3 days enough time in Alona ?

[limirl]

I will be in the philippines next month, my first stop is puerto galera for 5 days then I was going to hop over to bohol. Is 3 days in Alona beach sufficient to get a good view of diving there or would it be worth throwing in an extra day to allow for a possible excursion to cabilao though I'm aware that operators typically only run there once a week. It seems I would be a bit arriving too early in the season to try and get a whale shark dive in elsewhere, guess that will have to wait for another trip.

I will be travelling to alona on the 26th november I believe that weekend is a holiday in the philippines, will the traffic be a nightmare heading back into manila from puerto galera and getting to the airport ?

Has anyone had any experience staying at Oops cottages or Flower Garden in Alona ?

I was wondering if anyone could explain why asia divers prices are noticably higher than everyone else in Puerto Galera, is it because they are a bigger outfit than others, what makes them so special ? Last year I dived with action divers and they were great but was thinking of possibly going with asia divers because they have many different dive times throughout the day.

My only complaint last year in PG was I thought the food sucked in general, now I didn't go to many high end places but typically it was disappointing except for the burgers at big apple, however I am looking forward to the diving and the great sunsets.

Appreciate any help with all the questions.

 

[Rogersea]

IMHO, 2 days of diving in Alona is sufficient when putting a trip like yours together.

I have looked at the cottages behind Oops Bar, if I was on a serious budget I would have stayed there. I have also toured the Flower Garden and it is relatively nice, I have tried to get a room there 3 times and unfortunately they were always booked... So half the time I would end up using the budget/fan rooms at Bohol Divers, they were ok especially if your using the Dive shop associated with the resort. I understand they have reopened(anyone able to reconfirm?) The other times I have been in Alona I have stayed at Alona Kew or nicer rooms at Bohol Divers.

Traffic is usually pretty bad heading back into Manila from Batangas unless your traveling very early or late. So I think who ever is driving you will probablly think it is normal.....

Cant address price difference btwn Asia Divers and the competition....

I stayed at a little place called Sabang Orchid on the HIll and the food was very good.

Cheers

 

[jigo]

stayed at OOPs cottage before only because we were stranded because of a typhoon in Alona and couldnt get back to our hotel in Cebu and there was nowhere else to stay. unfortunately it was friday and the weekly disco was on at the Oops bar and the music was playing full blast. it wasnt the type of peace i seek when i go on dive trips.

 

[joebubbles]

Don't let the alona dive shop schedule interfere with your plans for cabilao. There are several dive shops on cabilao to choose from. I took a taxi over and did three dives and went back to alona in the evening. It worked out great. Yes, the food at alona is generally better than PG. At PG I just went to the market, bought some fresh squid and asked a restaurant in Sabang to grill it. This worked out well for me. Make sure you dive South Point at Cabilao and Balicasag from Alona. Good luck!

 

[rab1412000]

just came back from bohol and viz was 150ft+ on our first day which made for excellent diving of course.
it dropped to 50 to 75ish on our 2nd and third day which was still extremely good.
id say dive for three days to increase the chances of getting that great viz.
you will also want to dive rico wall, black forest and cathedral more than once under these near perfect conditions.
along alona bbc and arco point give you excellent macro.
ill post a vid link here in sb and you see what i mean.


oh btw: check out sierra madre divers - in 7 times diving in bohol their still the cheapest and v proffesional/efficient dive ops and good/cheap rooms!

 

[limirl]

Would anyone know the typical dive schedule as in what times of the day they go out. Reason I ask is I will need to catch a flight the following day around 11.30am and I was hoping to get in 2 dives the previous day with the last dive just keeping me outside the 24 hr no fly rule.

 

[rab1412000]

Would anyone know the typical dive schedule as in what times of the day they go out. Reason I ask is I will need to catch a flight the following day around 11.30am and I was hoping to get in 2 dives the previous day with the last dive just keeping me outside the 24 hr no fly rule.

it can be done. but youll probably wish you stayed longer.
balicasag island is only 30 min away from alona and an early morning dive, say 630am will get you 2dives as long as you dont stay down too long.
but it would be best to contact them before hand so they can plan the dive for you. they normally leave at 8-9 am

heres a thread i posted that will give you an idea of what to expect:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/philippine-paradise-divers/310396-bohol-video-zs3.html

 

[limirl]

That video was awesome, can't believe the clarity of the water. You did a really good job, liked the music to it as well.

 

[rab1412000]

That video was awesome, can't believe the clarity of the water. You did a really good job, liked the music to it as well.

yeah thanks. i really like the royal blue color of balicasag waters.
cabilao is good for corals but not much fish there nowadays.
bbc and arko point by alona beach are good for macro

pm me if you want a few referals

 

[limirl]

Which dive site did you shoot the video at, was it balicasag fish sanctuary ?