Paddling in Panglao With The Bohol Paddlers' Association

I once mentioned at the Wonderful Cebu blog that Buzzy Budlong of Island Buzz Philippines is trying to make Cebu the Paddling Capital of the Philippines. In a recent trip to Bohol, there's also a group working to make Bohol the Paddling Capital of the Philippines. This group is the Bohol Paddlers Association Inc. Something good should come out of this competition between two (2) Central Visayas provinces wanting to be the country's mecca of paddling sports. They could make the entire Central Visayas Region as the paddling capital of the archipelago.

Bohol Paddlers Association Inc.

Bohol Paddlers Association Inc.

Founded in 2012, the Bohol Paddlers' Association Inc. (BPAi) was formed with the egging of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF). The association was formally registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2013. The group is ably led by Dr. Theodore "Doyet" Dumaluan. They contributed significantly to relief efforts in the aftermath of the 7.2 magnitude Bohol earthquake of October 2013 allowing the use of their dragon boats to ferry people, relief goods, and caskets across the Abatan River in the town of Maribojoc for more than a week.

In 2014, BPAi joined various races outside Bohol such as the 7th Boracay Dragon Boat Festival in April, Iloilo Dragon Boat Race in August, and Malaysia's Penang Dragon Boat Festival in December. 

Currently, the Bohol Paddlers Association Inc. continues with its advocacy of promoting paddling sports in Bohol. They do this through organizing boat races and conducting kayaking and stand up paddle clinics. Their other services include paddle craft rentals and tours.

Seas The Day Bohol Tour

Paddling sports can be part of the itinerary for the Seas The Day Bohol tour package, a do-it-yourself (DIY) customized tour offered for a limited time this summer of 2016 by the Empty Nest Vacation Home. #CBCTravelNation bloggers who got first dig on this tour package had this in their itinerary. The original plan was to have the Cebu-based bloggers do stand up paddle (SUP) from the original Dumaluan Beach Resort to Panglao's famous Alona Beach and back.

Take me back to this place. PLEASE. #iBlogForBohol #SARoundBohol #SeasTheDayBoholTour

A photo posted by Babie Sarah Ladeza (@babiesarahladeza) on Mar 4, 2016 at 4:42am PST

Waves were bigger than usual when we got to Dumaluan Beach Resort. That was enough to call off the original plan. But I really thought that even without the waves, the bloggers would still not want to paddle that far. We're all newbies to the sport so I think we just wanted to have some fun and not take it too seriously.

Sana BOHOL PADDLERS ASSOCIATION ka na lang para ikaw ang sasalo sa akin pag nahulog na ako. But seriously, thanks Bohol Paddlers Association for that much needed training for kayak-ing with such big waves. And thank you Dumaluan Beach Resort for the awesome white sand beach. Would defo be back! #BoholPaddlersAssociationInc #iBlogForBohol #SeasTheDayBoholTour #FunInTheSunAtDumaluan

A photo posted by Babie Sarah Ladeza (@babiesarahladeza) on Feb 29, 2016 at 1:24pm PST

Prior to taking to the water on their kayaks, a guide from the Bohol Paddlers Association Inc. taught us some of the basics of kayaking while on shore. The bloggers were probably too excited and took to the water on the sea kayaks shortly thereafter getting thrown off their paddle crafts one after the other. A funny sight to see that had some of us getting a bit frustrated. Some got the hang of it after a while.

Contact Information for Bohol Paddlers Association Inc.

To get in touch with the Bohol Paddlers Association Inc., dial 0918 754 5835 or 0918 313 2009. Their Facebook fan page is https://www.facebook.com/boholpaddlers.

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