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It’s said that there is at least one Filipino on almost every sea vessel in the world, whether it’s a cargo ship or a cruise ship. In fact, sea-based workers from the Philippines comprise 25% of more than 1.5 million mariners worldwide, according to government statistics.
This legacy of seafaring goes way back before the Manila galleons or Spanish trading ships which, for 250 years, traveled the Pacific Ocean between Asia and Mexico.
That the Philippines produces a large number of the seafaring workforce today should not come as a surprise. After all, the country is an archipelago with more than 7,100 islands — and boats were the only mode of transportation between bodies of water before there was any infrastructure.
Around the country, double outrigger boats are used for fishing, tourism and transportation. The difference between them is that in the Visayas, the paraws are not motorized and simply rely on wind to travel great distances. Elsewhere, however, motorized outrigger boats (or pump boats) are used for island hopping, and in Palawan larger ones are built for live-aboard diving expeditions.
With the warm sun and wind in your face and floating above coral carpets, sailing in the Philippines is a breathtaking experience. In the country’s top tourist destinations you can jump off the boat to snorkel in marine sanctuaries (Balicasag, Palawan, Puerto Galera), or sail alongside turtles (Apo island) and whale sharks (Oslob and Donsol).
The outrigger boats are made of the main hull (bangka), katig (outriggers to keep the boat from tipping over) and layag (sails). While traditional paraws are made from different species of Philippine hardwood and bamboo, there are others that use plywood and aluminum to keep the cost down.