[Philippines · Bohol] Taiwan Takes 1st Place! Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Dive Site Report from Bholdex 2023 feat. Enjoyislands

The Editor visited the satellite island of Panglao, off Bohol in the Philippines, at the end of 2022, and has been unable to stop thinking about the incredible marine life encountered there. If you want to know what we got up to on Panglao, don't forget to check the related links at the end of this article! At the start of 2023, Ying-jie from Enjoyislands brought some exciting news: the Panglao Association of Dive Operators (PADO) was about to host Bholdex 2023, a Bohol dive expo running for a full week, packed with scuba diving site exploration dives, freediving competitions, and more. So, the Editor was once again honored to be invited by Enjoyislands to head back to Bohol, Philippines, for the fantastical journey that was Bholdex 2023! Why do we call it a "fantastical journey"? Read on and the Editor will explain everything.

The Itinerary Changed — Turns Out It Was a Photo Competition!

Most of you have probably heard that the way things get done in the Philippines can be a little… unique. Whether due to a communication gap or some kind of technical mix-up — and we're not exaggerating — my fellow participant Peggy and I only found out a week before the event that what we thought was a scuba diving site exploration trip was actually an underwater photography competition! All participants had to capture images matching designated themes within a limited number of dives and submit them for judging. The categories for big-camera shooters were Wide Angle, Macro, Fish Portrait, nudibranch, and Marine Behavior — what is commonly known as a "live competition."

Bohol 潛水海島瘋 — In a live competition, you have to capture as many of the required subjects as possible within a limited number of dives — for example, a sea cucumber releasing eggs and sperm would qualify for Marine Behavior.

However, having always felt that my still photography skills weren't up to scratch, the Editor has channeled most underwater photography energy into video, even choosing the Sony FX3 — a camera built primarily for video — as the main body. So, right before the event kicked off, the Editor discussed with Ying-jie from Enjoyislands the idea of dropping out of the competition and instead covering the event as a behind-the-scenes videographer, documenting the entire Bholdex 2023 underwater photography competition. In this article, we'll not only share several previously undisclosed hidden dive sites, but also walk you through all the details you should keep in mind when competing in a live underwater photography competition.

Secret Dive Sites Mean Seriously Hard-to-Reach Locations

This event was organized by PADO (Panglao Association of Dive Operators), with the primary goal of promoting Bohol's diving industry through underwater photography competitions. That's right — dive operators from Panglao were heading out to promote dive sites around Bohol proper. One particular challenge we ran into was the sheer length of the drives — absolutely brutal!

Since the local diving industry is concentrated on Panglao Island, the main venue, stage, and organizing committee for this event were all based there too, meaning all participants chose to stay at hotels on Panglao. That meant we had to set off at 5

a.m. every day, arrive at the venue by 6

a.m. to meet up, and then ride for 1.5 to 2 hours to reach the day's dive destination.

To add to the excitement, apart from the Jagna and Anda sites — which had a small number of local operators running dives there — most of the locations had never been dived before. Even our assigned dive guides were brought in from Panglao and, just like all the competition participants, were visiting these sites for the very first time. Needless to say, asking them to help us find specific marine life was out of the question!

Wide Angle? Macro? Roll the Dice Every Day!

As mentioned, all 10 dives on this trip were virgin dives for everyone involved — even the organizers had no idea whether the next dive site would be a wide-angle or macro spot. So our Taiwanese representative Peggy was up every night praying to the heavens, trying to decide between wide angle and macro (the Editor notes: with big camera systems, you can't swap lenses underwater, and doing so at the water's edge is extremely risky). There was even one occasion where Peggy swapped over to a wide-angle setup right on the boat — because she only had one dive left to get her wide-angle shots. The tension in this competition was honestly made for reality TV (laughs).

The funniest moment of the entire trip came at the Jagna site. The day before, the organizers had told everyone it was a macro site, so every single participant dutifully mounted their macro lenses — only to descend and discover a breathtakingly beautiful wide-angle shooting location, with exceptionally high coral diversity and coverage. The Editor was there filming away, thinking: "Peggy must be absolutely cursing underwater right now."

Easygoing Philippines, Earnest Officials

As mentioned at the top, this trip was a fantastical journey — and the reasons go beyond just the wide-angle-versus-macro chaos. The organizers' rather free-spirited approach to event planning was another major factor. Think: Philippine Time running 1 to 2 hours late as a matter of course, competition rules that changed on the fly, and no one on site knowing what was happening next. All of this contributed to the high-tension drama of the competition — and was the daily trigger for Peggy's meltdowns (laughs).

Local governments had high hopes for the dive industry taking root and flourishing in their communities.

Yet what we also observed throughout this trip was that local governments in every area we visited were extremely proactive and serious about hosting the event. From the welcome ceremonies each day to the post-dive receptions, their genuine enthusiasm was evident at every turn. The places we visited — such as Garcia Hernandez and Dimiao — have yet to develop any dive-related industry, so at every official address, local leaders unanimously expressed their sincere hope that this event would open the door to developing dive tourism in their communities.

At the end of each day's activities, local tourism board officials and journalists would come up to chat with competition participants, eager to get a firsthand account of what the underwater conditions were like, and whether there was any possibility of kickstarting an industry transformation in their towns.

And the Final Results Are In

The closing awards ceremony was held on Panglao Island, and our Taiwanese representative Peggy lived up to all expectations, bringing home multiple major awards! Of course, we also want to share the key tips we observed during the competition — details every live underwater photography competitor should keep in mind. Hopefully, they'll help you fly the flag with pride at future competitions!

Wide-Angle: 1st Place
Marine Behavior: 1st Place
Nudibranch: 2nd Place
Macro: 2nd Place
Fish Portrait: 3rd Place

Tips for Live Underwater Photography Competitions

Camera time setting: Most live competitions require participants to set their camera clock to a specific future date that has not yet occurred — for example, April 5, 2032 — so that when images are submitted, judges can verify they were taken during the competition period. Because of a miscommunication with the organizers, we were unable to submit any photos taken across our first 5 dives over the first 2 days.
Crop ratio: Competitions typically specify a required crop ratio for submitted images. Pay close attention to this rule — during this competition, judges gave feedback that some photos were disqualified due to excessive cropping.
Your dive guide matters: Great shots don't happen without a great dive guide! A sharp-eyed guide can save you enormous amounts of time hunting for subjects. Clear communication with your guide is also essential — let them know which marine life you're targeting, and discuss how they can serve as a model in your wide-angle shots. Needless to say, the guides on this particular trip were quite the adventure (laughs).

Bonus Feature: Panglao's Seasonal-Only Dive Site — Doljo Coral Castle

Of course, there was no way we were heading home after only diving the Bohol sites. The ever-thoughtful Enjoyislands also arranged a chase after the famous jackfish tornado at the legendary Balicasag, plus a special bonus: the seasonal-only Doljo dive site on the northwest side of Panglao Island. This magical spot boasts dense coral coverage right from the shallows, then drops off in a sheer 90-degree wall down to 40m, lined all the way with enormous gorgonians / sea fans. Since no one had named it yet, we're calling it the Coral Castle!

Stay tuned for our next article and video, where we'll take you inside the Doljo Coral Castle!

海編"布魯陳"

我是布魯陳，平常喜歡帶著大相機下海找生物，如果你有海洋議題歡迎找我聊聊，約我吃飯更歡迎！