[Philippines · Bohol] Taiwan's #1 Representative! Exclusive Dive Site Discoveries at Bholdex 2023 — No Secrets Held Back, feat. Enjoyislands

At the end of 2022, the Editor visited Panglao Island — a satellite island off Bohol in the Philippines — and has never been able to stop thinking about the rich marine life found beneath the surface. If you want to know what we got up to on Panglao Island, don't miss the related links at the end of this article! At the start of 2023, Ying-jie from Enjoyislands reached out with exciting news: the Panglao Association of Dive Operators (PADO) was about to host a Bohol diving expo called Bholdex 2023. Over the course of one week, the event had planned scuba diving site exploration dives, a freediving competition, and more. So the Editor was once again honored to be invited by Enjoyislands to head to Bohol in the Philippines for the magical adventure that was Bholdex 2023! Why call it a "magical adventure"? Read on and the Editor will explain everything.

Itinerary Overhaul! 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 it was a communication gap or some kind of technical mix-up, I kid you not — my fellow traveler Peggy and I only found out one week before the event that what we had understood to be a scuba diving site exploration trip was actually an underwater photography competition! All participants had to shoot images matching specific themes within a limited number of dives and submit them for judging. The camera categories for large-format cameras were divided into: Wide-Angle, Macro, Fish Portrait, Nudibranch, and Marine Behavior — what is commonly known as an in-water competition.

The Editor has long felt that still photography isn't a strong suit, so most underwater imaging skills have been developed around video, even down to the choice of camera body — a Sony FX3 optimized for video work. So right before the event, the Editor discussed with Ying-jie from Enjoyislands the idea of stepping back from the competition entirely and instead documenting Bholdex 2023 as a behind-the-scenes videographer. In this article, we'll not only be sharing a number of previously unpublished secret dive sites, but also covering the key details you should watch out for when entering an in-water underwater photography competition.

Secret Dive Sites Mean Seriously Hard-to-Reach Places

This event was organized by PADO (Panglao Association of Dive Operators), with the primary goal of promoting Bohol's diving industry through underwater photography. Yes, you heard that right — operators from Panglao Island were out there promoting dive sites on Bohol Island itself. One particular challenge we ran into was the absolutely epic travel time to get there.

Because the local diving industry is largely concentrated on Panglao Island, the main event venue, stage, and organizing committee for this competition were all based there. As a result, all participants chose to stay at hotels on Panglao Island. That meant we had to leave by 5 a.m. every day, arrive at the venue by 6 a.m., and then endure another 1.5 to 2-hour drive to the day's dive destination.

To make things even more exciting, aside from the dive sites at Jagna and Anda — which had a small number of local operators already running dives — most of the locations had never been dived before. Even our assigned dive guides had been brought in from Panglao Island and were visiting these sites for the very first time, just like the rest of us competitors. Expecting them to help find marine life for us was, needless to say, a tall order!

Wide-Angle or Macro? Roll the Dice Every Day!

As mentioned earlier, all 10 dives of this trip were virgin territory for everyone — even the organizers didn't know in advance whether the next dive site would be better suited for wide-angle or macro photography. So our Taiwan representative Peggy spent every evening praying for divine guidance on whether to go with wide-angle or macro (the Editor chips in: with large-format cameras, you can't swap lenses underwater, and changing lenses at the water's edge carries serious risk of flooding). At one point, Peggy was so fed up that she swapped her lens on the boat itself, because it was her very last dive opportunity for wide-angle shots. This level of high-tension drama was honestly reality TV material (laughs).

The funniest moment of the whole trip came at the Jagna dive site. The day before, the organizers had briefed everyone that it would be a macro site, so every single competitor dutifully mounted their macro lenses. Then, once underwater, we discovered it was actually a stunning wide-angle location — extraordinary coral diversity and coverage in every direction. The Editor was pressing record on the video camera while thinking: "Peggy must be cursing a blue streak down there right now!"

Casual Filipino Vibes, But Officials Full of Heart

I mentioned at the beginning that this was a "magical adventure," and beyond the wide-angle/macro confusion, the organizers' decidedly laid-back approach to scheduling was another major contributor to the magic. For instance, things ran 1 to 2 hours late on Filipino time, the event rules shifted here and there without warning, and nobody on-site seemed to know what was happening next. All of this made for an incredibly tense competition atmosphere — and the daily trigger for Peggy's emotional breakdowns (laughs).

Local governments had high hopes for the deep-rooted development and promotion of the diving industry in their areas.

Despite all of that, what we could clearly observe was that local governments were genuinely enthusiastic and deeply invested in making this event a success. From the welcome ceremonies each day to the post-dive receptions, their sincerity was evident throughout. The places we visited on this trip — such as Garcia Hernandez and Dimiao — have not yet developed any diving-related industry. So when local officials delivered their speeches, they all spoke with one voice, earnestly hoping that this event could open the door to developing dive tourism in their communities.

After each day's activities wrapped up, tourism bureau staff and local journalists would eagerly approach the competitors, all wanting first-hand accounts of the underwater conditions — and whether there was a real opportunity to transform their local economy.

Final Competition Results Revealed

The awards ceremony was held on Panglao Island, and our Taiwan representative Peggy came home with multiple awards — living up to every expectation! Of course, we also want to share some of the key observations from the competition about what to pay attention to in an in-water underwater photography contest, in hopes that everyone who participates in future events can bring honor to Taiwan!

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

Tips for In-Water Underwater Photography Competitions

• Camera time setting: Most in-water competitions require you to set your camera to a specified future time that hasn't yet occurred — for example, April 5, 2032. This is so that, when images are submitted, the organizers can confirm they were taken during the competition period. Because of a miscommunication with the organizers on this point, the photos Peggy shot during the first two days' 5 dives were all ineligible for submission.
• Crop ratio: Competitions typically specify an aspect ratio for submitted images — pay close attention to this. After this competition, one of the judges noted that some images had been cropped too heavily, resulting in disqualification.
• Your dive guide matters: Great photography relies on a great dive guide! A sharp-eyed guide can save you enormous amounts of time hunting for subjects. Communication with your guide is equally critical — for example, letting them know which creatures you want to shoot, or how you'd like them to pose as a model in your wide-angle shots. Needless to say, our guides this time around were… an adventure in themselves (laughs).

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

There was no way we were going to wrap up a Bohol diving trip and head straight home after just the competition dives. The thoughtful team at Enjoyislands also arranged a dive at the world-famous Balicasag to chase the legendary jackfish tornado, and threw in a special bonus: the seasonal dive site of Doljo on the northwest side of Panglao Island. This magical dive site features dense coral coverage close to shore, then drops away at a sheer 90-degree wall down to 40 m, lined the whole way with enormous gorgonian / sea fans. Since nobody has given it a name yet, let's just call it the Coral Castle!

Stay tuned for our next article and video all about the Doljo Coral Castle!

Related Links:

• Enjoyislands
• Enjoyislands Facebook
• Bholdex 2023 Official Website
• Underwater Photographer: Peggy's Wonder Journey • Peggy Chiang
• 【Philippines · Bohol, Panglao, Balicasag】Diving to Pamilacan Island + Watching the Taiwan Freediving Cup Athletes' Gala Night feat. Enjoyislands
• 【Philippines · Bohol, Panglao, Balicasag】The World-Class Diving Mecca of Balicasag — the Emotion of Being Embraced by a Jackfish Tornado feat. Enjoyislands