Miss Scuba: Saving Oceans Through Beauty

Image Courtesy: Miss Scuba Philippines

Subic Bay 6th October - The Miss Scuba Philippines pageant aims to put everyone's focus back into the ocean. Miss Scuba Philippines is part of the Miss Scuba International series of pageants, which were first held in 2011. First event: scuba diving lessons at the Lighthouse Marina Resort, Subic Bay.

Unlike most beauty pageants that simply celebrate the inner beauty and courage of today's modern women, Miss Scuba Philippines will follow the Miss Scuba International philosophy of focusing the participants and the associated media coverage on local and global ocean conservation ca

Ryan Binidel and Sam Chan (left) match racing Flying Fifteens in Subic Bay

Image courtesy Martyn Willes

Subic Bay, 12th April 2012 – The first two of five Flying Fifteen class sailing yachts were launched at Watercraft Venture today for exhibition match racing event between international sailing champions Sam Chan and Neil Pride. The Flying Fifteens were donated to SAGS (Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen Sailors) by the Hong Kong Flying Fifteens Association in order to encourage young sailors from around the country to embrace the spirit of yachting and, in particular, to prepare them for competition in the Flying Fifteen Worlds, to be held in Hong Kong, 24th October to 7th November, 2013.

According to Ricky Sandoval of Watercraft Venture, these donated boats will provide the foundation for a reinvigorated Philippine Flying Fifteen Association fleet, with more boats to be added as soon as sponsorship from government and industry can be

Superyacht TV photographed in Subic Bay January 2012

Image courtesy Martyn Willes

A few years ago “the Philippines” was the whispered word in the world of superyacht destinations, now it seems everyone wants to come and check out the Philippine islands, from the perspective of the bridge of their own superyacht. Could it be that the Wow of the Philippines is even more fun for the ultra–rich?

Superyachts that used to come here did so in secret; privacy and seclusion was the objective. I recall when one such superyacht arrived off Puerto Galera in 2007, just long enough to dive the famous Canyons dive site off Escarceo Point. Staff at Asia Divers, who supplied the divemaster, were sworn to secrecy; the next morning the yacht was just a

Image courtesy Martyn Willes

The Philippine Independence Day Regatta 2011 will be held in Subic Bay to celebrate the Philippines' declaration of independence from Spanish Rule on 12th June, 1898. The regatta will attract racing and cruising yachts from around the country for two days of sailing in one of the most notable of Philippine sailing venues.

The actual Act of the Declaration of Independence was read in public for the first time at the residence of General Emilio Aguinaldo - the self-proclaimed leader of the Filipino revolutionary forces - in Kawit, Cavite. The act of reading the Declaration consolidated the power base that he had amassed by virtue of removing other notable Filipino revolutionaries such as Andres Bonifacio – hailed by many as the true hero of the revolution – by accusing him of

Image courtesy Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

The biennial San Fernando Race from Hong Kong to San Fernando City, La Union starts on 20th April at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in Victoria Harbour. Now in its 34th year, the 480 nautical mile race is a Category One (safety) Asian Classic yacht race.

Weather during the San Fernando Race is very unpredictable – sometimes strong winds, sometimes very light winds, sometimes a mixture of both – but almost always from the East. When the wind is strong crew on deck can expect a salt-water shower every 12 seconds – a shower that starts off very cold, leaving Hong Kong waters, but warms up somewhat by the second day as the yachts come into the lee of Luzon

Image courtesy Kayak Philippines

For the second year running the Anvaya Cove Resort and Nature Club will be hosting the start of the Kayak Explore Anvaya Cove-Zambales event. This is the first kayaking event of 2011 in the Kayak Philippines Series, and it is set to be bigger and more engaging than its well attended predecessor in 2010.

In 2011, Kayak Explore Anvaya Cove-Zambales will take paddlers from the almost pristine Anvaya Cove residential resort development, at the southern extremity of Subic Bay Freeport, across the mouth of Subic Bay and into the potentially wilder waters along the Zambales coast – in June the waters off Subic Bay and Zambales will be either, glassy smooth or, whipped into a frenzy by the start of the habagat (southwest m

Image courtesy Jeremy Simpson

Under the auspices of the Philippine Sailing Association, the Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen's Sailing group (“SAGS”) plus the Subic Bay Yacht Club & the Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel, will organize a yacht race from Subic Bay Freeport to the world-famous, white sand beach resort paradise of Boracay Beach.

The 205-mile race is different from anything that has gone before insomuch as the yachts will have a choice of courses to get to Boracay Beach. The traditional route to Boracay from northern Luzon is: South along the Batangas coast, through the Verde Island Passage past Puerto Galera and then along the East coast of Mindoro Island before (frequently) surfing down the Tablas Strait to Boracay. This year the race organizers are offering the option of taking the route along the West coast of Mindoro Island – a 30-mile longer route that avoids the sometimes mast-breaking Verde Island Passage and the infamous “hole” off Dumal

Image courtesy Adrenoline Island Adventures

The 1st Annual Philippines Phun Phestival is about to take off in Subic Bay. Spanning three weeks it is an extravagant festival of sports - from the highest to the lowest. The big attraction is skydiving, offering the perceptibly safer (for beginners) tandem-skydiving opportunity over Subic Bay International Airport. According to the organisers they have invited a host of famous names to jump with them and many have accepted the invitation.

The Philippines Phun Phestival event will encompass not only skydiving but also: parasailing, jet skiing, kite boarding (kite surfing), para-ascension and scuba diving. Pretty much everything in fact that you could possibly do to pump the adr