Is there anything more rewarding during your surface interval after a great dive than seeing unusual animals in your surroundings?

It was November and we had been for a great dive with big fishes and a lot of macro animals in one of our favorite dive sites here in Anda, Bohol. After the dive, we immediately got our coffee and started chatting and debriefing our dive, exchanging thoughts, when our boat captain spotted something not so far from the resort. We rushed to the scene and it there we had the magical experience to see a pod of dolphins in front of us with a surprise sighting of an albino dolphin! Witnessing an albino animal in the wild is such a rare phenomenon – could anything be more exciting?!?!

Albinism results from the animal’s cells failing to produce the melanin pigment responsible for some body part colorations. Hence, this animal lacks the skin cell pigment resulting in it being a pinkish-white dolphin.

As we rushed to look at the dolphins after our dive, we noticed something white. It was so obvious that we could clearly see the white animal mixed with the grey individuals at a certain distance before we arrived. The first question that raised in my head was: “What species of dolphins are these?”

As I looked and observed, I noticed the recognizable lines or scratches all over their bodies (all of them that is except for the white one). Then, looking at their faces when we were closer, it was then I realized that they were Risso’s Dolphins. The white animal that we saw was a rare juvenile Albino Risso’s swimming with them. Ohlalah…. JACKPOT!!!! This was the highlight of a lifetime!!!

I started screaming with joy calling the beautiful animal “PUTI” which literally means white. With them swimming, we went close by to appreciate PUTI and the rest of the pod every time they surfaced for breathing. Together we shared about 20mins of full excitement. And we ended our surface interval incredibly happy and ready for the next exciting dive, waiting to be surprised underwater.

I will never forget this magical moment of the albino dolphin. Hopefully, PUTI and I will meet again sometime and I will be seeing this white beauty again, healthy and adorable.

Written by: Marlon Managa – dive center manager and Marine Biologist at Magic Oceans Dive Resort.

Visit Magic Oceans Anda, Bohol and Magic Island Moalboal, Cebu… find out more at www.magicresorts.online.

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In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Linden Wolbert – Mermaid Linden.

Professional Mermaid Linden Wolbert is a real mermaid whose passion is educating children about the wonders of our oceans, swimming safety and ocean conservation as well as exploration and inspiring our world’s youngest ocean ambassadors.

Linden shares the life aquatic via the “Mermaid Minute,” her successful educational web series, which “edutains” young viewers about ocean life and marine habitats. Her YouTube channel to date has 93.7K subscribers and 53,159,186 views.

She loves science and natural history. Linden has teamed up with Body Glove International, designing her own line of kid’s mermaid-inspired swim products, available on her website! She has performed and travelled all over the world for over a decade “merforming” for fundraisers, events, wishes for kids and underwater filming. Known as “the Mermaid to the Stars”, she is hired by Hollywood’s finest to entertain and spread magic through her work.

Over the coming months, Scubaverse will be sharing Linden’s video series ‘Mermaid Minute’ with the occasional video from her ‘Mermaid Wish Videos’.

Find out more about Linden at www.youtube.com/user/MermaidsInMotion

Rather listen to a podcast? Listen to the audio HERE on the new Scubaverse podcast channel at Anchor FM.