Hinatuan Enchanted River

The Hinatuan Enchanted River is a deep spring river on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It flows into the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean at Barangay Talisay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. It is found between the boundaries of Barangays of Talisay and Cambatong. It earned the moniker "enchanted river" from the diplomat Modesto Farolan who described the river in his poem entitled "Rio Encantado".GeographyHinatuan Bay, which is the habitat of various species of turtles, is located at its mouth. Its mouth also offers a safe anchorage against storms and typhoons.ExplorationThe first exploration to the underground cave of the Hinatuan Enchanted River was made by Alex Santos in 1999. The major exploration to the underground cave system started eleven years later when a group of three cave divers led by Dr. Alfonso Amores with team members Bernil Gastardo and Emgee Guillermo entered the cave in February 2010. The major exploration led to the discovery of a hidden underground cave opening at 30 meters depth. Succeeding expeditions have been made that led to the discovery of the underwater cave's chamber. During its sixth expedition on June 17, 2014, Dr. Amores perished after failing to exit the narrow entrance to the cave due to a cardiac arrest at 40-meter depth inside the narrow tunnel to the Mayor's Chamber of the underground cave in the Hinatuan Enchanted River.Explorations have continued in March 2015 aiming to discover its unexplored area beyond its 82 meters depth and is now led by Bernil Gastardo under contract with GIZ, University of San Carlos-Biology Department, and DENR-BMB under the project Hinatuan Enchanted River Underwater Cave System Rapid Source Assessment (HERUCS). Beginning on March 20, a collaborative 5-day assessment and mapping of the ecosystem was conducted by the University of San Carlos and the Filipino Cave Divers (FCD).