BY Philippine Information Agency

World War II vintage US boats can be found in the deep- sea waters off Talomo.

Department of Tourism (DOT XI) regional director Sonia V. Garcia in an interview said her office learned that during the war, instead of bringing the US ship home which is more expensive, these ships were scuttled in the deep sea waters off Talomo.

She said they knew these from those who already had gone diving in the area but were not able to document them.

"We are inviting technical divers so they could document what are down under," she said.

Wreck diving, she said is an attraction which is another come on for Davao City.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was even amazed knowing that wreck diving could be a great source of revenues, she said.

Several international divers already explored our sea waters and for their air requirement alone they would spend some P5,000.

She said they still would need to spend for their hotel and food.

In Davao City, she said there are only four tour operators engaged in diving industry.

With the positioning of Davao and the Philippines as a dive destination, she said the region could possibly attract investors as the industry would entail huge investments.

She said their recent participation in the Asia Dive Expo in Singapore generated positive responses and they are optimistic that this will be a start for more visitor arrivals especially from international diving enthusiasts. (PIA) [top]

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