A swarm of strong earthquakes rattled the Philippines over the past week. Professional SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diver Jan Paul Rodriguez captured one of the most terrifying experiences on Earth as he and his team got caught in an underwater earthquake in the Philippines.
On April 8, a magnitude 5.7 quake jolted the province of Batangas near the municipality of Mabini. Moreover, it was immediately followed by a magnitude 6.0 ground-shake that prompted people to rush out of their homes. Apparently, the disaster first struck on April 4 with an initial strength of magnitude 5.5.
According to IFL Science, the video showed trembling sea bed while sand and rocks slowly rise as the ground rumbled. Rodriguez told various media outfits that the quake felt like a "huge propeller" of a big boat turning directly above them. The shockwave hurt their ears and he and his colleagues experienced heavy breathing due to sudden changes in temperature.
Currently, his video has gained over 413,000 views and 2,700 likes on Facebook. Consequently, roughly 1,900 people shared his post since the time of posting. Local experts believe that Rodriguez's footage may help in seismology, especially in understanding the behavior of marine mammals during an underwater earthquake.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) explained that the series of quakes in Batangas is a result of incremental movements from a still unnamed fault spanning in Tingloy Island. Nevertheless, PHIVOLCS ruled out the possibility of a tsunami in the province famous for beach activities like SCUBA diving. Well, the Philippines is one of the countries located within the "Ring of Fire", where numerous tectonic plates and volcanic belts are constantly moving and erupting.
Another threat to the Filipinos is the anticipated movement of the West Valley Fault that is expected to be around 7.2 in magnitude. Basically, this type of fault would cause serious to severe damages to infrastructures. Dubbed as "The Big One", the West Valley Fault moves every 400 years and this year is about the time for it to do so. PHIVOLCS says there is no way to predict an earthquake so everyone must be prepared.
