Kuya Jom's Crib: Catmon's Laid Back Freediving Spot

For the past few months, my friend and I were practicing free diving repeatedly at Club Kontiki Resort. It is a free dive spot and the best spot for practice since there are instructors and the area is great, although it doesn't offer a visual-pleasing sea bed. We were looking for other diving spots aside from Club Kontiki and Moalboal, and luckily we found Kuya Jom's Crib.

Kuya Jom's Crib is situated at Catmon, Cebu. It is around a 2-hour drive from Cebu City and can be found just along the highway. It is a simple abode, I think it was a house and just added a few tables and a covered area for visitors. We had a reservation on their Facebook page just to make sure that we have a slot. We were excited as we booked our freediving adventure as it offers beautiful and breathtaking marine life.

We went there early around 8 AM, and the place was just being set up as they were cleaning. There were already a few groups who were already in there and are also going to dive. So we didn't prolong the agony after arrival, we secured local guides that could help us locate the diving spots and of course, take some pictures. There were only a few of us during this dive so we were advised to get 1 guide.

THE CRACK

We jumped into freediving because why wait, right? Our guide took us to the first diving spot, the crack. It's like 2 rock formations and there's a valley in between them. It's around 7 meters deep I think? I'm sorry but my measurements are not accurate because I don't have a dive watch. Beke nemen may sponsor HAHAHAHA! Kidding aside, our guide hooked the life buoy and we had a few dives. My ears were thankfully cooperating as sometimes I have trouble equalizing on my left ear.

One must be careful because the cliff has corals and rocks. And one of my friends saw a crow-of-thorn starfish. Worry not as we were safely able to dodge all of them. But of course, one must be wary of its surrounding, and not touch any coral while free diving.

THE CAVE

After spending ample of minutes on the crack, our guide led us to the cave. It's an underwater cave that a brave heart must have. My friends and I tried to go there but it's too deep, around 20 meters I think. Even if the guide told us tips and where we should start diving, it's still too deep HAHA we need more practice per se.

THE 8

We didn't waste our time in the cave because we just can't do it. And of course, if you can't, you just don't do it. It's too risky. So we headed to the next spot, which they called "8". It's an underwater cave that has 2 holes that form an "8". It's more shallow than the previous cave, so Kim and I tried to dive into it.

After 2 minutes of relaxation and 3 full breaths, I was able to get into the 8 cave and made it out alive. It was just a small one which only a person can fit. I mean fit like curled, not stand straight. LOL. Since I have a short breath hold, I didn't stay long down below. When I was going up to the surface, the guide was confirming if I was okay by showing the hand sign. And yeah, I turned out to be okay.

Because the cave was a bit deep, it's actually deeper than the crack, my other friends didn't attempt to dive. So what we did is we went back to the Crack and spent some time there.

IMPRESSIONS

Kuya Joms' crib is a laid-back diving spot. The marine life is nice, although the current appearance is not as beautiful as pre-typhoon Odette. We were just sad that we were not able to witness it. Hopefully, after a few years, the beauty will be regained. Kuya Jom, the owner, is also friendly. He's just like a "kuya" that we can approach anytime. The guide too was so friendly and fun! He even asked for a picture of our half-Korean friend haha artista yarn? HAHA

As usual, we ended our dive before lunch and we went to an eating place somewhere in the North.

ONE LAST THING

After a few weeks of our fun dive at Kuya Jom's crib, I posted my vlog on my YouTube channel. During the vlog's premiere, one of my friends who was also my dive buddy just saw something creepy on the video. Literally, I was stunned when I realized it after he pointed it out.

In the video when we were diving in the "8" cave, we saw a freaking sea snake just lurking on the rock that I and Kim passed. I was like freaking out!! I mean what could happen? It was a small cave and there was just a very small distance between me and the rock. What a scary encounter! But good thing no harm was done, and we are safe. I guess I need a graded mask because of my poor eyesight so I can clearly see what I'm diving into.

Because of this encounter, I'm not hesitant to dive into underwater caves. HAHAHA!

Watch the Vlog here

Hope this story gives you a lesson, to think twice about diving underwater caves. hahaha! peace out!