Tañon Strait | Sta Fe Bantayan Island: Chasing Moonrise and Easy Mornings

Morning at Sta Fe Bantayan Island “Where is Tañon Strait ?” I asked when I received an offer to do a photography coverage of a week-long exp...

Morning at Sta Fe Bantayan Island

“Where is Tañon Strait?” I asked when I received an offer to do a photography coverage of a week-long expedition for Oceana Philippines. Prior to this, I have no clear knowledge of this protected seascape sandwiched between two major islands, Cebu and Negros. The itinerary was enticing enough. We’ll start our journey in Cebu, going up to Sta Fe Bantayan island, then making our way down parallel the narrow strait, crossing it from Moalboal to Negros Oriental then sail all the way down to Dumaguete. Just the thought of the trip excites me as I had never been to most of the places, along and within Tañon Strait.

Beach foot ball

Tañon Strait Protected Seascape

[pullquote]Tañon Strait is the largest marine protected area in the Philippines[/pullquote]

Ask a typical Cebuano or Ilonggo where “Tañon Strait” is, chances are, they wouldn’t know. Unbeknownst to many, the narrow strait, extending 160km long between Cebu and Negros has a total area of 5,182 square km, three times the area of Tubbataha National Park. The 500m deep strait attracts dolphins, whales, sharks and manta rays. The strait was declared a protected seascape in 1998 in honor of the 14 species of whales and dolphins inhabiting the place. The strait also have a 450km shoreline, home to many fishermen, making it one of the Philippines major fishing grounds. The beauty and bounty of Tañon Strait though is under threat from destructive and illegal fishing as well as improper development. Oceana Philippines steps in to bring awareness to Tañon Strait and help preserve its natural wonder.

Watching the moonrise

Road to Bantayan

Our journey starts from Cebu City where we met the rest of the team, esteemed documentary photographer Toni, underwater photographer katukayo Ferdie and fellow blogger Lak Bay who’s handling the social media for Tañon Strait. Coming from Manila as well were staff from Oceana Philippines Yas, Candeze and fellow photographer and travel buddy Oggie. To weave into words and narratives the experience, is author Criselda Yabes. It’s an interesting mix of characters and expertise.

As soon as our van got through the congested streets of urban Cebu, we sped towards north of the island for Hagnaya Port in the municipality of San Remegio. The journey through the countryside took at least four hours since we made a stop at Bogo City for lunch. A pleasant little town with plenty of old Spanish heritage houses turned restaurants. From the port, our vans rolled into the ferry for an hour ride across the sea. It was an opportunity to get some fresh air and stretch some legs out of the van and enjoy wandering around the ferry.

A family enjoying their time at the beach under the moonlight

Sta Fe Bantayan

As we rolled into Sta Fe Bantayan Pier, we could already see beautiful stretch of beaches on both sides. Sta Fe, southwestern tip of Bantayan island is the gateway to the group of islands. There’s also an airstrip but for non-commercial flights. It is interesting how the island got its name though. During the time of the Spanish governor 22nd Governor-general Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera in the Philippines (1635–1644), Moro pirates would harass and raid island communities to capture slaves and loot. Watchtowers were built around the island and people would commonly say “Bantayan! Bantayan!” which in English means  “Keep watch! Keep watch!” referring to the invading pirates. There were 18 recorded watch towers in the Bantayan Island group though only a few survived this time particularly in Madridejos and Doong Island.

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Wading through shallow waters

It didn’t take long for us to reach Anika Island Resort, which would be our home for a couple of nights. After checking in and leaving our bags, we immediately went to the beach to try to make use what’s left of the afternoon light. The Sta Fe beach was wide and fine but heavily disrupted by traffic of people. The Sta Fe pier is at sight from where we were indicating its closeness. The beach stretch is shared among a community of local fisher folks and resorts. It was no surprise to see a lot of local youngsters at play. A group of kids playing football by the beach and some playing with toys they constructed out of materials they could find. This is still a place where kids aren’t consumed by electronic gadgets yet. We were watching out for the moonrise which came early that evening. People were already propped in some of resort chairs admiring the warm orange glow of the moon rising beyond the fish cages on the blue horizon. I can hear and see families staying until night-time by the shallow tides playing and enjoying the sands. Later, I could hear guitar strums near the beach while a group enjoys a night of music. Amusingly a bike-riding balut vendor would pass to steal the show with his yell. This is the kind of rural atmosphere I enjoy. Unhurried and relaxed which we particularly enjoyed over sumptuous seafood dinner by the beach.

I decided to wake up real early to catch the sunrise. Walked farther from our resort into where most of the fishing boats are. As early as that time while the cool morning wind still blows, I could already see a few fishermen preparing their boats. The morning purple glow came and cast its light on the wavy patterns on the sand with occasional common starfishes almost unnoticeable on the surface. When it came bright, I saw the community behind me, and noticed there were still remnants from the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda in which Bantayan was also hit hard. I’m guessing the owners of the house ruins decided to leave or worst, joined the number of victims back in 2013. It was a slightly saddening thought. I sat on one of the lounge chairs by the resort and observed how the beach crowd is slowly picking up. Life goes one, Bantayan Island as a destination is getting back in the tourist map and it is also the start of the long day for our Oceana Philippines Photo Safari.

Starting early

About Oceana Philippines

Oceana Philippines seeks to restore the health, richness, and abundance of the Philippine oceans. By working closely with civil society, academics, fishers, and government, Oceana Philippines will promote the use of sound science based policies to help ensure sustainable fisheries and vibrant marine ecosystems.

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A look at the fish fences

Morning dog walk