Mag Aso Falls Philippine Islands

[BOD]

I love visiting waterfalls and swimming in them as do my kids.

Often while with others people do not take heed when I tell them to take it easy and I feel like an old Cassandra.

Reading water and weather is an essential survival skill and I seldom enter jungle plunge pools without knowing the previous 24 hours weather.

Flash floods happen and trees come over the edge of waterfalls even during ordinary flows.

This was sent to me in an email. The witness was known to a member of the NGO I work with.

They had just arrived at a popular falls after some rain which had stopped.

It’s a not a deep pool nor a tall drop.

a couple of lads were playing with a raft and then went onto the ledge under the falls

He obviously found the girl to be photogenic but note the picnic table and hut

While taking more photos the flow suddenly increased

In another 30 seconds the flow was even greater

Ledge definately below water level

Downstream higher still

Upstream again and then they cleared out without knowing the fate of the two lads

A few days later the bodies were found.

There have been a few incidents in this part of the world this year. 4 tourists sat on a rock in the stream at the top of a waterfall in Tioman and were washed away when the level rose.

Be careful when you visit waterfalls. its almost irresistable to go in and play

 

[korvin karbon]

Is there any reason other than rainfall that can cause a surge like that?

 

[BOD]

Its basically rain fall as the catchment area is often large and the runoff quick because of the steepness of the hill slopes.

the ravines cannot contain the water so the flow is fast. In some areas the soil ersosion contributes to the problem as the degraded forest is not able to soak up the water as It can do in a rainforest.

If there was lake upstream a landslide could conceivably cause it but its is clear from the stream size that there is not likely to be a large body of water up stream.

 

[Gill]

my god Bod ,i did,nt expect that mate from the first few pics .i,ve never seen anything like that ,frightening .

 

[Galemys]

Wow...That was an eye-opener!

Cheers,

Tom