There is something magical about a boat trip in paradise. It can be even more relaxing than just sitting on the beach all day. Plus, you get to view a lot more and feel the breeze ripping through your body. I have been fortunate to have been on many boat trips in many different places that anybody in their right mind would call paradise. Boracay Island in the Philippines was no different and my boat trip led to discoveries that I would never have uncovered otherwise.

On Boracay Island it is very difficult to motivate to do anything. It may be the most relaxing place that I have ever been. The water is crystal clear and the temperature is perfect. It has Caribbean quality beaches in the middle of the Philippine archipelago and a fun, relaxed nightlife to match. So long days of doing nothing are quite common and as I was staying on White Beach, I couldn’t imagine anything on the island being as good as I had it. Luckily, on the recommendation of a Guyanese/Canadian guy that I had met, I signed up for an all day boat and snorkeling tour that circled the seven mile long island with some stops in between.

We left from boat station two on White Beach and we were off to explore Boracay. Starting out in the scorching hot late morning it was nice to feel the motor rumble and the breeze pick up to cool us off. We started weaving in and out of the assorted atolls that surrounded Boracay and finally came to anchor at a national park preserve that was supposed to be the best snorkeling in Boracay. It was located on the southeastern tip of the island.

As I geared up to jump into the appetizing water below, I took a moment to admire the scenery of the other side of the island that I had not yet seen. After having one of those moments of clarity where you realize just how lucky you are to be able to do this type of thing, I hopped in and took in the underwater kingdom.

The fish in Boracay were very tropical looking and there was a huge variety of brightly colored fish swimming about. As I felt the blazing hot sun bronzing my back I basked in the relaxation of admiring thousands of fish that I had never seen before playing about and sniffing for food. It was a perfect way to spend an hour.

As I reapplied suntan lotion and cracked open a beer for the straightaway to the northern tip of the island, the boat starting moving and everything was again perfect. Perhaps it was the timing. This was my first stop on a long trip, after working nonstop for the prior eight months and it felt so good to be in the islands, living life the way it’s supposed to be lived. As the breeze picked up I stood up and walked to the front of the boat and had my Titanic moment. The only difference was that I was wearing a bathing suit, sunglasses and sipping a San Miguel beer.

The scenery was breathtaking as we sped across the length of the island, and as we started to turn the corner I saw these cavernous caves that occupied Boracays northern tip. The caves looked as if they had strategically been placed there by someone for maximum effect but it was clear that they were all natural. They were perfect above the shimmering aqua-colored water below that just invited you to jump in. That is, of course, what I did and the water didn’t disappoint. I seemed to start a trend because everyone else on the boat started to jump off as well and the boat had to make an unexpected stop.

The caves were vast and deep and were the perfect place to shade our roasting bodies for a few minutes while taking in the outward view of distant islands that seemed to go on forever. To my surprise these caves were very clean. There was no pollution or garbage lying around like in most caves that I have been to because of irresponsible tourists. These caves were pristine and certainly served their purpose well.

Our final stop on the trip was at the northwestern tip at a deserted white sand beach that after closer examination was actually tiny white pebbles and not sand. The pebbles felt great on my hot feet and water was as great as can be. We just relaxed on the beach and in the untainted water for an hour or so. Some of the natives came down from the mountains behind us to greet and observe us. It was perfect.

As we returned to White Beach and the breeze was starting to slow as the boat pulled into port I felt a bit sad that the boat trip was over. However, as I got off the boat I looked at pristine White Beach, started to smile and thought to myself, “This isn’t so bad either.”

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