Team Europe finally snatched the championship title from the Coco Mangyan Team in a game of beach volleyball here. Team Europe’s mission was to grab the title from the boys but of course, the Coco Mangyan Team would just not let go of their winning streak that easily.

The new Volleyball Champion with their kids

The game started at around 4:00 in the afternoon. You could feel the tension and excitement in the air as both teams readied for the match. The European players were Henning Christense, Brian Fischer, Verner Bagger from Denmark and South African Petro Venter while the Mangyan teams was made up of water sports coordinator Carding, pool attendant Bobby, waiter Joey and mountain guide Edwin and Elian as the referee.

Cheers to Team Europe!

First set was an easy win for Team Europe as they scored 15 -7 against the Coco Mangyans. On the second set the Mangyans tried to take the lead but the European team was so good, the game ended with a lopsided score of 15-5. The winning streak for the Mangyan team was finally over with a record of 10 wins – 1 lose. A big celebration was called for the new champion. The winners received a case of beer as their trophy. To Team Europe, our heartfelt congratulations but the Coco Mangyans will be ready for another game next time!

Right after their Sunset Cruise

Thirty years old Henrik Oerskov and 24 years old Ninna Poulsen from Denmark found Coco Beach through the Internet while they were searching for a place where they could spend their holiday in the Philippines. Before they came to Coco Beach they also spent a few days in Bangkok. Henrik and Ninna have been together for 1 ½ years now.

Enjoying their romantic candle lit dinner at Haligi Beach

Henrik works for Wurth Company in Denmark while Ninna is a fresh graduate of nursing. The original plan was to stay for 5 days at Coco Beach but the couple decided to extend their stay for another week as they really enjoyed the place. They found the staff very friendly and helpful, not to mention the variety of great food served in the resort’s restaurant and outlets as well as the many activities and tours they did during their stay.

One of the activities the couple enjoyed the most was the Sunset Cruise with romantic dinner at Haligi Beach that Henrik arranged with one of the waiter to surprise Ninna. There was no special occasion to celebrate. Henrik was just one romantic guy who loves a wonderful and beautiful lady named Ninna.

Dr. Ariel with the recipients of the new eye glass from Saclag Mangyan Settlement

Last week a group of Coco Beach employees staff headed by our in-house physician Doc Ariel distributed reading glasses to the Mangyan villagers in Puerto Galera. First, they visited the Saclag Mangyan settlement where 7 villagers received eyeglasses. These Mangyans are, Benjamin Hayag and his wife Yolanda, Panya Reyes, Menisia Alagao, Rosita Anyas and Olivia Dizon. They distributed the eyeglasses at Kuya Bert’s house and Doc Ariel checked their eyes for cataracts.

Choosing which eye glass is for them

Then the group proceeded to Ambang Mangyan Vilage which is about 30 minutes away from Saclag via Coco Beach’s Hummer passing through rivers and rough terrain surrounded by trees and dense vegetation. At Ambang Village, another 8 Mangyans got eyeglasses. They are Oscar Axalan, Anna Axalan, Paolo Garcia, Emilia Garcia, Rosita Panganiban, Sara Hayag, Charing Dulasan and Arsenia Sinduran.

After choosing, they stay to check if they are comfortable while Dr. Ariel assists them

Doc Ariel also found 3 patients with cataracts. They are Charing Dulasan and Arsenia Sinduran while Tony Rucio may possibly have this eye disease. All cataract patients will be scheduled for operation in Manila by next week. The Mangyans are very thankful to Big Bosses Enrico and Connie for donating the reading glasses which according to the villagers would be a great aid for them while they weave nito baskets which the Mangyans are famous for.

Ambang children having fun with the Hummer

Ambang is also the beneficiary of a community learning center and clean water made possible through the donations and funds from the people of Denmark.

Next week, some of the staff of Coco beach will visit another Mangyan Village to distribute these reading glasses and get more people with cataracts to be treated in Manila.

You can nearly see them on every dive here in the area, hovering over the bottom. The lionfish is member of the family Scorpaenidae where you also find the other members like scorpionfish and stonefish.

They are notable for their extremely long and separated spines, and have a generally striped appearance, red, green, navy green, brown, orange, yellow, black, maroon, or white.

A common lionfish hovering in front of a coral.

The lionfish is native to the Asia Pacific oceanic region. This range extends from Western Australia and Malaysia east to French Polynesia. In addition, the range also extends north to southern Japan and southern Korea and south to parts of coastal Australia.

A zebra lionfish resting on the bottom of the seabed.

Although the lionfish is not native to all regions in the world, these fish continue to spread throughout many parts of the world. Due to a recent introduction, the lionfish has been spotted in the warmer coral regions of the eastern Atlantic Ocean around the Azores and extending into the Mediterranean Sea, and also in the Caribbean Sea and even in the USA.

A common lionfish in warning posture.

The lionfish have very few natural predators, but the grouper and other bigger fishes have been found with lionfish remains in their stomachs. Other as yet undocumented predators of the lionfish might include sharks, as many sharks are known to consume noxious or venomous organisms with no obvious ill effects.

There are many types of lionfish that vary in size. The common lionfish, generally reaches a size of 30 cm to 35 cm, while smaller lionfish, like the fuzzy dwarf lionfish are typically the size of a tennis ball, not including fins. In the Caribbean where lionfish are not indigenous, they can grow to up to 55 cm. The very rare blackfoot lionfish may usually be found in sheltered coastal bays with a soft bottom, such as fine sand or mud. It's found in depths ranging from 40-300 meters.

A rare sight, a blackfoot lionfish in Sabang Bay in only 9 meters of water.

The lionfish is one of the most venomous fish on the ocean floor. Lionfish have venomous dorsal spines that are used purely for defense. When threatened, the fish often faces its attacker in an upside down posture which brings its spines to bear. However, a lionfish's sting is usually not fatal to humans. If a human is envenomed, that person will experience extreme pain, and possibly headaches, vomiting, and breathing difficulties. A common treatment is soaking the afflicted area in hot water, as very few hospitals carry specific treatments. However, immediate emergency medical treatment is still advised, as some people are more susceptible to the venom than others.

A spotfin lionfish relaxing inside the wreck of M/V Alma Jane.

Lionfish are voracious predators. They do not use their spines to capture prey; only for protection from their own predators. When hunting, they corner prey using their large fins and then use their quick reflexes to swallow the prey whole. They hunt primarily from late afternoon to dawn.