If there's one thing that might dissuade people from going to Cotivas Island, it's its distance (from Paniman). You see, it's pretty far from the jump-off point and going there can take at least an hour. For an island hopping tour, that's quite a hassle. But I'm telling you that it'll all be worth it. Cotivas Island is a piece of paradise.

For day 1 of our island hopping tour in Caramoan, the owner of the homestay we stayed at (she also served as our tour guide) decided that we should go to farther islands first so the next day would be all breeze and roses, so to speak. Cotivas, being the farthest from Paniman, was first on the list. We could barely make out the island from the shore in Paniman, which gave us an idea how remote it was. True enough, the boat ride to the island took a long time (I even managed to have a quick nap). I can't imagine how grueling getting to Cotivas would be if the water's choppy. Fortunately that day, the sea's very tranquil, almost oil-like in some parts.
After one long hour, we arrived in the beautiful Cotivas Island. We were amazed by how clear the water was - you could see the seabed and the corals underneath.
Once the boat reached the shallow part of the shore, we excitedly hopped off and wandered about the sandbar, taking photos and taking a dip. After almost 16 hours of non-stop travelling from Manila, we were finally able to experience what Caramoan has to offer. And Cotivas Island was just the tip of an iceberg. We were quite lucky that there's no Survivor filming, otherwise this island would have been off-limits to public.
The island with its clear shallow waters and lovely strand of white sand is as picturesque as it can get. It's uninhabited, (most islands in Caramoan Peninsula are). A few tourists who got there ahead of us were leaving. Except for a group of excursionists and some local kids, we were the only people on the island.
After frolicking in the water and doing jumpshots and photoshoot, we took a hearty lunch under one of the huts that lined the sandbar.
As we munched on a generous serving of crabs and fresh grilled fish, we heard from a nearby hut that there's a Survivor contestant who fell in love with the island that he (or she?) decided to stay and marry a local. "You see the hut on that island, that's their house," I heard a woman saying.

The hut's on the left side, not captured on this photo.

 Looking at the island across, I could make out a house perched on the side of a rolling hill. If it's true, then I can totally imagine why that Survivor contestant decided to stay.

Time to leave Cotivas.

Next up: Sabitang-Laya