The Secret of Gato Cave and Islet
Photo by mattk1979 of flickr.com
Among the extensive and majestic coastlines and numerous wondrous islands, Gato Island still stands out in the island paradise of Cebu. Gato Island is a big rock in the middle of the Visayan Sea. It’s a short, sharp, rocky island rising from what seems like the middle of nowhere in the sea.
Photo by mattk1979 of flickr.com
A sitting cat
Gato is a Spanish word that means cat. The island was named that way because its shape is much like a sitting cat.
Inhabitants of the island
The peculiar caves, lagoons, and crevices of the island are the home of different marine species. Kingfishers flit in and out of its sea caves. It gives life to a variety of soft coral canyons and a myriad of rare and unusual nudibranches. Nudibranch egg clusters are prolific, and there are pygmy seahorse at 25 meters. White-tip reef sharks live in the caves, and one cave leads right through the centre of the island. The cave has several passageways and secret hidey-holes, adorned in thousands of lovely daisy corals, thorny oysters, and sponges.
Photo by LIN HSIN YAO of flickr.com
The sea snakes – There are many sea snakes in the island especially at the 3- to 5-meter depth where the juvenile sea snakes hang out. Some of the best sightings are a large banded sea snake at 20 meters’ depth, a big coral moray, and a flighty silver eel on the move.
Photo by mattk1979 of flickr.com
A Paradise
Gato Island is full of surprises and every dive had something new to offer, such as porcelain crabs and squadrons of squid. Nesting seabirds scoot around the island and a colony of flying foxes camps in rainforest trees high on its cliffy shore. It is one of the three islands in the Philippines where sea snakes have their home nests. There are lots of colored fishes and also sharks who are sleeping during the day about 30 meters deep on the ground of the sea.
Photo by mattk1979 of flickr.com
A Venture
Gato Island is about 15 kilometers and a 50-minute boat ride from Malapascua. From Manila, there is a daily flight going to Cebu City. Malapascua is located in the Philippines just off the north tip of Cebu Island. Most people get to Malapascua via Cebu City. From Cebu, take a bus or car up to the port of Maya, then a boat over to Malapascua. The road is very rough in places but it is getting better as the government slowly implements its improvement plans for northern Cebu.
Photo by mattk1979 of flickr.com