Banca Boats

This is a type and style of boat that is common in fareast asia countries that border water or are surrounded by it. It usually uses bamboo poles on one side (sometimes both), that act as a stabilizer and as flotation. It got the name "banca" by the unique sound it's motor makes.  It sounds like "banca, banca, banca" when it is running. It can be small in size (5 feet), and can go up to the size used to haul passengers and gear (30 feet). It is mainly used by the locals for fishing or diving. They usually carry small nets or throw nets, and others carry a generator and tubing for breathing while diving. I have ridden in many banca boats of all sizes. But I'm not about to go diving with just a flexible tube and small generator to support me.  Not gonna happen! This is usually done by young men or boys who need to stay down longer to gather what they went for.  It could be oysters (for the pearls), or sea snakes, or certain types of coral. The good and bad of this type of boat is that they can go out quite far sometimes.  The good is that if their engine dies (no spare), they have paddles to use to get back, since the banca is shaped much like a canoe. And it usually rides very close to the surface of the water. The bad is what I just said above; no spare motor, and you have to paddle back.  That's a long way and a lot of work.In the area where I live, there are numerous small streams and inlets from the ocean.  Many of the locals live near these small rivers, and their boat is parked right behind their house.  They can navigate down the stream, straight to the ocean. And, if you know about ocean fishing, it's all about the tides. You need to know when the tide is going to be high and when it will be low. The fish obviously come in with the high tide, and go out with the low. The streams can go from only a few feet deep at low tide, to over 15 feet deep at high tide. These bancas are perfect for this type of navigation, as they can maneuver in and out of high or low tide as needed. Many of my neighbors use set nets or "catch nets" that they put right in the middle of the inlet. They can only get to those nets with a boat. Many times a week, they bring fish to our house, either as a gift, or we buy them.  It depends on what type of fish and how much they are worth. We never have a lack of fish (too bad I don't eat much fish!). It's nice that they offer the fish to my wife, as she, of course, likes fish very much. Obviously some fish taste better than others; some are far more expensive to buy; and some are very rare. My wife doesn't mind to pay them for certain fish, as she gets them cheaper that way, and the fisherman doesn't have to go all the way into town to make money. And it's a "neighbor sharing with neighbor" thing. Banca boats, for many of the people in my area, are used as transportation, too. There is a big inlet that goes straight by the edge of our town. They can go to town in their boat if needed. Many times we have used these boats to take our harvest into town. Also , when someone is restocking their personal pond with fingerlings, they use banca boats to "float" the fingerlings to the pond (actually floating the fingerlings in plastic bags tied to the boat. It is too heavy to carry around the bags, and it causes many of them to die from shock. Keeping them "in the water" helps them stay calm and makes it easier to transport. Fingerlings are a big investment, as they are usually bought 2500 at a time, and can't be wasted. This type and style of living requires the banca boats.  They are a necessity. Therefore, they are a part of the daily life of the Filipino fisherman.