SIDE TRIP 22: Bora

I was born and raised near the sea. In fact, I think I learned to swim before I walked. So it was without hesitation that I swam back to a friend who was drowning ten yards from where I was. Those guys in Baywatch make lifesaving seem so cool. And so easy.

Naah… nothing can be farther from the truth.

My friend was Baguio born and bred. He had been to a beach only once before in his life and all he did that time was do doggie strokes on the shallowest spot. He never learned to swim. And so when he came with me to Boracay, he was content to stay in the shallows while I snorkeled on the corals. The water reached only up to my chest because I was standing on rocks to catch my breath in-between dives. But without the rocks, the seabed plunged deep.

And so it was with horror that I saw him thrashing in the water, valiantly trying to stay afloat, panic written all over his face. He must have tried to follow me and found himself on the deep part with no rocks to step on.

Aquaman to the rescue! Ta-daaa! I had a pretty good idea what to do, having seen lifeguards do it on TV many times. But when I reached him, he immediately grabbed me and held on fast, trapping my hands to my sides. He was sooo heavy and soon both of us began to sink! When he realized we were going under, he clamped his hands on my shoulders, pushing me further down.

So then he had his head above the water surface but I was down below drowning! Unable to escape his iron grip, I opened my eyes underwater and saw a rock about five feet away. Forget about David Hasselhoff-style rescue. I WALKED!!! And when I reached the rock, I hauled my ass up on it, with my dear friend still stuck to me like glue!

He wouldn’t let go of me no matter how hard I pled. And so we inched our way back to shore the same way, me walking under water and him riding on my shoulders! Aaaargh!

I swore next time I see a drowning man, I’m gonna knock him out first before doing a Hasselhoff!

BORACAY ISLAND: One of the Best Beaches in the World