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Friendly Allan, the boatman, stresses a point as we sailed along quite slowly.
We started late
the next day on a ‘discovery tour’ of that hidden portion of Guisian, simply
called Bagtasan, (meaning passage, from the Tagalog word 'bagtas', to pass). The
tide was rising, the sea was calm, but there was a problem with the motor of a
bigger fishing boat that was to take us there. It was decided that a much
smaller motorized banca would just tow the boat with us forth and back.
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| On a very leisurely pace, off we went sailing northwest. |
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| We at once saw that we were seeing something very different from Marinduque's other coastlines. We could not make out any beach area far as our eyes could see. |
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| Our guide tells us that there's a cave beneath the water under this vertical crevice. |
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| In this part of Guisian where Sayao Bay and Tayabas Bay meet are extended shore cliffs that plunge directly into the sea. The crystal clear waters here could only be perfect for snorkeling, fishing, diving, or even cliff diving from 50 feet up in some parts for the adventuresome. |
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| Talupak, isdang bato, tulingan, galunggong, groupers, squids and octopuses abound here. |
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| Geologist Gervacio in 1958 made a study of Marinduque's geological formations and included as part of what was termed the Torrijos Formation, the 'reefal limestone and basaltic volcanic flows exposed largely at the western and northwestern parts of Marinduque island'. The said formation also included 'the Sayao volcanic sedimentary rocks consisting of volcanic rocks intercalated with shale, sandstone and conglomerate'. |
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| This column of rock with a holding platform seems appealing enough for a dive. |
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| Direct sea action appears to have weakened this part of the cliff where falling debris has created a platform. There are numerous caves formed this way as the sea smashes the cliffs. |
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| Flat cliff wall a portion of which appears to have been removed over time by the force of the waves. |
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| With this small banca towing our boat for more than 30 minutes, we were just a few minutes away from the Bagtasan isthmus and the rocky hill of Susong Dalaga. |
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| There are a few families who've quietly lived here all their lives. They have their own colorful stories to tell - of pirates and buried treasures, war bombs and sunken ships... |
