Our Sohoton Cove Adventure!

Surigao trip

[March 23-24, 2013]

This was taken early in the morning of our second day in Surigao del Norte. We just checked-out from Le Chard Place and we only have nice things to say about our stay. We were accommodated very well and our room was very homey and comfortable. Thanks to the staff of Le Chard! Until our next visit!

The night before we left, we tried to look for a place to stay in Bucas Grande. We called the Operations Manager of SAVE(Strengthened Association of Volunteers for the Environment) of Sohoton and he said they can accommodate us at Cinnamon Island (which I will talk about in a separate post) and he even arranged a boat for us going to Bucas Grande. Thank God for wonderful people! 

In order to get to Bucas Grande from Surigao City, we had to take more or less, a 2-hour bus ride going to Hayanggabon port. The buses available at the terminal does not have air-con so al fresco it is! It would be best to travel early in the morning when it is not so hot yet. We chose to sit at the back of the bus so all four of us can be seated together. Thus the view. The bus will get cramped up with people bringing all sorts of luggage-chickens and what-nots. Some passengers sat on the stairs of the bus and some just stood up. It was a bit of a bumpy ride but we just dozed it off until a guy next to our seat said that we were at the port already. When we alighted, we were immediately greeted by our guide (Junjun) who led us to our boat.

Our boat ride going to Bucas Grande took more or less 2 hours too. The sea was very calm and the views leading to Bucas Grande made us all the more excited!

After we settled our stuff at our accommodation at Cinnamon Island, we hurriedly went to register at Sohoton's Tourism Center. We met with Mr. Roldan and we agreed to choose a package that is good for the entire day's activities. He gladly arranged for our lunch too. So the first part of our Bucas Grande tour is Sohoton Cove.

According to www.dotcaraga.ph: This enchanting cave is half-submerged in water most of the time and accessible only during low tide. Inside is a lagoon with countless islets and crystal waters that sparkle with the bright reflection of the sun. Lush vegetation abound in its periphery."

Sohoton is Visayan language describing a place to 'get into' that is small or narrow. Morning is the best time to visit Sohoton because the tide is low. But during the afternoon, the water tends to rise sealing the only entrance/exit to Sohoton. It was around 10 am when we arrived so we were definitely just in time.

That's how clear the water is! We were in awe...this place is a gem.

This is the horse's foot marker, a stone formation that resembles the foot of the horse. This landmark is hard to miss when you enter Sohoton. They say, that in circumstances where guests get lost between the many islands/islets inside the cove, this marker will guide them back to entrance/exit.

According to our guide this is the Dagongdong wall. Legend has it that when you come near this wall, you can hear sounds of church bells ringing. Spooky! Hehe! Well, not really. 

After appreciating different rock formations and plant species, we're now heading to Hagukan Cave

Yup! That's Hagukan Cave's entrance. Mysterious. Could cause quite a fright for the claustrophobic.

Oh..but not us. We were stoked to begin our Sohoton adventure! This was named Hagukan Cave after the Visayan work "Hagok" which means snore in English. The sound produced by the waves entering and exiting the cave is likened to that of a snore. Thus the name.

The water leading to the cave is deep so we had to wear our life jackets. But our guide is a merman, he doesn't need 'em like jackets. Hehe!

When you enter the cave you need to watch your head and avoid hitting the sharp edges of the seashells that adorn the ceiling near the entrance. Yes..seashells. In order to avoid scraping our foreheads we needed to swim underwater. And yes we did. We held our breaths, and lived to give our smiles for this photo. haha!

With the aid of a flashlight, we were able to see the lime stone formations on the ceiling. If you have a great imagination, those might just seem like sea snakes and eels or anchovies?!

We didn't stay long in Hagukan Cave as the cave was dark and there's nothing much to see. We moved on to our next destination:

 Magkukuob Cave

Another Cave?? This time, the water leading to the cave was knee-high so we could just walk through.

We had to crouch a little though..

And here we are inside Magkukuob Cave.

Stalactites over here...

and there..

And suddenly...here I am climbing these rocks. Apparently, our way out involves climbing these rocks that leads to an opening above the cave. How exciting! and dangerous and slippery. But this is what we came for...or is it?!

And there I am..I made it out of the opening and now I have to climb down to that wooden plank in the middle of this photo. Our guide said it is much safer to climb down facing the rocks and it helps a lot when you hold on to roots and twigs and anything else you can hold on to just so you won't fall. 

That I did....That I did.... But what you really can't see in this photo is the sparkling deep water below this wooden plank. Everyone else followed...

I made it!

That's the four of us smiling at the camera like it was just an ordinary day at the cliff. But what you don't see are our knees shaking, feeling of acid reflux and our hearts pounding hard and fast. You see, between the wooden plank and the water below, is a distance of about 15 feet. And the water's depth is about 20 ft. Sounds all too blurry for a non-swimmer like me.Truth of the matter is we all need to jump our way  back to our boat. This is like our grand finale for our Sohoton adventure. Sounds nice simple.

But altogether nerve-racking and frightening!Oh and did I mention we were not allowed to wear life-jackets?! Of course I protested and explained why a life jacket is important for someone like me--but they said it could pose more harm on me. It was quite a riot from then on, us, I mean, I trying to convince them to let me use it and them trying to convince me that I'll be alright. After a while, Paul decided to jump first, he knew how to swim so it was like a walk in the park for him. Then there's three of us left on that plank plus the guide. The photo above shows two of our friends contemplating hard: To jump? or not to jump? As for me...I just had to..

JUMP!!!!!!!!!!!  

What a splash!! haha! The guide hurriedly came to my rescue and gave me my life saver. 

Then I realized, I was alright. Thank you Lord!!!!! It was such an exhilarating experience! A must try for everyone visiting Sohoton. You guys shouldn't miss this part of the experience. It makes you think how far you could push your personal limits and how far you can trust others with your life. And you know what, sometimes..you just gotta learn to let go and trust that everything will turn out fine.

All four of us did it! Yay!

We all had to hurry back to the boat before the tide seals the only way out. 

Thank you Sohoton for this unforgettable experience!!!!

This is only the beginning of our discovery tour of the enchanting Bucas Grande Islands. 

Can't wait for the next one!

photo credits
[paul, noel & cro]