Boracay Diving

[Izel]

I'd say do four dives in Boracay; Yapak, Camia Wreck, Channel Drift and Crocodile Island and you're done. What's left to do? sip a nice mango shake watching the sunset. It's a party place too.

I would add Camia 2 on the list also.

Crocodile Island is nice as long as the current is friendly. I dove there with a strong current (the DM said it was ok! ). I was a newbie and it was my first out-of-town dive without my usual Anilao dive buddies. It was like watching an underwater movie on fast-forward while you're trying not to slam on the corals. I got separated with the DM pa (Scarriest 10 seconds of my life) :shocked2:. Bad trip! :depressed:

So when I went back, I dove Crocodile again (minus the current).. Maganda naman pala. :blinking:

 

[Izel]

I'm sure this news is not going to surprise you, guys. I stumbled on this while looking for "pig" news today. I found it really interesting.. (especially DOT's response to the phenomenon)

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/features/03/18/09/boracay-threatened-erosions

Gi

 

[Izel]

I would add Camia 2 on the list also.

Crocodile Island is nice as long as the current is friendly. I dove there with a strong current (the DM said it was ok! ). I was a newbie and it was my first out-of-town dive without my usual Anilao dive buddies. It was like watching an underwater movie on fast-forward while you're trying not to slam on the corals. I got separated with the DM pa (Scarriest 10 seconds of my life) :shocked2:. Bad trip! :depressed:

So when I went back, I dove Crocodile again (minus the current).. Maganda naman pala. :blinking:

Oops! Wrong info. Its Laurel 1 and Laurel 2 (not Camia). Have a good trip and happy vacation in the Philippines!

 

[HomelessDiver]

... an "Ibiza veteran" calling out partiers on Boracay as poseurs... the definition of this.

Anyhoo... I know this is going to add fuel to the "Boracay diving sux" crowd but we've had a massive algae bloom for over a month now. It's one of the regulars that decided not to stop. It might be at an end; a lot of the free-float is starting to settle to the bottom but oddly enough the visibility is still pretty good. There's even rooted plants reaching a meter up about halfway to Mango rock.

But to quantify this, I'll say that the normal algae blooms here are still clearer than the water around my 3 week stay in Sabang/PG ever were. But this time, it stretches far. I swam a kilometer out 2 days ago and there was still some floater algae. Free diving down 5 meters and the place was insanely packed with urchins... to be honest, I'm not sure why the urchins havent come in closer where the debris is littering the bottom in concentrated amounts.

But theres an upside to this. I got to chillout with some big a$$$ed cuttlefish pretty close to the shore and a black/blue banded sea krait. If you can believe it, I still dont own an UW camera after 2 years here. (desc here)

 

[Babydamulag]

The blooms are not going to stop either. A little birdie told me that the waters around Boracay are going back to the levels of the 1998 craziness. The pollution is out of control. The latest articles that address the beach erosion, the articles that address the lack of proper waste management, and the articles that address the over-taxed infrastructure are all pointing to a melt down. It is so sad. The fact is that the operators are going to ride that money train until the wheels fall off then they will pack up and leave us with a shell of an island and a real ecological nightmare.

 

[kosmonooit]

So the algae blooms are related to the pollution? I noticed them lining the shore on the white beach on one visit, but in Dec the water was clear, even when diving. They must be water temp related as well (?)

As for my previous comments on the Boracay party scene there, yes so many trying to look the part because its so heavily marketed as the happening scene locally, but little that caught my attention music wise. Ibiza has become like that as well, but 10-15 years ago it was a fantastic party island, but some special spots remain. My personal preference is the more underground scene, but no luck there as well anywhere in Phils.

 

[HomelessDiver]

I took these yesterday. Thats algae thats sinking now near the shore, theres usually nothing in that area but sand. This is on the south end past Station 3 but its pretty much the same all the way up.

When it was floating for the past month or so, it was completely up in the surf area and lined the beach when the tide was going out (like here).

See all that dark out there? almost all of that is algae sunken. Yes, there is normally dark out there but not solid like that. Old broken reef, rocks, and some small coral flats out there but not a solid like that so close-in unless we were looking further down the beach like in front of Scuba Libre or so. If you look to the very left edge, that bit-'o-banka pontoon is where the flats start.... 50 more meters away.

Looking north... yes, storm clouds. Sporadic rain yesterday with heavy down pours and power outages tonight.

After rain beer... and somebodies wet smokes.

 

[clgsamson]

I'm getting itchy just by looking at the pics...

 

[okamiotoko2004]

Since I haven't dove Boracay I won't comment on there. But last December I dove Antique (not all that far away) and the diving there was awesome, crystal clear vis, for the most part the reefs were in great condition (couple were damaged by the typhoon last year), tons of life and there was only our dive boat anywhere to be seen. Where I stayed at I had a beautiful white sand beach all to myself. There is some topside excursions as far like hiking, but there is no night life to be had.

 

[Hank49]

Those pics of Boracay...and its ugly algae blooms...hah. It's still a nice place.
But if one wants a bit more adventure in diving than the island itself has to offer, hook up with Fisheye Divers and go out on their liveaboard, Maruha, for a few days to Panagatan or Maniguin or where ever nearby.
Those guys have been around for about 16 years on Boracay and know a lot of dive sites. Nice boat too. Carlos is a great cook.