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A Scuba Diver’s Paradise : Lemlunay Dive Resort and South Point Divers
April 26, 2009 | Articles | 996 views
Canon 20D EF10-22 Infrared Image
Cliff Stairs going down to the Tinoto Wall Dive Site
LEMLUNAY DIVE RESORT
The Lemlunay Dive Resort is located at Tinoto, Maasim, Sarangani Province, it is at the southwest corner of Sarangani Bay. This “Paradise“Â (as what “Lemlunay” means in the dialect of the indigenous tribes of the B’laan’s and the T’Boli’s), is just about a half-hour drive from General Santos City.
This 3.8 hectare property was acquired by the Partridge family 17 years ago for their weekend family getaway. Eventually, they found out that just in front of the cliff ,where the resort sits on, is part of the Tinoto Wall covered with a beautiful coral reef and teeming with diverse marine life. Soon enough they tried scuba diving, and later friends join in, since then they decided to open the place for other diving enthusiasts and would be divers to enjoy.
Lemlunay Dive Resort’s owner, Paul Partridge, a PADI dive master Master Scuba Diver Trainer himself, said that by July of this year they will start constructing more rooms to reach their target of 30, a massage area, a conference room, a bar and other amenities. At present, they have an existing cozy restaurant and a few rooms which can be rented if you wanted to stay for a night or so.
During my first visit there, together with Avel and my blogger friends from Davao, we had a mouth watering lunch of grilled chicken, pompano and gindara at the Lemlunay Resort restaurant. The ever beautiful ms. Michelle-Lopez Solon was also there, the beautiful wife of our host, no other than Sarangani Vice-Governor Steve Solon. With Michelle’s stories about her dives in Sarangani Bay, one could immediately imagine the wealth of the bay waiting to be experienced.
Canon 20D EF10-22 Infrared Image
The Lemlunay Dive Resort Restaurant
Canon 20D EF10-22 Infrared Image
Cottages at Lemlunay Dive Resort
SOUTH POINT DIVERS
Lemlunay Dive Resort is home to the South Point Divers. Also operated by the Partridge family, they offer diving course as well as fun dives for those who just want to experience the new world under the waves. Just in front of the resort is the location of the Tinoto Wall, a seawall with very deep drop of 50 meters or more. It is one of the many dive sites of Sarangani Bay which have been planted with artificial reef domes. These cement domes are cheap at around P200 pesos each but its positive impact on these reefs are significant. Today these domes no longer look like cement but are now covered with plant and animal life, more coral begin to grow. Tropical reef fishes are abound. A very beautiful sight indeed.
I did a fun dive with a very nice fellow, Joel, a dive master from South Point Diversalso. I explored the area with my heart’s content, well, with the limits of the capacity of my scuba tank. It was a very exhilarating experience for me, a new sight to see, a new world to explore and a whole lot new challenges for photography. With all the scuba gear, pressure, breathing and the fact you’re underwater, holding the camera still can be demanding. But nevertheless, the thrill of seeing the diverse species of plant life, fishes and some other creatures in front of you is a priceless experience. That’s just about a few square meter area in the Tinoto Wall that I have explored. What more could there be in other coral reefs? We’ll see about that soon.
ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT
Sad to say, there’s a plan to construct a coal-fired power plant in a nearby barangay Kamanga. Even though Saragani Bay was proclaimed as a protected seascape by a Presidential Proclamation, the construction and eventually the pollution of this power plant will have a long term environmental impact and will definitely destroy the coral reefs of Sarangani Bay. This I urge the Sarangans and as well as the Generals to be aware of the enviroment and help preserve the wealth of the Sarangani Bay.
NEXT PROJECT
As for me, I got in mind the next project for myself, to get an open water diving course and hopefully get a PADI certification.
These are my very first underwater shots. Though I am a newbie and less experienced in underwater photography, I hope these photos will enlighten and encourage everyone to be aware of the health of our planet and the beauty it presents to us.
Olympus C3030Z @ f2.8, 1/400
Artificial Reef Dome (2009). Tinoto Seawall, Tinoto, Maasim, Sarangani Province
Olympuz C3030z @ f/2.8
Croaking Puffer / Toby (2009). Tinoto Seawall, Tinoto, Maasim, Sarangani Province
Olympus C3030z @ f/2.8
Corals (2009). Tinoto Seawall, Tinoto, Maasim, Sarangani Province
Olympus C3030z @ f/2.8
Soft Corals (2009). Tinoto Seawall, Tinoto, Maasim, Sarangani Province
Olympus C8080z @ f/2.8
Marine Life (2009). Tinoto Seawall, Tinoto, Maasim, Sarangani Province
Olympus C3030z @ f2.8, 1/100
Finding Nemo (2009). Tinoto Seawall, Tinoto, Maasim, Sarangani Province
Credits:
My many thanks to Felino for lending me his underwater camera… I really did put it to a very good use afterall.. thanks again chief.
