| |
|
|
| |
|
VISITS |
|
756001 |
|
Copyright 2013
waypoints.ph |
|
|
Click on any of the images to see the enlarged copy and narratives of the photo.
Limbones is told to be one of the islands that form part of the Manila Bay defence system. If you look at the map, you will see that the island is indeed located at the mouth of Manila Bay just about far south of Corregidor Island and near the Cavite coastline.
With a quick look at the map, you would probably say that Limbones is an island that belongs to the town of Nasugbu (Batangas) or maybe to Ternate (Cavite) because the island lies somewhere between Ternate and Nasugbu. But you will be surprised to learn that the island is actually a part of Maragondon Cavite. At first glance, it would seem unlikely that Limbones would be part of Maragondon because Maragondon is much farther away and would seem to be a land-locked town, but its boundaries actually skirts around Ternate and has a coastline of its own.
Up until recently (when the Cavite Tourism road that links Ternate and Nasugbu was opened), going to Limbones meant travelling from Manila to the remotest barangay north of Nasugbu about 130kms via Tagaytay. Now, it is only 67kms via Ternate and CAVITEX. Just over an hour drive from the Mall of Asia.
What made us so interested in this island is how its surrounding waters appear on Google Earth. It looked like it had good reefs and white sand. We went to explore if there would indeed be good diving or snorkelling sites.
Finding a boat to hire to go to the island became our first hurdle. We hoped to hire a boat from the fishing village of Sta Mercedes. Sta Mercedes is the nearest boat jumpoff point to Limbones which is also the barangay nearest to the Ternate-Nasugbu road. But we discovered that the entire fishing village was already closed/gated and its residents were asked to relocate because the area is a private land. Fortunately, the guards of the private properties were able to link us up with the remaining fishermen in the area and we were able to hire a boat.
We learned further that almost all, if not all the coves (the white sand coves that can be seen on Google Earth) are private properties and they do not allow access to the public. Boats are even not allowed to dock on their beaches. However, Limbones, while it is private also, did not have such restrictions by the owner. It is possible to go to the northeast part of the island which has a small pier where boats can dock provided you go on a time when the water is calm. Otherwise it would be so dangerous to dock, boatmen would refuse to even go near the island.
Waypoint narrative by: EPPGarcia 2013 follow EPPGarcia on Facebook
|
|
|
