philipines "06 planning

My buddy and I are planning a trip to the Philipines next year, probably around April or May.

I was there in 96 and actually started diving there in Sabang, Peurto galera.

I really want to get back there to see if it is still as pretty as it was then, but I'd like to visit another place as well.

The divecenter, asiadivers where I also did my first OW), offers a couple of packages (see here) which include transfer and 6 days in another place.

The options they have on their site:

Borocay, Penjal resort

Bohol, Oasis resort

Sangat Island (Sangat Island Reserve

Moalboal, I think Cebu?, Sumsid lodge

Malapascua, Malapascua Island Resort

Does anybody have any recommendations or care to share experiences?

Thx

Pieter

Hi,

Puerto Galera is better than ever, however Sabang is much noiser than ever too. I'd recommend staying over in Small La Laguna as it's quieter and not into the girlie bars that dot Sabang. A great place to stay is with Scubaplus Dive Center. www.scubaplus.com. I've been staying there every year for the last 7 years. They have the best food anywhere in Puerto.

April-May is Sulu Sea Season, if you can get on a liveaboard to Tubbataha Reef then that'll be some of the best diving you can do. Anilao is a great dive and is sufficiently different from the dives in Puerto. Bohol/Negros is a great dive destination. You could try Scotty's Dive Center www.divescotty.com. Malapascua has the Threshers (if you're willing to be up at 5:00AM) my only complaint is that most of the sites are a 30mins to an hour away from the island.

Good Luck!

Stu

Hi Pieter,

I've been to Malapascua & Puerto Galera/Anilao in the Phillipines. Malapascua is known for it's thresher sharks & also have some good macro stuff. I remember doing a cave swim-thru in Gato which is pretty neat. It is more difficult to get to, having to fly to Cebu, then 3-4 hrs land journey & then another 45 mins of boat transfers.

PG/Anilao is a macro haven for underwater photography. Been to Anilao twice & love the critters hunt there. Nite dives were particularly interesting. It is also easier to get to...just 2 hrs land transfers from Manila. Another new dive site, San Agapito (Verde Is.) that I was at recently was really beautiful...I think it is the most colourful coral reefs that I've seen so far..

In any way, I think u're gonna to enjoy diving in the phillipines...have fun, dive safe & tell me all about it when back.

Jovin-

Recent trip report posted on SB:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=118714

Hi Pieter

You can find an article i wrote about Malapascua with some of my photos as well as some by my buddy Ethan Daniels,here:

Malapascua

Its a great mellow place and i really enjoy the diving there

Hi guys,

thx for the replies.

I'm a bit of a sucker for small stuff, so after reading Mike's article, I can safely say that Malapasua will be stop number two after Puerto G

If possible (time and money) maybe a few days wreck diving as well...

I read some nice things about the wrecks at Sangat...

Anybody been there?

Pieter

Actually if small stuff is what you are after, I'd skip Malapascua and go to Anilao. There's all sorts of different diving there from a wreck with nice life to black volcanic sand for mimics and wunderpus, and guaranteed coleman shrimps etc. And it's only 1 hours away from PG by boat. It is remote and diving is all you do there. Down time is snooze time with very little else to do.

What Malapascua is great for is the pygmy seahorses down at Gato. Quite deep at 24m but the fan is right on the sea bed and you can remove your fins, sit and shoot. They have both variations of H. Bargibanti, yellow and red. The monad shoal was being bombed last year I was there even with the reef fees we paid. I personally complained to the officer who collected the fees and she said she'd "talk" to the fishermen. I like Malapascua for the food and relaxed atmosphere. But the diving has gone down hill compared to the late 90s.

Boracay's diving is so so, but the Mandala Spa is probably the best in the PI.

Moalboal is good but not that much different from Bohol. Balicasag and Apo Reef is probably the best resort reached places for healthy reeflife. I'd skip Dumaguette since they closed off Ducomi dive site which was a prolific macro dive.

Pygmy's are also at the Kuala divesite in Anilao as well as Boulders in Puerto...

If you're not specifically after the threshers, then skip Malapascua... logistically, it's much easier to get to Anilao for the small stuff, especially the nudis.

s.