LOOK: A free dive instructor and photographer from Moalboal town, southern Cebu captures this underwater photo of couple AlNiño Obguia and Dayle Lim Mercado doing the viral stunt popularized by celebrity couple Ellen and Derek Ramsay. The photo was taken in Tongo, Moalboal town. | Photo by Niccolo Stevens
CEBU, Philippines—There’s no better way to try Ellen and Derek Ramsay’s viral stunt than doing it under the sea.
This underwater photo of a frontliner couple from Leyte is making rounds online as they brought the viral challenge to a whole new level.
Freedive instructor and photographer Niccolo Stevens captured AlNiño Obguia and Dayle Lim Mercado doing the viral stunt popularized by celebrity couple Ellen and Derek Ramsay.
“It was never our intention to do the challenge. We were just having fun with our friends in Nicco’s place and we came up with an idea to have a fun photoshoot in the reefs. The pose just came out spontaneously maybe because it was trending,” Obguia told CDN Digital.
“To be honest we are just laughing about it… We were not expecting that the photo is going viral. We were just having fun,” Obguia added.
The photo was taken in Tongo, Moalboal town on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, a day after Valentine’s Day.
Obguia agrees that the stunt was challenging saying it needs teamwork just like in a relationship.
“The stunt is more of a side trip. Freediving has always been our outlet to relieve tension from our hectic schedules specially both of us are working in the hospital (Dayle as medical technologist and me as a nurse). Performing it was really challenging though. it needs a lot of patience.. But because we work as a team we can overcome any obstacle that arises,” said Obguia.
Obguia is a free diving instructor too and has been free diving for over six years now.
His girlfriend, Mercado, learned to free dive from him and is a certified level 1 molchanovs freediver under Streamline Freediving, a freediving school they founded.
The photo posted on CDN Digital’s Facebook page has reached over 7,600 reactions and 600 shares as of this writing.
Ellen Adarna and Derek Ramsay also shared the photo on their Instagram stories. /rcg