THE OCTAGONAL LIGHTHOUSE

Mahatao Lighthouse - Mahatao, Batanes - 10/10/2010

The Mahatao Lighthouse dates back to 1700s. It is located on a high ground near the San Carlos Borromeo Church. The Mahatao lighthouse functions like an ordinary modern lighthouse, but one thing separates it from the modern ones, it provides a simple but very ingenious means of guiding boats to port during night. From the sea, the boats from the sea follows a course in which the two lighthouses signals though merging their lights as one. This would be a path in the sea that have no coral reefs of rocks. When the light of the two lighthouses go separately, this means that the boat is going the wrong direction and in danger of running aground on the reefs or could possibly smash into huge boulders that litter the in coastline of Batan Island.

Photography Gears: Nikon D80 + Sigma 10-20mm
Settings: 10mm, 1/160 secs, f9, ISO 100