SLSU-Bontoc Divemasters shares expertise in Palompon

The Local Government Unit of Palompon, Leyte, welcomed dive experts from the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU)-Bontoc for a three-day refresher course on the fundamentals of SCUBA Diving held at LGU Palompon, Leyte on August 9-11, 2024. This 3-day initiative aims to enhance marine eco-tourism, to deepen understanding on marine conservation, and to promote sustainable diving practices.

Resident PADI dive masters Mr. Ryan P. Tomol and Mr. Jerome O. Napala, along with Ms Liela C. Bejel, SLSU Faculty and a certified PADI diver, were invited to train twelve (12) selected employees from the Municipal Environment and Eco-Tourism Office (MEETO) and the Palompon Emergency Rescue Team (PERT).

Mr. Ryan P. Tomol, in his presentation as Resource Speaker mentioned, “SCUBA diving allows individuals to explore the underwater world. It can be fun but also risky hence, proper training and safety dive measures should be in place. In this refresher course, we put emphasis on how to plan your dive and to dive your plan which simply means that as Dive Master, I see to it that the trainees stick with the planned depth and time whenever SCUBA diving.”

The refresher course program commenced with a detailed orientation on the first day, followed by an afternoon session of proficiency diving at the Tabuk Marine Park Birds and Fish Sanctuary. The second and third days were dedicated to skill development in the pristine waters of Kalanggaman Island, where participants were given opportunity to practice and refine their diving techniques under the expert supervision of the SLSU Bontoc Campus divemasters.

“We’re more than grateful and glad to assist LGU-Palompon through the expertise of our campus divemasters in their program to promote sustainable eco-tourism in their area,” Campus Director, Professor Gladys Pascual said. “This engagement is just but one of the line-up of activities SLSU-Bontoc and LGU-Palompon jointly implement as partners” she added.