Philippines trip advice sort.

Whiskeyjack · September 18

On 9/17/2024 at 4:57 AM, Troporobo said:

I’ve only had the chance to see mandarin fish at Anilao and Malapascua. Both sites required a boat ride, though fairly short and certainly pleasant at sunset. I’m not aware of a “house reef” in the Philippines that has them. Maybe others know?

One of the resorts in Anilao has mandarin fish on the house reef, I think it's the Aiyanar house reef? It's been a few years...

Troporobo · September 18

No kidding?! Wish I’d known that during the years I was staying and diving just down the road!

We always found mandarinfish in the shallow rubble near the wreck of the Dari Laut at Maricaban Island. It’s a short ride from most spots on the Anilao side. A late afternoon dive looking for painted frogfish on the wreck then waiting til dusk for the mandarinfish was a favorite way to end the day.

Kim R · September 18

@Mark H Just catching this thread, and I'm not sure if you're flexible on your timing, but I have a group headed to Puerto Galera (we stay at Edgewater Resort and really like it) in late April/into early May 2025 (as we're combining it with a Palau liveaboard and the flights to Palau work well in/out of Manila).

Anyway if that interests you, I'm happy to pass on the details. Love the diving in Puerto Galera (and Philippines in general).

Kim 🙂

Mark H · September 19

10 hours ago, Kim R said:

@Mark H Just catching this thread, and I'm not sure if you're flexible on your timing, but I have a group headed to Puerto Galera (we stay at Edgewater Resort and really like it) in late April/into early May 2025 (as we're combining it with a Palau liveaboard and the flights to Palau work well in/out of Manila).

Anyway if that interests you, I'm happy to pass on the details. Love the diving in Puerto Galera (and Philippines in general).

Kim 🙂

That sounds amazing but our holidays mean that it is going to be sometime after January but before mid March. In 2026 I'm hoping to retire in May so I think I'll have to be working in April and the beginning of May.

Thank you so much for the kind offer 💗 as it would have been great to meet up with other waterpixelers. I think we are thinking about Raja Ampt in late 2026 if anyone is doing anything then. Then in 2027 we should both me retired and our plan is 3 months a year in Asia diving at our ease as much as we can afford 🤪. Should be able to meet up with others and chance for me to actually learn to take half decent pictures 😂.

TimG · September 19

2 hours ago, Mark H said:

Then in 2027 we should both me retired and our plan is 3 months a year in Asia diving at our ease as much as we can afford 🤪

Sounds brilliant! Good for you guys!

JustinO · September 19

On 9/16/2024 at 11:34 AM, Mark H said:

My wife is now fixated on a "house reef" with ideally a chance to see Mandarin fish at some stage. I'm more take of leave on that - they are pretty but they aren't my first criteria. How difficult is that going to be to achieve? I could be she just want to see Mandarin fish but any house reef will do as long as we get a decent chance to see these colour fish😂.

PG has a mandarin dive right in the harbour outside Sabang, somewhere near Asia Divers and Atlantis. It's right in the harbour but from what I know people still go by boat (maybe for safety?). Upside is it's pretty close to some resorts, and the fish are pretty much guaranteed, but that brings the downside too. There's no agreement between resorts as to "who dives what night"- so it's hit or miss as to whether you have it to yourself or whether it's crowded.

It can be a bit dull- hovering in one spot for 20+ mins waiting...waiting... and waiting - less fun if the current picks up!

We had one nice dive pretty much all to ourselves with one other small group - the second was awful: far too many people, some of whom from one of resorts beginning with "A" were either incredibly badly briefed or just thoughtless, clueless, and selfish.

Kim R · September 19

12 hours ago, Mark H said:

That sounds amazing but our holidays mean that it is going to be sometime after January but before mid March. In 2026 I'm hoping to retire in May so I think I'll have to be working in April and the beginning of May.

Thank you so much for the kind offer 💗 as it would have been great to meet up with other waterpixelers. I think we are thinking about Raja Ampt in late 2026 if anyone is doing anything then. Then in 2027 we should both me retired and our plan is 3 months a year in Asia diving at our ease as much as we can afford 🤪. Should be able to meet up with others and chance for me to actually learn to take half decent pictures 😂.

Hi Mark!

Ah gotcha, sounds like a great plan to me! That’s awesome! We actually are doing a big Raja trip in 2026 but late March into early April! I don’t have it posted yet but can share when I do!

Kim 🙂

OneYellowTang · September 21

Anilao is also a decent location to see rhinopias... they are not common, but they are definitely found more frequenly than in many other locations.

Edited September 21 by OneYellowTang
text was lost

OneYellowTang · September 21

Lots of good info being shared here...

