Photos by Czarina David, Glendford Lumbao, Miguel Peralta, and Regina Yamad
Summer time means more time for adventures, and work holidays may mean more time for a vacation with family or friends. Last Labor Day weekend, creative artists, photographers, and travel enthusiasts gathered for a weekend of fun under the sun, the sea, and the stars, as they participated in RECONNECT: A Creatives’ Open Dive in Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio, Zambales.
RECONNECT was organized by the UP Marine Biological Society (UP MBS), an environmental cause-oriented organization based in the University of the Philippines Diliman, to help raise awareness for the marine environment here in the Philippines and reacquaint others with the beauty and value of Mother Nature.
It was the first time UP MBS (which is also a skin diving organization) held an open dive which had workshops that taught participants the basics of skin diving, underwater photography and videography, and astrophotography – basic creative skills that would surely come in handy for anyone who is looking to improve or add an extra dose of adventure to their online travel diaries, blogs, or photography portfolios.
The open dive’s participants were able to produce beautiful photos with the majestic Nagsasa Cove as their very own artistic playground. “We wanted our participants to experience how beautiful a place can be in the hopes that after, they would see more reasons why we should be taking care of it and feel more responsible when it comes to doing our part for the environment,” said Chloe Reyes, member and External Affairs head of UP MBS.
Nagsasa Cove located in Barangay Pundakit, San Antonio, Zambales is the perfect destination for anyone looking to practice their travel photography skills in one go. It has vibrant marine life underwater, picture-perfect mountain landscapes, hidden waterfalls, beautiful hiking trails, a night sky that almost always shows the Milky Way, and a relaxed atmosphere that disconnects you from the rest of the world (it’s a 3-hour boat ride away from the port and there’s no signal at all!) but allows you to reconnect with the rest of what nature has to offer.
The Philippines is filled with so much more amazing places just like Nagsasa Cove, which is why Filipino locals and tourists alike have so much more reason to take care of them. As we share the beautiful content that resulted from a creative weekend in paradise, UP MBS hopes that more people would be inspired to not just enjoy our destination spots, but also to take care of our beaches, our seas, and the rest of the environment.
After all, there’s no pretty photo to take or no amazing adventure to go on if we don’t take care of the places that give us just that.
Leave no trace, travel responsibly, enjoy the blue, and value your island home that is proudly Filipino.
This event was made possible by the UP Marine Biological Society (FB.com/UPMBS) in partnership with the UP Advertising Core (FB.com/UPAdvertisingCore) and Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines’ ocean conservation campaign #PartOfOurWorld (FB.com/marinewildlifewatchofthephilippines). This was also brought to you by WhenInManila.
com.
