An Island of Surprises: Capones Island

Year-end adventure be like:

Plan A: Go with some Rizal-based professional landscape photographers in Bataan for some fun photowalk.
Reality: Got extended duty, I didn't make it on time for our meet-up.

Plan B: Go to San Antonio, Zambales (SAZ). Hire a boat that will take us to Capones Island for our sunset shoot and overnight stargazing camp in the island. Witness the sunrise by the next day.
Reality: Traffic. We're stuck in traffic that we reached SAZ by 7pm.

The Silver Lining

Since Plan B  did not materialize, we just decided to spend the night at Pundaquit beach, have some fun cook-off, and delicious dinner.

I am so lucky my friends are such a good cook! We had Sinigang and grilled yellowfin tuna. It's actually fun watching guys do kitchen works ("Pa-order nga po ng isang Erwan Heusaff" lol.)

The turnaround of the event was not that bad. It was actually a different kind of fun. It was laid-back and homey. Zambales, really, is one of the places where it literally feels like home.

Aside from camping by the beach, we also take the opportunity to stargaze and capture the night's beauty. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Milky way too.



Early the next day, we watched as the sun shed its light to the neighboring islands - Camara and Capones. Our first stop that day was Camara Island. From Pundaquit beach, it was roughly 15 minutes to get to the island. However, due to low tide, our boat didn't dock in the island because sharp rocks might damage the hull.




We head to Capones island instead. It was the same scenario - low tide, sharp rocks, and the boat could not dock by the shore. Our boatmen suggested that if we really want to get to the island, we should swim our way to it. So that's what we did. Wearing life vests, armed with strong will - we face our fears holding firmly to the rope guide and swim our way to the island.

It was exciting and scary at the same time because the sea may seem calm from our starting point, but as we get closer to the shore, the wave starts to get bigger and stronger. You should know that it's not my first time in Capones, it's actually my fourth! But definitely, the experience was really one for the books.






The highlight this time was not the lighthouse, but the unspoiled beauty of the off-beaten path in the island. I never knew that fine, white sand exists there and it was amazing. Of course we still have to find our way around the island and trek to its lighthouse. We found the long trail and upon reaching the beacon, we were greeted with the astonishing scenery that it's always have been.






Just like in life, every lows encountered during travels makes us appreciates every highs of it. Our year-end adventure was like a life inside the silver lining.





📍 Guide to San Antonio, Zambales