I would just add - we've done the PG-Anilao combination several times, and new prefer "just" Anilao. It's target rich, easy to get to, and diving is very good (another big fan of Crystal Blue here). In addition, PG can be crowded, the harbor is a mess (but you can avoid this area), and Sabang at night is a bit of a dump. I am headed back to Anilao in about 3 weeks...

Re:mandarinfish - there are a couple of spots were they are consistently (like nightly) found, however I (now) much prefer blackwater diving in Anilao (vs. any other night dives or dusk dives). If you are interested in blackwater dives, Anilao is easily one of the best in the world for these dives (and it's very easy here).

We were back in Lembeh this summer, and the guides showed us a spot where the mandarinfish can now occasionally be found out swimming in the coral during the day. They were both less skittish, and easier to shoot (although no mating behahavior during the day).

Mark H · September 23

On 9/21/2024 at 9:04 AM, OneYellowTang said:

If you are interested in blackwater dives, Anilao is easily one of the best in the world for these dives (and it's very easy here).

Again, more useful information, thanks. I've never done blackwater diving. While we have travelled a fair bit it has typically been on liveaboards or UK diving. I'm hoping that retirement means I can get approval to do more obscure types of diving rather than making the best compromise decisions for a week or two week holiday.

Whiskeyjack · September 24

14 hours ago, Mark H said:

Again, more useful information, thanks. I've never done blackwater diving. While we have travelled a fair bit it has typically been on liveaboards or UK diving. I'm hoping that retirement means I can get approval to do more obscure types of diving rather than making the best compromise decisions for a week or two week holiday.

There is lots of blackwater in Anilao (Crystal Blue is a good spot for that as others have mentioned, the owner Mike likes to do blackwater dives), and it's also offered in Romblon. Anilao also has what they call "bonfire" diving which is similar in concept, but they stay shallow and place the lights in the sand instead of on ropes out in the blue. I would try to contact Ram Yoro if you're interested in bonfire, he's the guy who pioneered it and offers courses, etc. It's generally cheaper than blackwater dives as you don't need a boat.

bghazzal · October 3

On 9/24/2024 at 8:37 AM, Whiskeyjack said:

There is lots of blackwater in Anilao (Crystal Blue is a good spot for that as others have mentioned, the owner Mike likes to do blackwater dives), and it's also offered in Romblon. Anilao also has what they call "bonfire" diving which is similar in concept, but they stay shallow and place the lights in the sand instead of on ropes out in the blue. I would try to contact Ram Yoro if you're interested in bonfire, he's the guy who pioneered it and offers courses, etc. It's generally cheaper than blackwater dives as you don't need a boat.

Rebounding on this thread, would anyone have recommendations for a mostly blackwater/bonfire dive focused trip?

I'm leaving Bali in December for Japan, but will have to do a visa-run late February, and the idea of a week in Anilao seems like an interesting winter-option.
Having spent 2 years shooting macro in the Tulamben/Amed area, other than mimic/wunderpus encounters the main attraction for me would be bonfire and actual blackwater dives.

Reading this great article on blackwater as pioneered by Mike Bartick at Crystal Blue Resort
https://indopacificimages.com/getting-into-blackwater-diving-the-anilao-night-shift/

if I understand correctly seems that you get back to land at around 1am - based on people's experience, would you think it possible to do a blackwater/bonfire focused stay, ie diving only at night, or are the blackwater dives, given the logistics - mostly a once-a-week / enough-guests-interested kind of setup?

It would be great to try to get 4 or 5 evenings on a week-long stay for instance, but maybe for this it's easier to join whoever is organising blackwater dives than diving with the same resort?

cheers
ben

Edited October 3 by bghazzal

Giancarlo M. · October 3

7 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Rebounding on this thread, would anyone have recommendations for a mostly blackwater/bonfire dive focused trip?

I'm keaving Bali in December for Japan, but will have to do a visa-run late February, and the idea of a week in Anilao seems like an interesting winter-option.
Having spent 2 years shooting macro in the Tulamben/Amed area, other than mimic/wunderpus encounters the main attraction for me would be bonfire and actual blackwater dives.

Reading this great article on blackwater as pioneered by Mike Bartick at Crystal Blue Resort
https://indopacificimages.com/getting-into-blackwater-diving-the-anilao-night-shift/

if I understand correctly seems that you get back to land at around 1am - based on people's experience, would you think it possible to do a blackwater/bonfire focused stay, ie diving only at night, or are the blackwater dives, given the logistics - mostly a once-a-week / enough-guests-interested kind of setup?

