Two years have passed since I first visited Anda with Dr. Toby Panopio and have promised myself I will write about the place for CebuDiver.com.  Two years and several visits later, I finally got the time to write about it.  We were invited, actually we invited ourselves to Rudy Balbuena’s home away from home in Anda.  I first heard about Anda through my good buddy Mike Lazaro, who visited the place many times several years before I did.  “Anda? Where is that? Is that an island?” was my first question.  I still get the same reaction everytime I mention the place.  No, the Municipality of Anda is in the Province of Bohol, on the eastern side of the Island of Bohol (9.746°N 124.576°E - go to Google Maps, enter the coordinates in the.. more»

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It was in the middle of a typical Cebu heat wave when the Cebu Diver team, headed by Rod Anthony Arriola, strolled through the beautiful expanse of Shangri-la Mactan Resort to check out Scotty’s Dive Center.

We had little time to spare on the sheer elegance of our surroundings – from its sprawling sophistication, to its architectural perfection, to the opulence of every detail – as we distractedly leaped from one shaded area to another, desperate to escape the sun and frantic to reach our destination.

Finally, after what seemed like a scorching eternity, the dive center – Scotty’s, as most of you know it – loomed into view.

As we eased past colorful billboards touting the PADI logo, we had a surreal sense of stepping into another world.

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Dives with Fred Quilala (a.k.a. Fred Q) are always interesting – what with his laid back attitude, his penchant for offbeat humor, his quirky tales, and whatnot.

The originator of the now infamous 3P dive (infamous in most Cebu dive circles, anyway), Fred has a way of making his dive buddies fall in love – not only with the underwater experience, but with his sense of adventure as well.

Indeed, many have fallen prey to the charm of this fascinating creature, who aptly labels himself “a shark trapped in a man’s body.”

In fact, drop his name around the dinner table, and at least one person would have a hilarious anecdote to share.

To date, this dashing diver has collected numerous friends and logged 881 dives in 15 logbooks. Fifteen logbooks? How does one fill fifteen logbooks? When asked to share his most noteworthy logs, however, Fred demurred. His logbooks, he says, contain (er, uhm) personal things that are not all related to diving. Interesting reading though this may make, we have to content ourselves with a rare glimpse of the 3P dive log. more»

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Sauntering around Scuba World Punta Engaño in his black sleeveless hooded vest, bellowing out greetings to guests in his deep husky voice, taking in the scenery with his perpetually mocking eyes, PADI instructor John Melendres strikes an imposing figure indeed.

In fact, he almost looks like a rogue commando off to battle. If not for his warm smile, one would almost be  afraid – nay, terrified – of his shadow. But if you do take the chance to get to know him, you’d discover a very friendly and charming fellow, one whose passion for scuba diving will turn the worst skeptic into the most fanatic of divers.

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