DAVAO GULF is a captivating marine retreat, captivating enough to have a Gulf Festival organized around it.

The campaign is spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to promote the province as eco-tourism destination.

With rich marine biodiversity, including the rarely seen sea horses, eels and sea turtles, the Davao Gulf is ideal for macro-diving. Adventure divers can explore World War II shipwrecks of Japanese battleships buried as deep as 115 ft in waters off Samal Island.

?Davao is home to five of six marine turtles in the country. The Davao Gulf is included in the Coral Triangle Initiative...a region in the world where most of the marine species are found,? said Sonja Garcia, regional director of DOT Davao and a diver herself.

In Samal Island alone there are over 23 dive spots. A most-featured dive destination is the 5-kilometer Coral Garden in Talikud Island, an ocean of corals with around 250 species of aquarium fish, 53 of the 73 genera of Philippine corals, and nine of 13 species of sea grass.

The Marissa Reef, a dive spot also ideal for rookies, is a mountainous seabed with a beguiling deep-blue chasm just right after its peak, dropping over 100 feet before reaching the ocean floor. The peak is a feast for the eyes, with coral formations bursting with a myriad of fishes, sea horses and sea urchins.

To celebrate the sea, the city of Davao held the Caracoles costume festival at the Sta. Ana Wharf, to raise awareness on the importance of marine life preservation.

On its fifth year, the Caracoles festival (?caracoles? means ?seashells?) was participated in by the city?s top artists and designers.

While the deep blue is the obsession of divers, another option is the wild water adventure. The Davao Wild Water Adventure Inc. (Crocodile Park Compound, Riverfront Corporate City, Davao, call 301-2020) is the premier white-water rafting sports facility in the region. It takes newbies and experienced paddlers on a 15-km adrenalin-rush ride downstream the majestic Davao River. That?s how close you will be to nature.

Tourists are given thorough, on-location training on land and in the river, including paddling basics.

Safety is a primary concern. The comprehensive on-location execution of the techniques boosts one?s self-confidence in an unknown territory. Promising a row of downstream water adventures, such as swirling waters called ?washing machines,? sudden drops, ?kiss-the-walls? and more, the five-hour ride also brings you to the rich flora surrounding the river.

A different way of experiencing nature is through a thrilling zip-line cable ride at the Eden Nature Park in Mount Tolomo, a 60-hectare sprawl highlighting the glorious balance of nature. Named Skyrider, it takes adventurers hovering up to 60 ft over nature, zipping along a 200-meter cable line for that short but sweet rush.

The park, named by DOT as one of the greenest ecological tourist spots in the country, also serves organically grown vegetables, and rents out charming cottages, villas and rooms. It is also an animal and bird sanctuary.