It would be great to try to get 4 or 5 evenings on a week-long stay for instance, but maybe for this it's easier to join whoever is organising blackwater dives than diving with the same resort?

cheers
ben

February is a great time for Blackwater in Anilao. The water temperature is colder at this time, so a 5 or 7 mm is recommended if you are particularly cold.

I have been to the Anilao Photo Academy many times and I can recommend them. They come out practically every night to do BW if there are guests who want to do BW. As for logistics, the dive spot is very close to the resort so when you are done you go back to the resort.

The first dive is around 19:00 but if you're alone I doubt you'll be able to make a second dive, so I suggest you contact the resort directly.

In January 2023 I was with a group of 5 friends and we asked to do 3 Blackwater per night, APA organised everything perfectly for us.

Davide DB · October 3

2 hours ago, Giancarlo M. said:

In January 2023 I was with a group of 5 friends and we asked to do 3 Blackwater per night, APA organised everything perfectly for us.

BW addicted! 😁

Whiskeyjack · October 4

21 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Rebounding on this thread, would anyone have recommendations for a mostly blackwater/bonfire dive focused trip?

I'm leaving Bali in December for Japan, but will have to do a visa-run late February, and the idea of a week in Anilao seems like an interesting winter-option.
Having spent 2 years shooting macro in the Tulamben/Amed area, other than mimic/wunderpus encounters the main attraction for me would be bonfire and actual blackwater dives.

Reading this great article on blackwater as pioneered by Mike Bartick at Crystal Blue Resort
https://indopacificimages.com/getting-into-blackwater-diving-the-anilao-night-shift/

if I understand correctly seems that you get back to land at around 1am - based on people's experience, would you think it possible to do a blackwater/bonfire focused stay, ie diving only at night, or are the blackwater dives, given the logistics - mostly a once-a-week / enough-guests-interested kind of setup?

It would be great to try to get 4 or 5 evenings on a week-long stay for instance, but maybe for this it's easier to join whoever is organising blackwater dives than diving with the same resort?

cheers
ben

I'm pretty sure the resorts that do blackwater (Crystal Blue, Anilao Photo Academy) will do blackwater any night you want to. There might be an additional charge if you're the only diver since they have to take the boat out. I've only done 1 dive per night but they might do 2, you'd want to contact them as suggested.

bghazzal · October 6

On 10/3/2024 at 9:41 PM, Giancarlo M. said:

February is a great time for Blackwater in Anilao. The water temperature is colder at this time, so a 5 or 7 mm is recommended if you are particularly cold.

I have been to the Anilao Photo Academy many times and I can recommend them. They come out practically every night to do BW if there are guests who want to do BW. As for logistics, the dive spot is very close to the resort so when you are done you go back to the resort.

The first dive is around 19:00 but if you're alone I doubt you'll be able to make a second dive, so I suggest you contact the resort directly.

In January 2023 I was with a group of 5 friends and we asked to do 3 Blackwater per night, APA organised everything perfectly for us.

Thanks Giancarlo! I'm actually ok with doing just one dive at night - I'm doing this here in Bali, entering the water at 7 to 7:30pm, and by the time I'm out, equipment rinsed, soaked and I'm desalted and fed I usually end up sleeping at 11pm to midnight (yes, I'm slow).

I could do one morning dive and one night BW for instance, it's ok. 3 night dives is bordering fanatical, but I get it 😄

Some additional questions:

Did you return to the resort between the dives? If there are a lot of subjects, 2 dives would mean changing the battery on the boat - video is not forgiving - which is not something I'm a fan of anyway)

Also did you notice any behavioural / subject type change as it got later? As I've said, I'm diving not long after sunset here, 7/7:30pm, but I can't help wondering if later would be better, as the great migration probably takes a bit of time to get underway

And lastly, how cold does it get in February? At night here I dive in a 5mm with light hood here and I'm fine at 29°C (no wetsuit during the day), but when I was working in Komodo the same 5mm felt quite chilly at 26/27°C (or even 24 to 21C° on a strong rising tide from the deeper south...)

26/27°C is basically on the line for me, can do an hour but not much more. And on a boat at night, brrrr

thanks!

On 10/4/2024 at 11:38 AM, Whiskeyjack said:

I'm pretty sure the resorts that do blackwater (Crystal Blue, Anilao Photo Academy) will do blackwater any night you want to. There might be an additional charge if you're the only diver since they have to take the boat out. I've only done 1 dive per night but they might do 2, you'd want to contact them as suggested.

