Every year, Coco Beach have a familiarization tour for all travel agents in Metro Manila. The fam tour as we call it in the industry is a great opportunity for travel agents to get to know the resort first hand. The agents are treated to an all-inclusive package with activities and a party.

Coco Beach's 2010 Fam Tour agents and staff

This time, Coco Beach had the following agents: Rosalie Copioco, Rolando Badion & Jayson Copioco (Phil Joy Travel), Jessica Bituin (Shaikha Travel), Roel Magana (Fiesta Tours & Travel), Marissa Olarte (Green Pasture Travel), Erano Cruz (Eidref Tours & Travel), Aileen Matutis & Isabelle Santos (San Sebastian University), Jenilyn Velasquez & Jerielyn Villena (Mosconi), Cathy, Aiza, Alma & Krishna Salas (Intas), Mary Grace Non, Marilyn Espanto & Melvin Visperas (Asia Travel) and Jovy Bonifacio (Annset).

After a filling lunch which included Chicken ala Coco - an instant hit with everyone, the group started their fun, activity-filled day with a brief orientation at the Heritage Hall and off to their groups. The agents were divided into four groups for their ocular and games accompanying each group is a staff from the resort and one from the Manila Office.

The Blue team hops on the Cable Jeepney

Red team – Melvin, Aileen, Jayson, Jerielyn lead by Apple and Activity Guide Darwin
Green team – Rolando, Marissa, Jennilyn, Marilyn with Maggie and Frontdesk Officer Melody
Blue team – Rosalie, Jovy, Erano, Cathy with Raffy and Activity Guide Belen
Orange team – Elena, Isabelle, Mary Grace, Aiza lead by Jay and Frontdesk Officer Joanne

The ocular tour began at 2:00 in the afternoon where the agents went around, saw and experienced for themselves the amenities and activities that Coco Beach offer.

This is strange...the first time we've seen a sack race with 2 men assisting

Though tired from walking around the perimeters of the resort, after having a quick break and snack, the agents were up and ready for the Coco Amazing Race. Just like their ocular tour, the race involves going around the resort looking for clues and completing all the tasks. After an hour of shouting, running, swimming and getting drenched in rain, the red team won the race!

Red team wins the Coco Amazing Race

By night time, the agents were revived and ready to party. And the beach front is just the place for them with the “Splashing Under the Sea Party” which is a special underwater-themed party just for the agents.

The Sea-rrific costumes

Chef Noel and his crew prepared a barbecue dinner while Ferdie and the rest of the bartenders took care of the drinks. To go with the underwater theme, fish were hanging here and there but the waiters took the spotlight as they served in body-hugging wetsuits. Everyone was also invited to get into the underwater spirit and come in costumes. To start with, everyone was given a fishy-accessory to match the theme. The popular look of the night for the girls is the lovely mermaid and the men had the same idea as the waiters. After meeting Coco Divers Manager Thomas during the ocular, some of the men asked if they could borrow a wetsuit or two.

The Splashing Sea Creatures of the night

Knowing how competitive the agents are, the Manila Team were ready with a couple of games still within the underwater theme. What was really amazing was during the Pinoy Henyo, a guessing game, no one got the right answer! After several minutes, we ran out of cue cards and just had to make another game so they could get the prizes. Calling all the agents, better read up on our 101 Activities as most of the answers were there.

Pinoy Henyo with 25 cue cards and no one got the right answer

For the entertainment, the Service Mamas rendered a Filipino folk dance called “Mazurka” while Apple Cordero from the Print Shop rendered a solo dance number, doing a modern version of the “Aranao Fan Dance”. The dining staff also did a lively dance to the tune of “Day-O” the girls in colorful ruffled skirts and fruit-laden hats. Mind you, the men didn’t want to be outshone...they had no shirt on and thought they looked and performed better with oil in their bodies and it sure was great! The ladies from Frontdesk and Activity danced to the rhythmic beat of Ifugao “gangsa” or gongs while they expertly balanced clay pots stacked on their heads. Representing the Manila Team are Magie and Apple with a hip and remix version of Pearly Shell.

The special performances from the Activity, Frontdesk, Dining and Service Mamas

The next day the agents had another opportunity to go swimming, snorkeling and coco bungee jumping.

To our agents, we thank you for coming to Coco Beach and having a grand time. We hope that you will continue to be our partners and that as a promise, we can assure you that your guests will always have a great time here in the resort!

The South African gangster in the jungle

Last week, six guests from South Africa enjoyed the thrill and excitement of playing paintball at Barangay Small Tabinay, a ten minutes tricycle ride from Muelle.

The guests are Louwrence Erasmus, Mark Offer, father and sons Alex, Martin & Almar Scheeper and Sean & Mike Leonard. They have been friends for a long time now and they have all been working together at the UAE Airport for more than six years now. They also used to live together with their families.

