
I am lover of the
sea and marine life as far I remember, I begin snorkeling on 1951 when
I was 12 years old and then I spend all my free times in the sea for collecting
shells, fishing and discovering the marine life. The last
years as I have lots of free times I use to travel in tropical sea for
new experience.
I like to share
the experience of my last shelling trip in Palawan.
The reason that
I choose Palawan is because is closer to the China Sea and I was expecting
to found some different shells.
I arrived with my
wife Angelica on 4 April 99 in the airport of Puerto Princessa capital
of Palawan. There wait us Mr. Roger Van Den Berghe, after
driving
one hour and half to South to ??? area we arrived to Princessa
Holiday Resort who belongs to him.
The first experience
from the resort was very nice, was located in a quite place on large
sandy beach with nice bungalows.
Even I was tired
from the travel the first that I do is to walk in the beach for to take
the first test of the sea and was good as was low tide I found several
Oliva live in the sand.
The next morning
wait me the bancas of the resort, the captain Mr. ? as Roger
say me he knows very well the shelling places and
the exact place for
each kind of shell. The destination was Arena Isl. 30? minutes South?
from the resort.
When we are close
to Arena Isl. I saw that was in the middle of a large coral reef and
the waters go deep very smooth, I realized that was a very big area
for shelling.
I ask from the captain?
Mr.? to begin shelling from a place that I can found Ovula ovum, so
we anchoring about 500 m. from the coast in 5-6 m. depth among corals.
I prepare my equipment
and I start snorkeling, what surprise just 5 m. from the boat on soft coral
was 2 Ovula ovum, Roger has reason about the knowledge of captain? Mr.?
The bottom around
the Isl. is very interesting and variable, in deeper part has colorful
big corals, to the direction for the Island the bottom is very variable
there are places with flat stony? bottom and dead corals under of
which can found Cypraea .......... etc. and sandy places with sea weeds
and some small coral and dead coral, there is a place of Cypraea Tigris
which found mostly in the side of corals and among sea weeds and some times
under dead corals also in the same place I found under dead coral Conus
..... Lambis, Hippopus hippopus .....
There are also places
of sandy bottom with lots of sea weeds there are few shells.
The result of the
first shelling day was very good, the main shell that I found was Cypraea
tigris (as I am Cypraea collector I give bigger attention to collect them)
and was lots, it was small size but very colorful and big variation of
colors from white till very dark.
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