Hinatuan Pass, Philippines

[jim_thomsen]

We will be heading from Palau to the Philippines in a month or so. I'm still a little confused about the best way in. Siargao Passage seems easy, but Hinatuan looks a lot shorter.
I have read some blogs about Hinatuan that make it sound complicated, 8 knot currents, whirlpools, etc.
The information I have does not really cover Hinatuan.

1. Anyone with personal experience of this passage?
2. What's the best guide or source of information on it?

Thanks, once again, for the excellent help I get here!

Jim

[Kestrahl]

Originally Posted by jim_thomsen

We will be heading from Palau to the Philippines in a month or so. I'm still a little confused about the best way in. Siargao Passage seems easy, but Hinatuan looks a lot shorter.
I have read some blogs about Hinatuan that make it sound complicated, 8 knot currents, whirlpools, etc.
The information I have does not really cover Hinatuan.

1. Anyone with personal experience of this passage?
2. What's the best guide or source of information on it?

Thanks, once again, for the excellent help I get here!

Jim

We went in thru Hinatuan. We guessed the tide and got it half right. If you can find accurate tidal information then it is easy. An Aussie boat we know used a tide app on his Iphone and was perfect. We came in the first part pretty late, found a place to anchor. Then went on to Surigao city the second day. Don't bother trying to check in if you go there.

[Pelagic]

Hi Jim,
Don’t be intimidated by Hinatuan Pass, Whirlpools are minor and easy to read.
Much better than clawing up a lee shore to round up and into Siargao Passage.

I liken the Philippine NE Monsoon in January to the Xmas Trades in the Caribbean.
It blows the hardest that month so you want to get in via Whale Rock and relax.

In the winter months, the low low tides are during the day, so use the floods to make your landfall, then as Kestrahl suggests anchor and I would round Rasa Island about an hour before slack, still on the flood.

Say hi to Dermot and Sam

[Kestrahl]

We stayed the night south of lapinigan island entering from the east side. Friendly village. Looked in sohutan bay first but couldn't find anywhere shallow enough.

[jim_thomsen]

Thanks Pelagic and Kestrahl,

Sounds better! OK, we'll plan to stay around Lapinigan Island and then plan our timing to be around Rasa about 1 hour before high water Surigao (I hope the tide tables with my Navionics chart are close.)

And I will say hello to Sam and Dermot.

Thanks again for the help!
Jim

[jim_thomsen]

Actually high water at Rasa is reported in Sailing Directions to be 40 minutes before HW Surigao. But can be off by 40-50 minutes.

[Pelagic]

That sounds about right… given the confluence of so many inlets and large sea bodies of water on both sides of the Philippines the +/- 50 minutes is understandable.

Err on the side of getting a good kick past Rasa and out of the W side of Hinatuan Pass if you are not planning on anchoring at Suragao City during the ebb.

If your intent is still to push on towards Kudat or KK, then use that day time Flood tide to get out into the Bohol Sea before dark.

[jim_thomsen]

Thanks Pelagic.

If we pass Rasa around HW then we will be on the ebb as we enter the Bohol Sea, right? How much of a problem with that be? I know there is an anchorage at Pintuyan. Would you recommend trying to make it there, hopefully before dark and then continuing on the next day? Or should we just keep sailing?

[Pelagic]

Too many unknowns to answer.

Is Pintuyan just a detour night stop?
Or,
Are you in delivery mode towards Kudat or KK as your next official port of call from Koror?

If NE winds are blowing, then seas are steep, sharp and confused on an Ebb between Pt. Belar and the bottom end of Leyte. (Joining currents and winds) so not my choice if it is a detour.

If heading towards Kudat, then I would fashion a more comfortable course of about 255 and keep sailing towards Bonbonon, where I have option to quietly replenish/rest and keep going on my way towards Malaysia.

[jim_thomsen]

Once again, thank you Pelagic!
Sounds like we will just continue and then decide if we want/need to stop at Bonbonon. Otherwise we will just keep going to KK.

[Kestrahl]

Originally Posted by jim_thomsen

Once again, thank you Pelagic!
Sounds like we will just continue and then decide if we want/need to stop at Bonbonon. Otherwise we will just keep going to KK.

It would be a shame to miss so much of the Philippines, the 2 months we spent there was definitely more exciting than Boreno and I wouldn't be in any hurry to get to west coast Malaysia!

[wingssail]

We went in through Dapa Channel (09 44.4613 N 126 02.9781 E), no problems with current, and it lets you visit General Luna. Town of Dapa is interesting. A good gateway to PI