skingsland
Registered
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 2
- # of dives
- 0 - 24
I'm planning a vacation with my wife to Vietnam in February, and on the way back to the States, we'd like to spend a week diving in SE Asia. We're beginner divers (she's PADI OWD, I'm a NAUI-certified "Scuba Diver"), with only a few dives under our belt, the deepest of which was ~75 feet in Belize with good vis. and no current. Based on our research the Philippines sounds like it has a lot of great options for world class diving in February, so much so that we're struggling to narrow them down to one location!
I realize that this question has been asked before (e.g. 1, 2, 3), but the concern I have is that a lot of the places that are recommended (e.g. Malapascua, Balicasag) seem like they cater more to advanced divers. I would love to check out wrecks, caves, wall dives, and big pelagics at 25-30m deep with strong currents, but given our relative inexperience that doesn't seem like a good idea. This rules out dives like Verde Island, Monad Shoal, Manta Bowl, and many other of the best dive sites these islands have to offer. Right?
So what's left? It sounds like Puerto Galera or Boracay might be our best bet, especially since we'd like access to nice beaches and great food while we're topside, with affordable lodging (rustic is ok, dilapidated is not) and reefs not recently destroyed by typhoons, earthquakes, or other storms. But most important is the diving; we haven't dived enough to know exactly what kind of experience we want, so we'd like to stay somewhere that gives us access to a little bit of everything: coral reef (that's still in good shape), macro and pelagics. Sabang and Boracay both sound really touristy though, and the diving in Boracay might not be the best the Philippines have to offer?
I had kind of ruled out Apo Island because of what I read about part of the reef being destroyed by the 2011 and 2012 typhoons, and same with Panglao Island dive boats all getting destroyed by a recent storm. I also ruled out Anilao because the lodging options are mostly expensive resorts (which don't get good enough reviews to justify their high prices) with nothing to do but dive, and no options for checking out local bars and restaurants.
Any suggestions? What am I missing?
Thanks in advance!
-Steve
I realize that this question has been asked before (e.g. 1, 2, 3), but the concern I have is that a lot of the places that are recommended (e.g. Malapascua, Balicasag) seem like they cater more to advanced divers. I would love to check out wrecks, caves, wall dives, and big pelagics at 25-30m deep with strong currents, but given our relative inexperience that doesn't seem like a good idea. This rules out dives like Verde Island, Monad Shoal, Manta Bowl, and many other of the best dive sites these islands have to offer. Right?
So what's left? It sounds like Puerto Galera or Boracay might be our best bet, especially since we'd like access to nice beaches and great food while we're topside, with affordable lodging (rustic is ok, dilapidated is not) and reefs not recently destroyed by typhoons, earthquakes, or other storms. But most important is the diving; we haven't dived enough to know exactly what kind of experience we want, so we'd like to stay somewhere that gives us access to a little bit of everything: coral reef (that's still in good shape), macro and pelagics. Sabang and Boracay both sound really touristy though, and the diving in Boracay might not be the best the Philippines have to offer?
I had kind of ruled out Apo Island because of what I read about part of the reef being destroyed by the 2011 and 2012 typhoons, and same with Panglao Island dive boats all getting destroyed by a recent storm. I also ruled out Anilao because the lodging options are mostly expensive resorts (which don't get good enough reviews to justify their high prices) with nothing to do but dive, and no options for checking out local bars and restaurants.
Any suggestions? What am I missing?
Thanks in advance!
-Steve