Malapascua – Day 4: The Storm’s Aftermath
MALAPASCUA
Day 4: The Storm's Aftermath
October 23, 2024
The storm raged on, but so did my perseverance. I went to the dive shop once again and, once again, I was told that there’d be no dives.
On my way back to the hotel, I found Chris in the lobby, his belongings all strewn about. He had tried to leave the island again and, again, had been told it was a no-go. Even though we were in the same boat – or lack thereof – I felt really bad for him. He was so over the whole thing by that point that he just wanted out of the trip entirely.
Logon
I, on the other hand, refused to give in. All waterproofed up, I decided to brave the storm and went on a hike across the 2.5-kilometre-long island.
I started off at Logon, the main village and port area of Malapascua, located on its southern tip. The area is lively but laid-back, with sandy lanes lined by small guesthouses, dive shops and local restaurants. Logon is also home to the island’s elementary school, community market and chapel, making it the centre of local life.
As I battled against gusts of wind and huge raindrops pelting me from every direction, I found myself admiring the locals who simply went about their daily lives – from fishermen mending nets to children playing around. These people are simply built different, huh?
North Beach and the Lighthouse
As I walked on and got lost in the streets, the weather started to calm down a bit. I found myself at Monterubio Beachfront – trespassing through several chicken-infested backyards in the process – only to end up on a beach full of boats and trash that the storm had thrown up from the sea. It wasn’t a pleasant sight at all.
Somehow, I ended up on the main road, which took me all the way to North Beach, one of the most tranquil and scenic stretches on Malapascua. Located on the island’s northern tip, it’s a wide arc of fine white sand framed by swaying palms and clear blue water – or at least, that’s the description one would come across when Googling the beach. What I saw, however, was an overcast sky looming over a dirty blue body of water, the sand peppered with plastic and rubbish. While it was still beautiful, I could only think about how it must have looked before the tropical storm – something I wouldn’t get to appreciate.
After strolling along the beach, all the while trying to ignore the mess at my feet and the rage building up at how filthy us human beings can be, I was met by a bunch of local kids who had a field day showing me around. They took me on a short hike over a rocky trail leading to the Malapascua Lighthouse. Originally built to guide ships through the Visayan Sea, it now offers visitors one of the best panoramic views on the island, with sweeping vistas of the coastline, the surrounding waters and nearby islands. By that point, the weather had cleared up enough that I could actually attest to that.
Having spent the entire morning roaming, I headed back to the dive shop for one final attempt at diving. Unfortunately, the coast guard still had not given the go-ahead and, with it being my last day on the island, I finally resigned myself to the fact that it wasn’t gonna happen. Meanwhile, Chris had also accepted his fate and stopped trying to leave the island, his third attempt of the day ending in yet another failure.