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Philippines

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

Rax

New Member
May 16, 2003
27
1
0
I lived in the Philippines for four years and managed to visit a few sites. My top four sites are:

1. Malapascua Island
Not so many good dives but one VERY good. Monad shoal where you can see and swim with tresher sharks on a more or less daily basis. You need to do an early morning dive since the treshers go to this small shallow area (about 20-25 m where the surroundings are hundreds of meters.) to be cleaned by cleaner fish and cleaner shrimp.

2. Apo Island outside Dumagete, Negros Oriental. Poor facilities but excellent diving. Lots of turtles, snakes, firefish and giant schoals of Jacks. Good drift dives.

3. Puerto Galera
Very good facilities. I recomend Asia Divers where I always stay. Many, many good dives (maybe 40-50 different dives). Good for techies. Several world record tech dives. Safe diving and excellent place for a new certification.

4. Boracay and Maningning
Boracay is supposed to have one of the best beaches in the world. Only one good site at main island. That is Yapak. Early morning dives can be fantastic. I once met 3 grey reef sharks and around 15 1.5+ m dogtoth tunas. Maningning is about 2-3 thre hours away and very remote. Not many divers at all. In one dive my group saw napoleon wrasses, hammerhead shark, tresher shark, whitetip reefshark, blacktip reefshark and eagle ray to mention only the more exiting animals. The visibility was estimated to 60 m that day. Our only problem was that the fish saw us and avoided us. The trick was to go shallow on top of a 8-10 m dropoff and just look down outside now and then. Outside this wall it was 55-60 m and we could easily see all the way down.

Please let me know if you will need any further info or advice on divecenters.
 
3. Puerto Galera
Very good facilities. I recomend Asia Divers where I always stay. Many, many good dives (maybe 40-50 different dives). Good for techies. Several world record tech dives. Safe diving and excellent place for a new certification.


I just back from a week in Puerta Gallera staying and diving with Atlantis - Excellent outfit. I would also add that the macro life is outstanding and this area is fantastic for photography.
 
3. Puerto Galera
Very good facilities. I recomend Asia Divers where I always stay. Many, many good dives (maybe 40-50 different dives). Good for techies. Several world record tech dives. Safe diving and excellent place for a new certification.


I just back from a week in Puerta Gallera staying and diving with Atlantis - Excellent outfit. I would also add that the macro life is outstanding and this area is fantastic for photography.
 
Puerto Galera is on the island Mindoro. The island offers lots of things on no-diving days. This was the island where they found the two last japanese soldiers still fighting the second world war. If I remember right this was 1979 and 1981. The inner island is very far away from everything. They have waterfalls, snakes, monkeys, lizards, and fantastic birds. There are several local tribes that you can visit. Nothing commercial at all. Problem is they are not used to tourists at all. Which means that if you are not bringing any locals it will take hours before they approach you. Still this has been one of the best experiences during their holiday when I have brought people to PG.

I agree completely on the macro life it is great. If you go here also try to include a daytrip to Verde Island.

Bars and nightlife is also excellent. Try Pointbar.
 
Hi,

I am planning on going to the Phillipines in Nov- Dec and probably going to dive and stay at Malapsacua (because of the Thresher Sharks).

You Mentioned that it was the really only one good dive, i want to go diving with the pelagics as i have never before !
Can u recommed a few places - and is it worth staying a whole week in Malapascua or going somewhere else?

Good luck
 
Sorry for my late reply. I really thought I replied long time ago. Today when I checked the forum I noted my reply was not here.

For me the monad shoal where you have the tresher sharks was the best dive in Malapascua. You do early morning dives to see the treshers (6.30). Other good dives are Gato island where you can see large numbers of smaller sharks. Most often white tips. Sometimes bamboosharks. I saw 25 sharks in one dive. They also have beginner cavediving there. The island is hollow with a foot of air just under the roof. You have a few wreck dives and 3-4 fantastic daytrip diving areas. If you go 2 hours from the island.

For a Filipino tour I would go:

Apo Island outside Dumaquete. This is a favorite of marine biologists working in the Philippies. Fantastic drift dives in shoals of GTs, lots of turtels, snakes, and firefish. We had rays swimming around are feets when walking on the beach. 4 days.

Malapascua, sharks. 4 days

Boracay, Yapak dive site. quite tough drift dive w. grey reefsharks and BIG dogtoth tunas. Go on a daytrip to Maningning island. My group saw tresher, hammerhead, blacktip, whitetip sharks, eagle ray and napoleon wrasse in one dive. My best dives ever.
Use Scuba libre if you like fun and can manage a few beers after your diving. Their daytrips are VERY good.

Puerto Galera.
End your visit in PG where you can go to Manila and the airport by bus or taxi after an hour and a half by boat. Many dive sites, very good facilities. Nice driftdives from easy to rough. Lots of small interesting things. Do not miss a daytrip to Verde Island. This is the place to go if you need a new certification. Use Asia Divers they are one of the best in Asia. Anything from OW to advanced Techdiving. Very good nightlife and a very good diving community. You will continue your diving experience 24 hours a day with all these divers. It smells diving here.

Please just let me know and I will help you with contacts and answer more questions.
 
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