Brian 'the lege...