Muck/Critter Diving Philippines ???

hi,

what is the best place for muck/critter diving in the philippines ??

i dont want to go to anilao again,so plz some other suggestions would be nice

iam really looking for some hot spots ! not just some nudis and frogys

travel time is sometime between march and july.

what about Dumaguete ??

thanx

hey Nautilus -

I just got back from my 2nd Anilao trip, Anilao is the hotspot... lots more than nudies and frogfish. I'm not sure why you don't want to go back, (never heard of anyone not wanting to go back), who was your spotter? what exactly are you looking to see?

Scott

Check out this thread:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...mp;#entry200454

As for me, I'm headed back to Anilao this April for my 3rd visit.

Bob

Dumagette is nice. The El Dorado beach resort is minutes from several nice muck dives. There's also a nice house reef right off the beach. The Ducom Pier, I personally could dive it everyday, was a fantastic dive with beautiful soft corals and a multitude of creatures in the muck. You also have trips to Apo Island usually once or twice a week. I've never been to Anilao but have heard it is the place for muck diving in the Philippines. I think someone hit it with the guide question. Lito, one of the guides at ED, was fantastic and new the place well. Maybe you can elaborate on what kind of things you're wanting to find.

dont get me wrong,anilao was great diving,but....

we had horrible accomodation and food at the outrigger resort for 2 weeks.

and since then iam really afraid to go there again and have a similar experience in another resort because all other resorts we saw

from the dive boat looked nearly the same (not so nice).

especially the food was really bad there imo. everything was totaly different from what we saw at their homepage...and the best is,it was so expenseive for

No value.

sure ,anilao and porto galera in combination would be a nice package for muck/critter diving....

if somebody really can give some inside information about a good place in anilao....i would think about going there again.

TIA

TIA,

Well you can skip El Dorado. Although I thought the food was outstanding, I had to compete with more flies than I've ever seen to eat it. That part of Dauin, all resorts in that general area, is very rural and next to chicken farms. Although El Dorado was updating their rooms when I was their last May, it wasn't anything to write home about. I'm pretty easy though...if the diving is good all I need is a roof.

Hi,

if you REALLY want something special, go to Club Paraiso /PComDream led by Yoshi Hirata on Cebu Island. He is a very famous u/w-photographer in Japan, has led (and started? Not sure) the dive operation at Sipadan Water Village and now built his own resort on Cebu.

The resort itself is not at the waterline, you will be transferred to the dive center by car. Normally you do three dives a day with a lunch break at the dive center. The rooms at the resort are spacious, light and modern with a (positively) reduced interior, not like these dark bamboo-style huts you find in many places in the area. The meals are japanese, even the breakfast (you have to buy your own bread and butter if you do not like that). Yoshi will do the cooking, his second (or first???) hobby beside taking photos - absolutely fantabulous.

Okay, what about the diving? I have been diving for 18 years now and have seen some of the world famous muck diving places, PNG, Lembeh, PJ/Bali etc.pp. I am sure that many here on the list agree that it is important to have a good critter spotter as a dive guide. From all the ones I personally have met Dodon (who has been working for Yoshi in Sipadan already and followed him to Cebu since his is Philippino) and Tomo (a Japanese lady) were the best. Just my opinion. They find incredible stuff. (I still take slides, so I can't show you proof because I am too lazy to look through them, make scans and upload the pics)

My wife and I have been there at Easter two years ago (first "white" guests in the resort!) with two friends from HongKong, who arranged the trip for us. If you are interested, Yoshi-San can be contacted via email, he speaks english fluently.

Here is a link to Yoshi' webpage - Japanese only! But it is easy to click through the links and have a look at the pics (don't forget the blogs):

http://www.pcomdreamcebu.com/

And here is a link to a photogallery from a Japanese Lady who is a regular guest at Pcom:

http://www.geocities.jp/hiro_dv/20060425Pc...Cebumactan1.htm

On her (japanese) start page she has many links to Club Paraiso and PCom, just slide your mouse over the japanese letters, and your browser will show you an english translation. She has some beautiful pics on display!

http://www.geocities.co.jp/Outdoors/1520/divingtop2.htm

As I said, it was very special - diving and the resort. And I am sure we will go back again.

Jock

I stay at the Portifino and dive with Action Divers.

Mostly it's about cost and simplicity. I get picked up after a late arrival and wind up at the Portifino about 1:30PM, thus avoiding a night in Manila. The Action Divers dive/stay package is quite inexpensive and dinners at, or near, the Portifino are not expensive.

The hotel and dive shop are located on little Sabang Beach, which is a lot less crowded and less seedier than Big Sabang.

Diving is so-so.

Regards,