You can do various types of banca boat trips from Bali Hai:

* A 2-hour local trip
* A 3-hour fishing trip
* An all day trip to the Hundred Islands

You can find more details of these trips here.

Our receptionist will be happy to tell you more about the different trips, but in this article we will tell you about the 2-hour local trip and how you can get the best from it.

The Banca and Safety
You may be asking "what is a banca?" A banca is a local boat, usually used for offshore fishing. These colorful trimarans often line the beach as far as the eye can see.

The double ended hull is plywood; the floats and crossbeams are bamboo. The entire craft is held together with fishing line. Even the throttle is a loop of fishing line wrapped around a crossbeam.

Powered by a Briggs and Stratton 16 horse power petrol engine, they can travel at high speed - over 20 knots in smooth water. Fishermen regularly venture up to 60 miles offshore in these little craft ... for more details see the article "The Fishermen of Bauang."

Despite their size these little boats are incredibly safe and are operated by members of the Resort Boatmen's Association of Bauang (RBAB). In order to join the RBAB each boatman must first pass a first aid examination jointly set by the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Red Cross. The examination includes a one mile swim in open water.

Once licensed, the boatmen add the letters RBAB to their hulls, signifying that the boat is available for tourist charter.

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