29-Apr-2006 -- Saturday, All wave forecasts in San Narciso, Zambales area facing the China Sea was weather perfect. In fact, it was weather perfect for the whole country including the whole of China Sea all the way to Vietnam, the waves did not exceed 2 feet. About time to go back & made the final attempt on 15N 120E since we missed it in September last year. It was stormy then and I took the chance hoping that the storm in the Pacific side did not affect the western side of the Philippines. I was wrong. I made sure this time.

We left home from Pasig about 4:20 AM and traveled about 170 kilometers passing through SBMA in Subic. We arrived Barrio La Paz, San Narciso, Zambales at about 9:00 AM and immediately looked for boatmen. From the shoreline the confluence is due west about 7.12 kilometers. With 18 HP Briggs & Stratton Engine for a small boat, it has a top speed of about 18 kph and we reached the area in about 30 minutes. We had an added attraction of birds diving to the school of "tulingan" fish in the area and made an EZ 8 maneuver with the boat to get more photos of the GPS. This time our mission is accomplished. Upon reaching the beach we spent the next 4 hours feasting the pristine view and swimming before we went back home. I even had a good nap before we left for home at about 4:00 PM.

Why do Confluence Hunting? I had been confronted with this question from friends so often and I have responded to it invariably in mostly forgettable manner. But after several confluence visits, for the first time I really listened to the question and began looking in me for the right answer. I believed that it is in our nature to be adventurous and we have that innate desire to conquer. Every normal being embarked on personal struggle to achieve in various fields as we explore and test our limits in different ways. Sometimes the goals are clear and specific, like the tallest peaks, business targets or the farthest ocean. While for others the goal is simply invented and imaginary. It is to the credit of Alex Jarrett to have the imagination of confluence hunting. It is no more than the artificial spots on the surface of the earth equally spaced in integer degrees of longitude and latitude. But the nature of its randomness provides the element of different kind of thrills to find what lies there and the struggle to reach the spot. The experience of triumph is purely personal. This is to me the one big reason why I did it. It is a good diversion from my usual corporate targets at work. Only when I wrote the story like this and publish the photos it was meant to share that experience to the world both for the believers and heretics alike. It doesn’t matter if they agree with me, I will continue hunting.