Update: The typhoon has passed and the island is safe (October 23, 2026)
The wind peaked around midnight, 12 o'clock. For a first-timer like me, the noise was deafening. The locals are used to it, but they still prepared their homes carefully. Most of the houses in Itbayat Township had their windows boarded up with wood.
It's such a relief that Typhoon Champi's path veered away from the Batanes Islands. Itbayat, where I was, had only minor damage, which is really great. I don't know how the other islands fared.
In the video, you can see a unique jet of water shooting up from the rocks on the beach like a geyser. It looks like Old Faithful lol, at least to my eyes.
It seems there are hollow spaces in the rock structure, so the waves get in there and the force pushes the water out like a geyser. Nature is truly amazing.
Thank you to God and everyone who prayed for the safety of these islands.
They're called "blowholes," like a whale's spout. It's best not to go near them. Some of them also suck the water back in at the same spot they shot it out, so you could get pulled in along with the water.
I'd love to see more footage of the sea crashing against the Itbayat coast during or after a storm. Even though the sea looks this crazy, there's something transcendent and awe-inspiring about the sight.
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