Laswitan, A Nature-carved Seawater Pool

i first heard of laswitan in 1998. it was a group of my friends in our college organ or publication who delivered to me this new attraction in cortes, a 5th class municipality of surigao del sur, whose poeple speaks a boholano-like dialect. the place then was reachable only by a landrover or a dirt 4×4 truck or jeep plus a kilometer or more hike since there were no pave roads in going there. 

it’s so ironic since even the people of cortes were unaware of this magnificent place. i surmise that it must be my friends who started to spread the news of this would-be tourist destination in the province. we also feature this in one of our college pubication releases in that year. the locals can’t even discern where laswitan is nestled. they believe that this is located in barrrio uba. laswitan’s actual location is in barrio madrelino. madrelino is about 8 kilometers away from the town proper. it can also be reached by boat.

laswitan is like an art-material natural pool with clear undiluted seawater. it is quitely nestled in between mountains directly facing the mighty pacific ocean. it is composed of three pools of seawater. the seawater from the ocean comes from a narrow passage during high tides and through the frequent splashing of the giant waves that push the rock mountain.  the revitalizing water then trickles down the slope into the pools.

the splashing of water in surigaonon dialect is laswit. thus, the name of LASWITAN due to the continuous splashing of seawater on the rock mountain. you can actually find a variety of fish in the pool.

residents of madrelino and the local government unit, then, have not realized the potential of this place for tourism except us, the young adventure-loving journalists from the capital of surigao del sur. we knew then that it’s easy to sell the place to tourists because nearby is also a great place for extreme water surfing sports. actually, few foreign extreme surfers had already visited and done surfing there.

besides, we found laswitan being enchanted. we believe that the place could be or could had been a party venue of mystical people who live in the forest; mountains and forest provide the backdrop of the seawater pools. you will be amazed by the rock or stone formations surrounding the pool area. bigger versions of driftwood furnitures - tables and chairs, lined the area as if parties of mystical giants were being conducted there.

laswitan then offers a very relaxing experience for tourist. you will not just enjoy the cool breeze and the refreshing seawater from the mighty pacific ocean, you will also savor the embrace of nature from mountains and forest in its background.

imagine the envigorating experience of playing in the rain. imagine swimming in the beach or dipping in the swimming pool while heaven freshen you up with tiny water drops. laswitan offers that experience. the pounding of big waves from the pacific on the rock mountain brings a continious showers of seawater.it seems to be raininig in a hot sunny day.

but i was saddened by the news that two years ago treasure hunters had raped its innocence. rocks resembling party tables and chairs were destroyed in search of the coveted treasure which the locals believe never had existed. i was disappointed that after we made the place somehow known to the people of cortes, the local government was not too quick to protect and preserved its glorious beauty.  (more…)