island hopping: auqui island

Location: Cantilan, Surigao del Sur

It was already the second day of our road trip. We left Chiara Beach in Cagwait and decided to proceed to Cantilan, one of the places we originally intended to go.

The trip actually took quite a while, about three hours of traversing more rough roads. Everyone was in a somber mood because the first day didn't turn out as planned. Thankfully, the sea was in sight most of the way to calm our minds and appease our souls.

We finally got to Cantilan, but it took a while before we could find a decent resort. The beach all had dark sands, way below our standard. No one seemed really pleased with how the trip was going. Finally, we just decided to stay in the first resort that we see.

When we went to look at the resort, I saw several islands in the middle of the sea. I asked the lady if it was accessible by boat. It was, which lightened us up a bit. "Let's just go island hopping in the afternoon!" An idea which everyone agreed to.

We settled in our respective rooms and got ready while the resort caretaker contacted the boat operator. After we had our lunch we were on our way.

Our first stop was Auqui Island. The boat ride took almost an hour. But it was well worth it. We could already see the a large volcanic rock outcropping protruding from the ocean. The waves from the Pacific was clashing wildly against it, creating a steady rhtyhm. Its anger was beautiful, mesmerizing.

As out boat neared the island, the water changed from dark blue to turquoise. There were splotches of white sandy bottom but the seabed was mostly covered with sea grass. Since it was low tide, our boat couldn't go too near the island so we walked the rest of the way instead.

We weren't the only people in the area. Some locals from Cantilan were looking around for shells, seaweed, crabs, and conch. Some were having a fun time swimming at the other portion of the island which had brownish sands and clearer water. A far cry from the wild side of nature found just a few hundred meters away.

Finally we got to the outcropping. The volcanic boulders were sharp and slippery, but we continued to climb up. We were too curious to see the Pacific Ocean. And it made great photo ops, of course!

As we settled on the rocks, there was another outcropping much further out in the sea. Bigger waves crashed against it. The mere sight of it looked perilous, especially for a person like me who can't swim.

While I sat there, I thought to myself, God is really creative. He can create quiet beauty and he can make wild mystery. Both tantalizing to people. While I sat there, I felt like I was in a world that was my own.

photos: borrowed from jerry jose