Lemlunay Dive Resort, contact no. +63 (920) 914-9259
South Point Divers’ website at www.southpointdivers.ph
South Point Divers
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Comments (29)
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bariles
Emily
Rea
lito
Lantaw
Wow, your underwater shots are awesome! Nice post too, very insightful.
Lyle’s post: Lemlunay Dive Resort
Thanks my friend.. i was not satisfied with my photos the first time we were there hahahaha. I went back just this weekend, unfortunately it was a cloudy day for landscapes. On the other hand, I’m happy with my underwater shots though.
Nice Leonard! Both IR and Underwater shots. I cant wait until you get your PADI certification so we can shoot pictures underwater together.
wooo hoooo looking forward to that!
Whoahhhh!!!! nice nice underwater shots …. awesome IR’s….. sama na ko sa diving nyo next time…..
You really did it tsik!
Bilib talaga ako sa iyo, not losing any time in doing what you really vowed to do.
Congratulations and good luck to another phase in your photography hobby.
I am so proud of you, blogger! :)
bariles’s post: The Complete Pacquiao-Hatton 24/7 Episode 3 Video is here!
wow, wow & wow!
great, great, great!
more, more, more!
jinky’s post: Labor Day JOBapalooza ‘09 in Gensan
@bariles – thanks kuya!
@kyaws – as in lingaw under the sea
@jinky – thanks ate! yan muna hehe.. but definitely more to come
nard, finally!!! hala cge pag uwi namin dive tayo.. sarangani bay has really a vast photo scenery under the sea. papalit na diri ug underwater point and shoot camera with dive case!!haha. good job!
haha yeah… if you can find a case for lumix LX-3, please do tell me
Try the underwater photography contest this Sarangani Bayfest. I think you may have a good chance of winning.
ah yes, this coming May 28-30 .. I will try po :)
naa!!!!
check this out!
http://www.10bar.com/new_hous-panalx3.htm
yep I’ve seen it.. meron nang available dyan sa Japan, or second hand maybe?
this one too for your 20d
http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/2d20canon.html
nah.. compact point and shoot is the path for me… i figured out medyo bulky na ang DSLR, not to mention the casing is much more expensive than the camera :(
Besides I’m happy with the LX-3.
Yung olympus gamit ko parang okay na eh hehe, pero syempre for large prints, 3 megapixel is too small.
I see that Paou has been relegated from MSDT to Dive Master, sorry for him and the Trigger Fish in the Picture is actually a Toby or Croaking Puffer!
Nice Pics!
Sorry for that sir. I’m kind of new in the world of scuba diving. Thanks for the corrections and I’m glad that you have visited my site :) Hope to meet you in person this coming Sarangani Bay Fest
Leonard:
We really enjoyed having you over. Especially the second time when it was not so busy.
Thank you for the kind words. I hope to live up to them someday. haha
Paul
You’re welcome. I really did enjoy the dive.
I have been snorkling in many places, I’ve seen beautiful coral reefs but scuba diving is another experience and the Tinoto Wall at Lemlunay Dive Resort is just, shall I say… AWESOME !
Nard, malingaw gyud ka underwater photography bai.Makalagot lang presyo sa mga gamit.hehehe. Good luck sa soon to be kalingawan nimo. After film days, wala na gyud ko kapadayon ug u/w photography.Buslot na ako bulsa. basin mag start na pud ko balik hinay-hinay kung magpa certify na ka sa PADI para sabay ta. BTW, nindot imo mga u/w photos Bai. :)
Dong Pading’s post: Tahanan ni Maria Photo Exhibit
@Dong Pading – magpa certify gyud ko… 4 days lang ang course. pwede weekends. tara!
nard,
naku… mahirap icombine ang photography at diving. magastos na combination! hahaha! pero ako rin parang gusto ko ng padi certification. medyo mahal lang dito sa singapore. hanap muna ng medyo mura-mura.
raph
@raph – haha ganon na nga.. pero settle na lang siguro tayo sa point and shoot nito. small and handy underwater
OMG! the pics are so vivid..so real !hanep talaga.super!
lito’s post: happy…by sam concepcion
ohhh!! your photos deserves to be publish in a book…
great to hear we like the same things on IR and underwater photography. I’ve done more IR but have only gone underwater photography during one vacation in Dos Palmas. I hope to do more.
I feel happy i have discovered your own website.
Galing!
KO
hey KO, glad to have seen you drop by
yeah, bagong hilig.. diving+photography, I got a separate site for that here http://www.divesarangani.com
ang ganda tlaga ng sarangani………………………………