The destination:

Magpupungko rock pools was our destination for our third day of Escapade at Siargao. Yesterday, we were Island Hopping at Siargao. I really didn’t know much about the place. It was part of the itinerary listing and the group was discussing it. I later found out that it was a resort featuring pools of water in between rock crevices that were only accessible at low tide.

The location:

Magpupungko rock pools was facing the Philippine Sea on the east side of Siargao Island. The unique feature of this place were the rock pools. The crevices were trapping sea water as it was receding on low tide. The tide on this side of the island followed a diurnal pattern. Hence, the best time to visit the rock pools was during low tide.

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The Road Trip:

It was a slow road trip following the Circumferential Road of Siargao. Magpupungko rock pools was on the same side of the island as Siargao Inn. However, there was no easy and direct route except for the Circumferential Road. It was forty five minutes of driving to Magpupungko rock pools.

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Arrival:

Our arrival cue was our van slowing down and stopping in front of an open gate. There were people and vehicles lining up to enter. A man was peering at everybody inside the van after yanking the door open. Accordingly, he was counting how many people to charge for the entrance fee. Access to the beach at Magpupungko rock pools was privately controlled.

The courtyard (if you want to call it a courtyard) and the beach:

Beyond the gate were boutiques, small restaurants, and snack bars. They were selling a variety of items. The bigger restaurants were closer to the beach. We stopped and had a good dining experience with well-prepared kinilaw, grilled tuna belly, grilled squid, chicken and pork barbecue, and white rice. The beach at Magpupungko featured mounds of off-white granular sand dunes. The sand gave way to rocky formations that were covering most of the shore area. It was in the rock formations where the rock pools can be found.

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The rock pools:

Moss and seaweeds were carpeting a large flat, rocky area. It was in between the low cliff rock formation close to land and the crashing sea waves. Tidal water was running between the cracks of the flat rocks. Every so often, I spotted a tiny fish or crab scampering in between the cracks too. The receding low tide was temporarily trapping them in the Magpupungko rock pools until the high tide comes back again. It was below the low cliff rock formation where the rock pools were located.

Rock pool or aquarium?:

There was a scattering of rock pools all throughout the length of the low cliff wall. What I found fascinating was how the rock pools looked like individual sea aquariums. It was complete with a rock wall, a sandy bottom, sea vegetations randomly rising from its bottom, and a variety of sea creatures swimming in it. The rock pools in Magpupungko made it feel like anyone could go dipping in the sea aquariums. Most people were gathering in the bigger pools. Some were even creating private beach areas in the sandy portions of the rock walls.

The high tide returns:

The shrill whistling sounds were coming from the lifeguards. The high tide was coming back. The lifeguards were ushering everybody out of the area. In a matter of minutes, the whole area was covered with seawater again.

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