Scuba divers and aquasports enthusiasts will have more options in exploring the undiscovered marine world of southern Mindanao with the recent launch of the dive tourism program of Glan, Sarangani.
“There are so many things that Glan can be proud of that we have kept for so long and it is but high time for us now to discover all those and show it off to the world. the most beautiful municipalities in the Soccsksargen Region,” says Glan Mayor Vivien Yap.
Formally opened for recreational diving were Sumbang Point and Binuni Reef, both located on the eastern section of Sarangani Bay.
Sumbang Point, situated near Belimac Beach Resort, is habitat to 16 genera of hard corals and five soft corals, and some 100 distinct marine species, including hawksbill turtles, giant clams, marble shrimps and rare nudibranchs.
Binuni Reef, with a maximum depth of 12 meters, has a vertically zoned intertidal area with patchy seagrass. The subtidal area is characterized by colonies of hard corals of massive, breaching, and encrusting life forms. It also has 12 hard coral and four soft coral genera, and 62 distinct fish species.
Yap said that the project launch is timed for the recent 25th anniversary of the declaration of Sarangani Bay as a Protected Seascape by then President Fidel Ramos. It was also later listed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as a Key Marine Biodiversity Area.
Held during the town’s annual Mahin Festival, the municipal government also launched the coffee table book titled “Discover Glan’s other Paradise: It’s Underwater.”
The dive tourism program is supported by the DENR, the Provincial Government of Sarangani, and the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving, and the Department of Tourism which declared the Bay as the diving haven of Soccsksargen at an underwater safari in 2017.
Dives should be coursed through Sarangani Divers in Gen. Santos City, the accredited dive center for proper documentation.
The bay covers an area of 215,950 hectares and is also home to yellow fin tuna, sperm whales, pilot whales, dolphins, clown fishes, lion fishes, sergeant fishes, and sea turtles. Its coral resources cover more than 2,293 hectares spread in 20 coral reef areas with about 60 important live hard coral genera, and 411 reef species.
Whale sharks, cheilinus undulatos (mameng), and sea cows are also occasionally sighted by environmental authorities monitoring the bay's western section.