That's good to know, thanks! I'll get in touch in the near future, see what's possible 🙂

Edited October 6 by bghazzal

Whiskeyjack · October 6

5 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Thanks Giancarlo! I'm actually ok with doing just one dive at night - I'm doing this here in Bali, entering the water at 7 to 7:30pm, and by the time I'm out, equipment rinsed, soaked and I'm desalted and fed I usually end up sleeping at 11pm to midnight (yes, I'm slow).

I could do one morning dive and one night BW for instance, it's ok. 3 night dives is bordering fanatical, but I get it 😄

Some additional questions:

Did you return to the resort between the dives? If there are a lot of subjects, 2 dives would mean changing the battery on the boat - video is not forgiving - which is not something I'm a fan of anyway)

Also did you notice any behavioural / subject type change as it got later? As I've said, I'm diving not long after sunset here, 7/7:30pm, but I can't help wondering if later would be better, as the great migration probably takes a bit of time to get underway

And lastly, how cold does it get in February? At night here I dive in a 5mm with light hood here and I'm fine at 29°C (no wetsuit during the day), but when I was working in Komodo the same 5mm felt quite chilly at 26/27°C (or even 24 to 21C° on a strong rising tide from the deeper south...)

26/27°C is basically on the line for me, can do an hour but not much more. And on a boat at night, brrrr

thanks!

That's good to know, thanks! I'll get in touch in the near future, see what's possible 🙂

I don't think they would return to the resort between blackwater dives but I could be wrong.

Are you talking about air temps or water temps? Feb is the coldest water temps here in PH, I would expect 23-26C in the water. Air temps don't really go below 26C.

I run warm but dive a sharkskin (2mm equivalent) down to about 22C with no issue. It's rare to see 5mm suits here and I've never seen anyone diving 7mm. Most people have 3mm suits and perhaps a hooded vest if they run cold.

bghazzal · October 6

32 minutes ago, Whiskeyjack said:

I don't think they would return to the resort between blackwater dives but I could be wrong.

Are you talking about air temps or water temps? Feb is the coldest water temps here in PH, I would expect 23-26C in the water. Air temps don't really go below 26C.

I run warm but dive a sharkskin (2mm equivalent) down to about 22C with no issue. It's rare to see 5mm suits here and I've never seen anyone diving 7mm. Most people have 3mm suits and perhaps a hooded vest if they run cold.

Thanks - 23-26°C is quite cold indeed...

If I wear a wetsuit in the tropics it's a 5mm... Did that in Thailand, Indonesia, but i was working there and doing 3 to 4 dives a day on liveaboards, so getting cold easier.
26/27°C is the average Komodo temp, and it's 5mm and hood for most, myself included... 24°C is not uncommon and that gets really cold

I think I will be ok with my 5mm + top and hood - I hate 7mm, and prefer diving dry if it comes to that (regular temps under 23°C for instance).
My current 5mm is still fairly new - in Palau, where i was working last I dived without a suit all year, just a top and leggings, so the suit stayed in a cupboard.
Palau's not too far from the Philippines so was expecting similar temps in the 29°C zone... ouch...

In east Bali where I am now, average is 29° - i've been diving suitless the past two years, with just my old top and leggings, but do bring out the 5mm for night dives, super comfy and also great protection for the scooter ride home, which is freezing...

cheers

Edited October 6 by bghazzal

Whiskeyjack · October 7

20 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Thanks - 23-26°C is quite cold indeed...

If I wear a wetsuit in the tropics it's a 5mm... Did that in Thailand, Indonesia, but i was working there and doing 3 to 4 dives a day on liveaboards, so getting cold easier.
26/27°C is the average Komodo temp, and it's 5mm and hood for most, myself included... 24°C is not uncommon and that gets really cold

I think I will be ok with my 5mm + top and hood - I hate 7mm, and prefer diving dry if it comes to that (regular temps under 23°C for instance).
My current 5mm is still fairly new - in Palau, where i was working last I dived without a suit all year, just a top and leggings, so the suit stayed in a cupboard.
Palau's not too far from the Philippines so was expecting similar temps in the 29°C zone... ouch...

In east Bali where I am now, average is 29° - i've been diving suitless the past two years, with just my old top and leggings, but do bring out the 5mm for night dives, super comfy and also great protection for the scooter ride home, which is freezing...

cheers

I just pulled out my teric logs to confirm I wasn't off on my temps. I have low temps of 24.5C in Feb of 2020, 25 in Feb 2021, 26C in 2022, 26C in 2023, didn't dive this Feb.

So it likely won't reach 23C but 25 I would expect. Outside Feb-March it would be similar to Indonesia at 27-30C

Mark H · October 7

23 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Thanks - 23-26°C is quite cold indeed...

