I was supposed to post about something else but, in an act of pure defiance, I’m switching things a bit to talk about something actually… sunny and fair. You see, it has been two weeks since rain started pouring in my corner of the country, and it hasn’t stopped since. If not for the quick day trip I made to Quezon City yesterday, I’d have never seen the sun! Now I’m back, and it’s raining more than ever, so I will look back on our sunny day trip to Samal Island more than a couple of months ago, specifically at the Maxima Aquafun.
Maxima Resort & Aquafun, or more briefly and popularly known as Maxima Aquafun, is located in the island of Samal, and is one of the attractions in the area.
Watersports activities offered at Maxima Aquafun include Jetski, Banana Boat, Kayak Boat, and Snorkeling. They also have Scuba Dive activities such as Intro Diving and Night Diving.
Day Tour costs Php250.00 per person, and it also counts as the entrance fee to the resort. The entrance package is already inclusive of free use of tables and chairs, free use of lifevest, unlimited use of the waterslide, the waterblob and the diving board, and canopy walk. Unfortunately, Canopy Walk is only available on weekends, and we went there on a Wednesday. In the pic above, you can see the canopy walk overhead. I would’ve wanted to try that~~
I liked how a bit of a downward hike was involved to get from the entrance to the resort. And as you go down, you can spot the sparkling water below.
After paying the entrance fee, we went to the shaded area and picked a table overlooking the sea (and their newest attraction, The Blob). And yes, they have free Wi-fi too! In another area, there is a team-building or seminar going on.
Maxima Aquafun is know for being a “shoreless resort”, meaning there is no beach to speak of when you’re here. It’s a direct drop into the water.
But the bigger claim to fame of this place is the “Abyss” and the “Super Drop”, which are the “only two waterslides in the world that drop you into the sea”. THIS is what we came here for. So we changed and immediately went to check out what we’re in for.
There were two slides, but only one was open when we were there. Maybe they open the other one if there are a lot of people. As it were, there were only two groups there with us, so we relatively had the place to ourselves.
We first checked out the slide, and it was a 40-meter-long slide, that drops you directly into the water. They said the water was 100 to 120 meters deep and, from the end of the tarpaulin slide, there is about another 3 or 4 meters drop. At first glance, I got the chills. So, to prep ourselves up a bit, we decided to frolic in the water first. In the pic below, you can see the other slide, which was closed. I think that’s the Superdrop. The one that we went on is the Abyss.
After some minutes, we finally decided to get on the slide.
The Slide
Ok, so there’s a staff member to assist you at the top of the slide. It was a hot day, so the tarp dried easily. You’ll sit down at the top, and water will be poured over you, so it’ll be slippery and your slide will be faster. Then the staff will give you a push. Or a shove. Depending on how cheerful he’s feeling, haha! I had to tell him repeatedly to count before pushing me. Which he did, bless him.
This is what it looks like, by the way.
So there I was, heart pounding. There was no lifeguard waiting in the water, I only had my lifevest on, and I can’t swim worth a da*n. But heck, I came all the way here, and it’ll be a shame if I don’t try this. So off I went.
And I don’t think I screamed so much in my life.
Not out of terror, though. The first few seconds, I admit I was a bit afraid, then it quickly turned to exhilaration. Then I had to mentally prepare myself for the drop.
I felt the impact of the water when I hit it, then I sank below the surface, and surged back up. A.W.E.S.O.M.E.S.A.U.C.E. Seawater also surged up through my nose, and I think I swallowed some more, BUT I DIDN’T CARE!
After that, we went on the Blob, and Marshee, my partner-in-foolhardy-crime recovered from her bout with headache to join us, and I went with her on The Abyss again. I went on the slide three times, and I wanted to go again, but we had other fish to fry later, so….
The slide lasted all of 6 to 8 seconds, but maaaaan, that was awesome.
The Blob
My first encounter with The Blob was that episode of Running Man where Jung Woo Sung, 2PM members, and several other idols were guests. It looked so amazing when I was watching it. I never thought I’d try it.
Granted, this one was significantly smaller than the Blob on Running Man. (I think the one they used was 2 to 4 times bigger, and the jump another 3 times higher!)
So this is how it works. One person will be in a semi-reclining position at the end of the blob. Another person will be jumping down on the other end. The weight of the jumper will cause the blob to react, and throwing the other person up in the air. The key is for the jumper to put all his weight into the jump, so the toss would be higher and have more impact.
The ones we saw were moderate at best, mainly because the jump was not done properly. The staff in charge of the Blob showed how it’s done with this lady from another group of visitors.
Then it was our turn.
Personally, I thought jumping down was way scarier. It was quite high up, and you have to think of how you’d land. I am pretty sure I messed up the jump, but I did anyway because that’s the only way I can experience being “blobbed”.
So there I was, half-lying, half-sitting down. The person after me was scared to jump, and I was starting to get bored waiting for it to happen. And then the staff that was manning the Blob decided he’d do it.
He counted 1, 2, 3… there was a momentary beat… then BAM! It felt like my brain went out of my head, my soul split from my body, and then I was in the water. WHOOOSH.
I surfaced, and all I could do was yell, “DAEBAK!” (“Awesome” in Korean. Haha! I’m random like that!) while giving two thumbs up to the staff. He knows his stuff.
I am soooo glad we pushed through with this. I always try to make it a point to experience something new whenever I go some place, and this is definitely one to remember!
I liked how the place was well-maintained. If you want to do some deep thinking, you can do it here. Get in the water and relax. Breathe in the fresh and salty air. If you want to be invigorated, take on the Blob or the Slide. The staff are friendly and very approachable, and yes, you can scream all you want, and they won’t mind at all. In fact, I think they relish it. 🙂
We left not long afterwards, wet clothes and all, to go to the nearby Hagimit Waterfalls. This time, we went via habal-habal.
In summary:
To get there, the conventional route is to go to the Sta. Ana wharf. Fridays to Mondays, the Aquafun Shuttle operates directly from the Sta. Ana Wharf to the Resort. Other days, it has to be via Babak Wharf, then take a habal-habal or a tricycle to the Resort. (Read how to get to Samal Island here.)
What we did (because of mixed signals and cab drivers that talk too much they end up saying the wrong thing), we ended up at the smaller Sasa Wharf, where we took the “ferry bus” (a boat, really) which, after 10-15 minutes, brought us to Babak Wharf.
From the Babak Wharf, we sought out two tricycles for the 9 of us – 2 males and 7 females. We opted for the tricycle instead of a habal-habal.
Costs per person (estimates):
Fare (ferry, back and forth) – Php 26.00
Tricycle ride from Babak Wharf to Aqua Maxima – Php 50.00
Entrance fee: Php 250.00
Like #maximaaquafun on Facebook here.