‘I’m afraid there aren’t any dolphins in this particular area,’ Angela informed them. ‘But you might be lucky enough to see them when you visit some of the other islands,’ she added when she saw Joe’s look of disappointment.
They headed out to sea, turning towards a large wooden hut on stilts. Angela explained that it was a guardhouse, built to enable a constant watch to be kept on the Marine Protected Area.
‘It’s the job of several specially trained fish wardens to man it day and night,’ said Angela. ‘They keep an eye out for any unusual or illegal activity.’
Joe thought it would be quite good fun spending a night there, though it would be scary as well, listening to the strange noises that seemed to start up the moment darkness fell. He had been comforted to have Aesha sleeping on the mat next to him the previous night, even if she did keep complaining that he was a fidget.
‘You mean they have to stay there all night just watching?’ His sister was aghast. ‘How boring is that!’
‘They find ways to entertain themselves,’ said Angela. ‘They have a radio and play cards and cook meals there.’
As she spoke, a man and a woman appeared on the balcony surrounding the guardhouse and waved at them.
‘We’ve made their day bringing visitors to see them.’ Angela waved back and exchanged a few words with them in Cebuano, the local dialect. ‘They’re excited too about seeing a whale shark early this morning,’ she reported.
‘Cool!’ cried Joe. ‘I wish I’d seen it.’
‘You’ll have to spend the night out here then,’ said Peter. He was only joking, but to Joe it sounded like the best idea in the world.
‘I wish I could,’ he said.
‘Don’t worry, Joe.’ Angela smiled at him. ‘We’ll make sure you have plenty of excitement while you’re here.’
Chapter 8
The Brook family and Angela spent the day touring the Marine Protected Area, which was marked out with buoys, while Angela talked about its history.
‘The area measures fifty hectares altogether and was set up in 1995,’ she informed them. ‘It’s part of a very rare double reef – there are only six in the world. Because of decades of illegal fishing, only five per cent of the Philippines’ reefs are in good condition.’
‘Is this the only Marine Protected Area?’ Binti asked.
‘Some five hundred have been set up over the past thirty years, but many have been hampered by bad practice and weak management. Ours is one of the best in the Philippines,’ Angela added proudly. ‘Further along the reef, though nothing to do with us, two enormous religious statues have been erected eighteen metres below the surface to deter illegal fishermen and remind them of their duty to preserve the world’s wonders.’
‘What an extraordinary idea!’ said Binti.
‘We need extraordinary ideas to conserve our planet,’ Angela said, nodding.
‘I like it!’ said Peter. ‘I’ll have to make a special dive trip to photograph them.’
Joe couldn’t wait to find out what was going on underneath the gently rolling waves, but he was more interested in the marine creatures than in two giant statues. When Angela suggested to Rey that they stop for a swim, he stood up so fast that he lost his balance and nearly toppled over the side.
‘Steady,’ said Peter, grabbing his arm. ‘It might be better to take your shorts off first!’
‘There aren’t sharks or anything, are there?’ Aesha asked.
‘There’s nothing that will bother you here,’ Angela replied.
One after the other they dived overboard. Joe watched enviously as Aesha knifed her way through the waves, scarcely creating any disturbance, and was soon a long distance from them. He paddled around, keeping close to the banca and occasionally hanging on to the outrigging while he put his head underwater to look for fish.
The sea’s so warm, he thought, remembering outings to Brighton, where they had hardly dared put a toe in the water for fear of hypothermia. It’s like being in a bath.
After their swim, they clambered back on board the banca and headed towards the mangroves.
‘Keep your eyes peeled,’ said Angela as they drew nearer. ‘If you’re very, very lucky you might spot a monitor lizard.’
‘What else?’ asked Joe eagerly, immediately scouring the tops of the trees.
‘Dugongs have been spotted very occasionally among the seagrass,’ said Angela, ‘and there used to be mangrove sharks.’
Now Joe didn’t know whether to look up or down; he was sure he would miss something whichever direction he chose. Rey cut the engine on the banca and allowed it to drift right up close so that they could see the dense mangrove roots, some of them surrounded by thick brown mud.
‘It’s like a dirty smelly swamp in places,’ said Aesha, wrinkling her nose.
‘You’d be surprised how many creatures are living in those dirty smelly swamps.’ Angela laughed. ‘And you’d be surprised how many products, like medicines and alcohol, have some sort of origin in mangroves. Not to mention the mangroves’ importance in preventing soil erosion and protecting the shoreline.’
Joe peered through the water, desperate to see a turtle or a shark, even though Angela had said it was extremely unlikely, then looked back up at the treetops. Peter had loaded his camera and was beginning to take one shot after another.
‘What are you photographing, Dad?’ Joe asked, fumbling with his own camera case.
‘Birdlife,’ Peter responded. ‘There are so many different species up there.’
‘Ah, now if you were to see a Philippine cockatoo that would be a coup,’ said Angela. ‘They’re critically endangered.’
Joe hurried to focus his camera on the trees and wished he had a zoom lens as powerful as his father’s.
‘How do you keep still when the boat’s wobbling?’ he asked.
‘It’s all about using your stomach muscles to help you balance,’ replied Peter.
‘Joe hasn’t got any stomach muscles,’ said Aesha.
‘I do!’ Joe protested.
He lowered his camera and scowled at his sister. As he did, he spotted something silvery leave the waves a short distance behind her, sail in an arc through the