Looking like pros...

Paintball is ideal for everyone one who likes competition and action. The game requires a lot of strategizing and great skills to out maneuver your opponents and this is where the key to winning the game lies.

The group was divided into two teams. The green team was made up of Alex, Sean and Mike while the black team was Martin, Almar, Louwrence and Mark. Safety precautions and important details were also given in the briefing before the game. One of the rules which everybody should remember is that if you get hit 3 times you are out of the game, raise your gun so your opponent won’t hit you anymore. The aim is to get the opponent’s flag inside their compound.

Mark gets the Green Team's flag

At 10am, the war games started, for the first game the black team needed to defend their flag but the green team successfully snatched it. Next game was the green team’s turn to defend the flag and they successfully defended it. The two teams played more games but the green team eventually out maneuvered the black team and they eventually won.

According to our South African guests they really had a great time. Even if some of them got some scrapes and bruises with all the running and hiding around, they had a great time and enjoyed it so much that they would like to try it again.

Lyzzelle teaches two little girls basic swimming lessons

Too scared to get into the water because you don’t know how to swim?

Here’s your chance to overcome that fear and finally take the plunge and swim, maybe not like a fish but at least, you’d be enjoying the water more.

Everyday at 10am, our HR Lyzzelle and pool attendant Bobby will teach basic swimming lessons in the main pool for free.

Bobby teaching Sopia how to float

Lyzzelle and Bobby are friendly, very patient and can teach you how to swim properly. There is no age limit for interested learners, even big guys are welcomed. And they will assure you that after two or three session, you will be ready to go swimming and for the more adventurous type, go snorkeling in the coral garden with the fishes and without fear.

So if you’re interested, just sign-up at the Activity Center and be ready to get wet!

You see them on every dive, but how much do you know about them beside that they are colorful?

Within the family of sea slugs, the clade is the largest, with more than 3,000 described species.

The word "nudibranch" comes from the Latin nudus, naked, and the Greek brankhia, gills. The name nudibranch is appropriate, since the dorids breathe through a "naked gill" like plumes of bushy extremities on their back, near their tail rather than using gills. Nudibranchs have head tentacles, which are sensitive to touch, taste, and smell while the club-shaped rhinophores detect odors. Their eyes are simple and able to discern little more than light and dark. The eyes are set into the body, are about a quarter of a millimeter in diameter.

An Aeolidiella stephanieae with a typical body: 1. Head tentacles, 2. foot tentacles, 3 rhinophores and 4. the eyes.

A Hypselodoris bullockii where you easily can see the branchial plumes on its back which it is using to breath.

The top 5 countries to see nudibranchs are: Indonesia (547 species), Australia (425 species), Philippines (413 species), Kenya (297 species), Malaysia (257 species). And the top 3 places in the Philippines to find nudibranchs are Puerto Galera, Dauin and Anilao. Just in the Puerto Galera area there are more than 120 registered species.

But what do they eat?

Their eating habits varies a lot from species to species, but most nudibranchs are carnivorous = meat eater. Some others feed on sponges while others again feed on hydroids = jellyfish. On the other hand, some eat other sea slugs and on some occasions even get cannibals and eat members of their own species. Other groups feed on sea squirts or anemones.

2 Nembrotha kubaryana eating on a sea squirts colony.

The surface dwelling nudibranch, atlanticus is a specialist predator of jellyfish, such as the Portuguese Man O' War. This predatory mollusk sucks air into its stomach to keep it afloat and using its muscular foot it clings to the surface film. If it finds a small victim, it simply envelopes it with its capacious mouth, but if the prey is a larger jellyfish the mollusk nibbles off its fishing tentacles, the ones carrying the most potent poisonous. Like some others of its kind does not digest the poison; instead, it uses them to defend itself by passing them from its gut to the surface of its skin.

Sex on the reef.

Nudibranchs are hermaphroditic, and thus have a set of reproductive organs for both sexes, but they can rarely fertilize themselves. Their eggs are typically deposit within a gelatinous spiral.

2 Nembrotha rutilans mating on a coral bed.

Eggs of a nudibranch.

How do they defend themselves?

Among the nudibranchs can be found the most colorful creatures on earth. In the course of evolution, sea slugs have lost their shell because they have developed other defense mechanisms. Their anatomy may resemble the texture and color of the surrounding plants, allowing them to camouflage. Others, as seen especially well on chromodorids, have an intense and bright coloring, which warns that they are distasteful or poisonous.

A Glossodoris cincta is very well camouflaged and hard to see.

Some sponge-eating nudibranch concentrate the toxins from their prey sponge in their bodies, rendering themselves toxic to predators. Another method of protection is the release of an acid from the skin. Once the specimen is physically irritated or touched by another creature, it will release the slime automatically.

So next time you see a nudibranch during your dive… give it a thought about what a unique creature you are looking at.