Philippines - II

A few more from the May 2008 trip.

These are super, Jim!!!

Where did you see the white Froggie?

More wonderful shots.

I'm even more envious now.

These are super, Jim!!!

 

Where did you see the white Froggie?

Thanks, Patrick! We saw most of the white Froggies at Secret Bay in Anilao. There were lots of them, mostly about 2-3 cm long.

nice work Jimbo, beautiful shots..

so how did you like Anilao compared to puerto galera? where did you stay & who did you dive with in Anilao, do you recommend them? I might be going to anilao in october, trying to decide whether to stop in puerto galera, or just stay in Anilao.

so it looks like you only shot macro this trip?

thanks!

so how did you like Anilao compared to puerto galera? where did you stay & who did you dive with in Anilao, do you recommend them? I might be going to anilao in october, trying to decide whether to stop in puerto galera, or just stay in Anilao.

 

so it looks like you only shot macro this trip?

Yes, only macro. The only lenses I use underwater now are the Nikon 60mm and 105mm. Unfortunately I have zero talent for wide angle!

The Philippines diving was, in one word, fantastic. My wife and I were on a group trip, so we had no input into where we went. There were three parts of the trip: Puerto Galera, Anilao, and Dauin. Puerto Galera was great with both muck and coral diving, but PG is a town, and it's crowded and noisy. We stayed at Mermaid, which was very nice, but it was inland a few hundred feet from the beach, and with my limited mobility (bad back), the walking got to me after a while. But once we got on the dive boat, the longest boat ride was only eight minutes, and the ride to see mating mandarinfish was less than two minutes.

In Anilao, we stayed at Solana, but friends of ours in the Philippines say there are a number of other resorts along Anilao that are very good. If I was planning a trip myself, I would check out other resorts and shop prices too, since I understand that prices vary considerably. Anilao was so incredible that I could have happily dived there for the whole trip (three weeks). An incredible mix of muck diving and coral reef diving, and we saw more fish and critters than I ever dreamed I would see on one trip. No big fish though, since these waters are not protected, and local fishermen have taken most of the larger fish. But the variety of smaller fish and invertebrates was mind boggling.

Bottom line: Puerto Galera is definitely worth a ferry boat ride over to Luzon, and there were some things we saw there that we didn't see in Anilao, but if we were returning, we probably would stay in Anilao the whole time.

Nice shots Jim. Agree, plenty of resorts in Anilao for various budgets. I've stayed at Solana and definitely give the place two thumbs up. Joel and Adrien have a really nice setup there and top notch guides to boot. But it is on the pricier than most resorts in Anilao (well worth it IMHO). On the cheaper side, I'd recommend Aquaventure which is popular with the local Manila crowd. Cozy atmosphere and great buffets.

I'm also an Anilao convert. Haven't been back to PG in awhile now. Spend a week there and there's so much to see

Jim,

Fantastic images, congratulations. The mandarin fish makes me so jealous...I saw one ever so briefly one evening but didn't get a shot off.

Hi Big JimmyC,

Absolute class mate... simply stunning.

I am always in awe with what you achieve with just the single SB800 flashie thingie !!

I'm a little concerned with the health mate; how's the back coming along?

Bruce...

BTW, it's good to see so many froggies in your images...

The guides must have heard that you were coming and tied a couple up for you...hehehe

Hi Bruce, great to hear from you!

Seeing all the froggies was fabulous, but most of them were about 2-3 cm, and I wouldn't have seen many of them without the dive guides.

My back is going downhill again. I'm seeing the neurosurgeon again next week, and it looks like I'm headed for surgery for the third time in the last four years. I'm hoping this won't be the one that ends my diving.

great stuff Jim, glad to hear that you enjoyed in Anilao I hope your surgery will be a success and everything works out fine for you.

Adrien

There were three parts of the trip: Puerto Galera, Anilao, and Dauin.

You haven't said anything about Dauin, is that because you didn't like it there or have you simply forgotten you went there.