Dahican The Skimboarders Paradise

The place was introduced to us by a friend who visited the place  few months ago. He define the place as unrivaled and unspoiled plus you get a chance to spot a sea cow visiting the beach every October. Not just that, Dahican is a nature sanctuary for giant turtles called Pawikan. We were quite excited and scour the internet for possible place to stay, good food etc.. but google return negative results. We called our friend for help and suggested to book our stay at Botona Resort. We contacted the resort and  gave us a reasonable rate for our 2 night stay for 3 persons including my hubby's cousin Isobelle. 

The following day, we traveled 180 km north to the town of Mati, Davao Oriental. It's a 4 hour drive with rest stops along the way. If you want to take the bus, just go directly to the Davao City Overland Terminal and look for a bus bound for Mati. The fare is around Php 259.00 / ac and Php 216.00 for non ac buses. 

We finally arrived in Botona Resort in Dahican. The resort is well staffed so we were accommodated immediately upon our arrival. After checking in , we went to another resort near Dahican to have our lunch. 

Cinco Masao

 

Cinco Masao Resort
 Barangay Tamisan, Sitio Masao

 

 Splendid views at Cinco Masao

With my hubby's cousin Isobelle at Cinco Masao

The food and view was great but the place lacks maintenance and repair. Nevertheless, it is still a good place to relax and chill. Hours later, we drove back to Botona Resort in Dahican.

 The Beach

 

 Dahican Beach

Dahican is a local term which means “to come in from the sea.” The beach is not only known for its white sand and surfing activities, but also for the marine wildlife that thrive in its waters. These include the pawikan, the local term for marine turtles. Hawksbills and Olive Ridleys are the turtle species that have made Dahican's shoreline their nesting site.
These two species are listed in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources as endangered. What this means is that “they are in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if causal factors continue operating.”

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

• During the months of May and June, the two marine turtle species trudge ashore to dig holes in the sand and lay their eggs there.

 The Surfers Paradise

Amihan Skimboarders

Sonny Boy "Bayugyog. He won several competitions local and international. His skim board was sponsored by an Australian after he broke his skimboard in two pieces during a competition. 

Showing off his moves

 The Majestic Sunset

The next day, we woke up early to witness the spectacular sunrise. Nearly missed it! Glad we didn't!

Crazy hues and colors

Learning to Skimboard

We spent the day swimming and a quick skimboarding lesson from the pro's. It was really fun but not that easy.

Bayanihan

Unfortunately, we haven't seen any seacow nor pawikan visiting the shore during our visit. In spite of that, still a fun getaway.

Rundown of Expenses
Cinco Masao Food - Php 200-300
Botona Resort - Php 3,600 / two nights / 3 persons
Botona Restaurant - Php 150-300 / day / person
Skimboarading lesson - Php 100.00 / hour