Bucas Grande and the Stingless Jellyfish

I must admit, I went to Siargao to experience the stingless jellyfish. But getting there is another story. You have many options to get there. And after missing two boat trips to Siargao, I totally ditched the idea of seeing the wondrous creatures. 


But then Kuya Lito (0907.310.3333) offered a tour package which includes a Siargao 3-island hopping plus a trip to Sohoton coming from General Luna, Siargao. I didn't know that we could do such thing, all I knew was the only way to get to Sohoton was to go back to Surigao and get into the Hayanggabon port. The proposed trip package was pricey and I tried to haggle. It would've been a different story if we were in a group which would probably cut down the sharing costs.

Moving on, we were at the docking area in General Luna at around 6:45 a.m. We asked Kuya Lito to cook lunch for us - he personally prepared grilled tuna and chicken adobo (which I totally loved). On board our very posh and feeling mayaman huge boat, we embarked on the 2-hour smooth ride to Sohoton. It was me, J and our 3 boatmen (mas marami pa sila).

Arrving at the Sohoton park, I tried to look for a group that could squeeze us in to lessen all the fees that I heard was over the top. I met Bienna and she gladly accommodated us in their group (they were 4). Instantly, we were 6 in a group (whew!). 

Environmental fee (50 pesos/person)
Boat Docking fee (100 pesos/boat)
Life vest rental (40 pesos/person)
Table fee for lunch (50 pesos/group) - 4 to 5 persons per table
Boat fee (500 pesos/group) - maximum of 6 persons in a boat
Tour guide fee (165/guide) - we were assigned to 2 guides
Paddlers fee (100 pesos/person) - for the small boat going to the stingless jellyfish

There are standard tour packages in the Sohoton Cove and you could also design your own. We availed of the jellyfish encounter and the standard cave/lagoon tours.

off to the jellyfish kingdom

failed to snorkel but this looks promising

We started with the Jellyfish Kingdom where we needed to get into this small boat with a paddler. My paddler seemed to be quiet or shy so upon entering a small crevice I was so surprised to see a jellyfish and I quirked, "Kuya eto na ba 'yun?" and he nodded (wala man lang pasabi si kuya). 

We were greeted by hundreds (or thousands) of stingless Spotted Jelly or Lagoon Jelly (Mastigias papua). I was so tempted to swim and my paddler asked me if I applied sunblock already (sweet si kuya), I said yes and he said that I wouldn't be able to dip and swim with the jellyfish 'coz they could only take so much chemicals from the sunblock - it might kill them. I asked if I could touch or hold them instead, he said yes.

surface shot

baby jellyfish

I took photos from the surface and underwater and both were just so amazing. And I just needed to hold them to confirm if it's really stingless/harmless and it's true. Ang galing! Apparently, the jellyfish can only be seen during the months of January to December (according to their brochure) but just to be sure, go there between March to May. 

Next was the Sohoton Cove. We hopped into a bigger boat but kayaking during low tide seemed to be a perfect option. 

Sohoton Cove entrance

First stop was the Hagukan cave. We had to swim our way inside the cave. Please be careful with the sharp shells on the ceiling going inside the cave. It was so dark inside that the guides used headlamps. Best time to go there is during low tide.

entrance to the Hagukan Cave

be extremely careful

what's inside the Hagukan cave

We went out of the cave unharmed. I had a few scratches here and there - rather a normal thing for the carefree me.

kalma lang

Next was the Magkukuob cave. This cave became famous for its cliff jumping/diving area. One would need to get into the cave to jump. The operative word here is spelunking which is not my thing really. It was extremely dark inside.

The 15 ft. high cliff was the highlight of the spelunking. There's a wooden platform right on a cliff. You could dive from there or go back to the trail. It was my  first time to do a cliff jump in Siquijor (maisingit lang) which I loved and topped almost all of my travel experiences. So I didn't think twice about jumping here. 

entrance to the Magkukuob Cave

stalactites or stalagmites? google...

15 ft.?! tsss...

and this ends our tour... *slow claps*

I was so happy that I considered the offer of our boatman. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be able to experience what I suppose to do in Siargao in the first place. I think everyone should experience the stingless jellyfish (sans the numerous fees). The problem with me is that I find them cute that everytime I see one (after this trip) I try to convince myself that they are destructive, fatal and noxious - ang hirap!