If I wear a wetsuit in the tropics it's a 5mm... Did that in Thailand, Indonesia, but i was working there and doing 3 to 4 dives a day on liveaboards, so getting cold easier.
26/27°C is the average Komodo temp, and it's 5mm and hood for most, myself included... 24°C is not uncommon and that gets really cold

I think I will be ok with my 5mm + top and hood - I hate 7mm, and prefer diving dry if it comes to that (regular temps under 23°C for instance).
My current 5mm is still fairly new - in Palau, where i was working last I dived without a suit all year, just a top and leggings, so the suit stayed in a cupboard.
Palau's not too far from the Philippines so was expecting similar temps in the 29°C zone... ouch...

In east Bali where I am now, average is 29° - i've been diving suitless the past two years, with just my old top and leggings, but do bring out the 5mm for night dives, super comfy and also great protection for the scooter ride home, which is freezing...

cheers

It's funny isn't it. Some people run warm and some cold. In the uk I dive a neoprene drysuit and undersuit thermals from 4°C to 18/19°C (that we get in the hottest parts of the summer), my wife has two different weights of undersuit and a thermal battery powered heater vest for anything below 12°C. In warmer water I still need a 5mm in the 20-25°C range and can get away with a 3mm for 24°C and above. Some of my friends get away with just rash vests and suits at +24°C but my wife is in 7mm in 20°C and 5mm up to at least 27/28°C😂.

Always be comfortable, as what business is it of anyone else😂.

Edited October 7 by Mark H

Mark H · October 7

2 hours ago, Whiskeyjack said:

I just pulled out my teric logs to confirm I wasn't off on my temps. I have low temps of 24.5C in Feb of 2020, 25 in Feb 2021, 26C in 2022, 26C in 2023, didn't dive this Feb.

So it likely won't reach 23C but 25 I would expect. Outside Feb-March it would be similar to Indonesia at 27-30C

Are the temps the same in March as Feb? At 24-26 is my 3mm to 5mm cross over point🤪.

Thank you for the really useful info so far. I has been really helpful.

Giancarlo M. · October 7

On 10/6/2024 at 5:30 AM, bghazzal said:

Did you return to the resort between the dives? If there are a lot of subjects, 2 dives would mean changing the battery on the boat - video is not forgiving - which is not something I'm a fan of anyway)

Also did you notice any behavioural / subject type change as it got later? As I've said, I'm diving not long after sunset here, 7/7:30pm, but I can't help wondering if later would be better, as the great migration probably takes a bit of time to get underway

And lastly, how cold does it get in February? At night here I dive in a 5mm with light hood here and I'm fine at 29°C (no wetsuit during the day), but when I was working in Komodo the same 5mm felt quite chilly at 26/27°C (or even 24 to 21C° on a strong rising tide from the deeper south...)

26/27°C is basically on the line for me, can do an hour but not much more. And on a boat at night, brrrr

thanks!

That's good to know, thanks! I'll get in touch in the near future, see what's possible 🙂

I can talk to you about my experiences at APA.

You return to the resort after the first BW, as I had written to you the BW sites are very close to the resort.
This helps you to replace the batteries.

I always found more subjects in the first BW, in the following BWs the amount of subjects decreased.

I went looking for temperatures in the data base of my dive computer, you should expect a temperature of 24 to 26 degrees.

I recommend bringing a windproof jacket, even if it's a short trip, wearing it after the dive will help you be less cold when you return to the resort.

bghazzal · October 7

7 minutes ago, Giancarlo M. said:

I can talk to you about my experiences at APA.

You return to the resort after the first BW, as I had written to you the BW sites are very close to the resort.
This helps you to replace the batteries.

I always found more subjects in the first BW, in the following BWs the amount of subjects decreased.

I went looking for temperatures in the data base of my dive computer, you should expect a temperature of 24 to 26 degrees.

I recommend bringing a windproof jacket, even if it's a short trip, wearing it after the dive will help you be less cold when you return to the resort.

Fantastic, thanks Giancarlo - that's perfect and good to know - I was really wondering if the action would build up during the night, but I guess earlier in the evening is closer to breakfast-time for feeding critters - will definitely bring a windbreaker for the boat 👍 cheers

Whiskeyjack · October 7

4 hours ago, Mark H said:

Are the temps the same in March as Feb? At 24-26 is my 3mm to 5mm cross over point🤪.

Thank you for the really useful info so far. I has been really helpful.

Perhaps marginally warmer in March, especially the 2nd half. By April things are definitely warmer.

Troporobo · October 7

This is perhaps obvious, but be aware that visibility in Anilao is inversely correlated with water temperature. A couple of degrees makes a big difference. Its not a huge issue for macro shooters, but for some it may affect overall enjoyment.

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