Swim with the dugongs on 'Born Impact'

This Sunday on BORN IMPACT, dive and surf with one of the rarest creatures in the ocean, the sea cow or dugong.

Dugongs were once thought by seafarers and fishermen to be mermaids of the sea because they somehow resemble the human form underwater.

The dugong is a marine herbivorous mammal, but they are not closely related to dolphins and whales. “Mas closely related sila sa mga elepante dahil nga sa histura ng ilong nila na mahaba. Para ito maprotektahan siya habang nanginginain ng sea grass,” says Doc Nielsen Donato.

In Mati, Davao, a group of surfers help protect the dugongs in their coast. Doc Ferds Recio witnesses how several dugongs ride the waves as if “surfing”. As mammals, dugongs usually swim to the surface to breathe. They can go six minutes without breathing, and afterwards they rest on their tail to breathe with their heads above water.

“Yung sinasabi ng mga locals dito na nag-su-surf ay totoo pala. Kasama ng pagdating ng magagandang alon, dumadating ‘yung mga dugong,” says Doc Ferds.

But sometimes seeing the dugong is not a happy affair. Doc Ferds recalls a trip to Zamboanga where he met a baby dugong that got stranded after being separated from its mother.

Aside from Mati, Davao, an island in Coron also serves as a protected sanctuary for this rare mammal. The team spends several days to find the sea cow here, and they were not only able to document it underwater, but were also able to hear its curious sound.

The dugong has been hunted for hundreds of years for its meat and oil.  Disappearing sea grass areas also contributes to their decline.

Catch Born Impact this Sunday, 9:45am after AHA!