Sea kayaking in pristine Palawan, the Philippines
Avoiding the midday sun, Cameron Dueck discovers a world of wonder on a kayaking tour of remote island that separates South China Sea from Sulu Sea
A wave of vertigo washes over me as I look down. It's not far to the bottom - a few metres at most - but I feel as though I am floating in the air. The water is so clear, it is invisible, the sunlight brightening the colours of the starfish and coral on the sea bed.
Palawan is one of the most pristine and remote corners of the Philippines, and the country's largest province by territory. Three of us are on a week-long kayaking tour, slowly winding our way through the karst islets and immaculate beaches surrounding Busuanga Island, in the northernmost part of the province.
Every paddle stroke brings into view another coral reef and another school of colourful fish flashing through the water beneath our hulls. The sky stretches achingly clear and blue overhead.
From the cockpit of a kayak, Palawan is all rocky coves, distant rounded mountains and jagged cliffs with sugary beaches at their base.
It's the end of the dry season, when the seas are relatively calm and the islands look parched. Other than a few fishing - canoes with outriggers that come in a wide range of sizes - the only signs of human life are the occasional village and a few exclusive resorts huddled underneath palm trees on distant islands.
