Karl_H
Contributor
Tricky call on the resorts as you've picked two of the best in Anilao there 
Arthur's is definitely the place to relax and forget about the resort of the world, it's also quite a bit cheaper for accommodation if you're there alone. You'll also find there's generally a few other people there even in the week so you would normally be able to share boats/guides for the am dives - for some reason most people staying there don't like afternoon dives? No idea why but just something I've noticed
Planet dive offer pretty good accommodation but I always found it a little overpriced for whats there, unless you're in a big group when it becomes a great price There's a little more to do in Planet Dive than at Arthur's but I've found in general people at Planet Dive seem to be in groups that dive, eat and sleep as groups wile at Arthur's it tends to be more mixed so it's nice to chat with a few new dive buddies.
Location wise Arthurs is great but Planet Dive has the premium spot in Anilao for me. Arthurs has Arthurs Rock as a shore dive and is very close to Koala which makes a great 3rd dive in the afternoon. All main Anilao dive sites are quite close as Arthurs is very close to the centre of the main diving stretch. However, Planet Dive has Twin Rocks for a house reef, although this site can get busy at weekends it is one of the best sites in Anilao for general photography, you're also able to see the huge schooling jacks on every dive (and even large schools of divers at weekends). Plant Dive is also a stones throw from Mainit Point which for me is one of the best dives in Anilao when the current is running, take Nitrox (and go into a little Deco if you're happy with that) and drop to 25-30m, grab a rock, hold on and enjoy the show! There's normally quit e afew black tips, large schooling barracuda, large tuna and kingfish darting all over the place....
For a photographer you really should aim to have a few dives over in Secret Bay, once again this can be busy at weekends with far too many divers but during the week or early in the morning you will normally have the place to yourself. A good guide who know the area would be recommended here, Lito at Arthurs would be my pick for this site although the guys at Oclleris seem to be highly recommended (I;ve not stayed there yet!) - allowing for a few dives you'll see a lot of interesting stuff over at Secret Bay, Rhinopias, Mimic and Blue Ring Octopus, Hairy Frogfish and all the more 'common' (in Anilao anyway!) stuff like ghost pipefish, flambouyany cuttlefish, sea horses etc.... 
A night dive in Secret Bay would also be a priority, especially if you're staying in Planet Dive, although the surface tends to get a little rought in the afternoon so the viz can be poor.... Best check before doing the night dive!
Regarding the Guides I can highly rate Lito at Arthurs place as a spotter, the one draw back is he always seem reluctant to go anywhere with current! The best 'current' sites like Mainit and Bahura just aren't the same when there's no current as most of the interesting stuff doesn't come out until the water really starts moving. I can't really say much about the Planet Dive guides as I've only dived threre with a few other people so we didn't take a guide.
One point to note would be that Planet Dive include unlimited shore diving with tanks and weights in the accommodation/day rates while Arthurs charge for weights by the day and for tanks by the dive. Planet Dive will also not allow solo diving under any circumstances so you'll still need to pay for a guide, but the tanks and weights will be included. If you can find a group to hook-up with for the shore dives you will have some great dives at Twin Rocks which is literally 10m from the Planet Dive shore.
Hope that helps
Karl
Arthur's is definitely the place to relax and forget about the resort of the world, it's also quite a bit cheaper for accommodation if you're there alone. You'll also find there's generally a few other people there even in the week so you would normally be able to share boats/guides for the am dives - for some reason most people staying there don't like afternoon dives? No idea why but just something I've noticed
Planet dive offer pretty good accommodation but I always found it a little overpriced for whats there, unless you're in a big group when it becomes a great price
There's a little more to do in Planet Dive than at Arthur's but I've found in general people at Planet Dive seem to be in groups that dive, eat and sleep as groups wile at Arthur's it tends to be more mixed so it's nice to chat with a few new dive buddies.Location wise Arthurs is great but Planet Dive has the premium spot in Anilao for me. Arthurs has Arthurs Rock as a shore dive and is very close to Koala which makes a great 3rd dive in the afternoon. All main Anilao dive sites are quite close as Arthurs is very close to the centre of the main diving stretch. However, Planet Dive has Twin Rocks for a house reef, although this site can get busy at weekends it is one of the best sites in Anilao for general photography, you're also able to see the huge schooling jacks on every dive (and even large schools of divers at weekends
). Plant Dive is also a stones throw from Mainit Point which for me is one of the best dives in Anilao when the current is running, take Nitrox (and go into a little Deco if you're happy with that) and drop to 25-30m, grab a rock, hold on and enjoy the show! There's normally quit e afew black tips, large schooling barracuda, large tuna and kingfish darting all over the place....For a photographer you really should aim to have a few dives over in Secret Bay, once again this can be busy at weekends with far too many divers but during the week or early in the morning you will normally have the place to yourself. A good guide who know the area would be recommended here, Lito at Arthurs would be my pick for this site although the guys at Oclleris seem to be highly recommended (I;ve not stayed there yet!) - allowing for a few dives you'll see a lot of interesting stuff over at Secret Bay, Rhinopias, Mimic and Blue Ring Octopus, Hairy Frogfish and all the more 'common' (in Anilao anyway
!) stuff like ghost pipefish, flambouyany cuttlefish, sea horses etc.... A night dive in Secret Bay would also be a priority, especially if you're staying in Planet Dive, although the surface tends to get a little rought in the afternoon so the viz can be poor.... Best check before doing the night dive!Regarding the Guides I can highly rate Lito at Arthurs place as a spotter, the one draw back is he always seem reluctant to go anywhere with current! The best 'current' sites like Mainit and Bahura just aren't the same when there's no current as most of the interesting stuff doesn't come out until the water really starts moving. I can't really say much about the Planet Dive guides as I've only dived threre with a few other people so we didn't take a guide.
One point to note would be that Planet Dive include unlimited shore diving with tanks and weights in the accommodation/day rates while Arthurs charge for weights by the day and for tanks by the dive. Planet Dive will also not allow solo diving under any circumstances so you'll still need to pay for a guide, but the tanks and weights will be included. If you can find a group to hook-up with for the shore dives you will have some great dives at Twin Rocks which is literally 10m from the Planet Dive shore.
Hope that helps
Karl
