it’s no secret why they call it the secret lagoon. at first glance, the beach looks normal enough (yes, stunning beaches are the norm in el nido. as normal as breathing, the locals hardly even notice.) with the regular boulders of limestone formations serving as a background to the sandy white shore and crystal green waters. unless the guide points it out, you might even miss this literally hole-in-the-wall lagoon whose opening could only accommodate one person at a time.

the first time i was there, it was low tide and the water was calm. getting inside the lagoon was as easy as 1-2-3.

the second time? well, not so much.

at first i wondered how people can get inside the lagoon when it’s high tide and all. jelly, our tour guide from two years ago may not have given me the answer to the question i forgot to ask but nature always has a way of satisfying the curious cat in you because the next time i was there, the waves were pretty hyper! and i mean hyper! like a kid with ADHD who just couldn’t seem to stop running around, the waves just couldn’t seem to stop slapping around, high-fiving tourists until they lose balance or kiss the gritty rocks with their teeth while maneuvering into the damn hole.

yep, that’s the tiny hole, alright! it actually takes a pretty strong will to get through it while fighting the waves because trust me, during high tide, the waves are your biggest enemies. as a matter of fact, you have to synchronize your entry with the waves’ movements. the moment they go rushing out, you hurriedly crawl your way in. otherwise, say hello to bloody knees or worse, cerebral concussion.

the nice thing about the secret lagoon is that it isn’t deep (although we were still required to wear life jackets just in case). this may or may not be such a nice thing to people whose sole motivation in life is to swim like a frog but shallow waters suit me just fine.

it’s cool.

oh, and big thanks to kuya ervin and his underwater camera for these photos. =)