Buying dive gear: Hong Kong or Cebu?

[fimbetth]

Will be going to Cebu for some good diving this january. I will need som new gear and wonder if its best to buy it on my layover in hong Kong or in Cebu? Will need an full length wetsuit and some fins (mares avanti quattro or similar).Any ideas?

/Markus

 

[shugar]

my 2 cents:

usually "non-traditional" market items like scuba gear would be a little more expensive in cebu or the provinces - this because these items are usually shipped to manila-based distributor and then to cebu, or dumaguete, or other location... that would increase the list price compared to manila...

on the other hand, scubaworld is a major distributor of dive gear locally and they have a branch in cebu - the chances of the items there being the same cost as manila are pretty good (there's also a standard 25% cash discount so ask for that hehehehe)... send them an email or give them a call www.scubaworld.com.ph

if your layover in HK is long though (1 day or so) then that might also make it more convenient for you to go gear shopping... down side is that your baggage weight from hk to manila will increase by the weight of the gear you get - check with your carrier if you're still w/in your weight allowance (you don't want to end up paying extra)... if you're taking philippine airlines manila-cebu or hk-cebu then you might want to look into their sports+ package... details are at www.philippineairlines.com

hope i was of some use...

Jag

 

[Halthron]

(there's also a standard 25% cash discount so ask for that hehehehe)

?!?!? Is that just for them or have I been missing something with major purchases?

 

[paolov]

you don't need a wetsuit to dive our local waters if you have good buoyancy. ask Halthron...


hehehhehehe

Will be going to Cebu for some good diving this january. I will need som new gear and wonder if its best to buy it on my layover in hong Kong or in Cebu? Will need an full length wetsuit and some fins (mares avanti quattro or similar).Any ideas?

/Markus

 

[Armand]

Scubaworld is the distributor for Mares in PI. Avanti quattro cost 8,625 pesos but you can get it for 30% less. Aquaventure Whitetip Dive Supply (Cebu Ernbri Import, Inc.) is the Exclusive Distributor of Scubapro/Uwatec in PI. Also the Exclusive Distributor of Aqua Lung, Bauer, OMS. There's a pricelist in their website. Although a wholesale store they do sell to individual divers.

http://www.aquaventurewhitetip.com/

Enjoy your stay in Cebu.

 

[shugar]

?!?!? Is that just for them or have I been missing something with major purchases?

dude you didn't know????

pretend i didn't say anything... don't kick yourself... just ask for "tawad" when next you buy... and don't forget to bedazzle them with the tagalog you've picked up along the way

Jag

PS
if that don't work ask pao to accompany you... you might even get more than 25% or 30% off (per armand)

 

[Halthron]

Would this be where you offer cash and don't get a receipt? Now to figure out how to pronounce it... Seems like every time I try to say something in Tagalog, I get a funny look. If I was close, the person I'm talking to will correct me but usually I'm so far off they have no clue.

 

[shugar]

nope, you'll get a receipt... i always get one... it's really a high-markup business because your stocks are on the shelves for a relatively long time... i don't want to speak for the LDS operators on the PPD (there's ellen and gordon here) but i think the discount for cash purchases is a come-on for people to... ummmm... purchase in cash? (dang now where'd my point go?)

anyway regarding your other concern - tip: filipino is phonetic, w/c means that it's spelled exactly as it's pronounced (and vice-versa)... so "tawad" is "tah-wad"

Jag

 

[pakman]

Will be going to Cebu for some good diving this january. I will need som new gear and wonder if its best to buy it on my layover in hong Kong or in Cebu? Will need an full length wetsuit and some fins (mares avanti quattro or similar).Any ideas?

/Markus

You might be able to get better prices in HK. I remember inquiring about this earlier in the year when I was starting to buy my own gear for a trip to the Philippines. Some of local philippines dive resorts suggested getting the stuff in HK rather than in PI. But again, I never really went around to any shops in Manila to compare.

Some shops you might want to check in Hong Kong are Pro Dive (www.prodive.com.hk) and Diving Adventure (www.divvinghk.com). In addition to the standard discount 30-35% off the "suggested retail price", they might give you an additional discount if you buy a number of items. BTW, if you're in the market for a suunto dive computer, the prices are very good here (plus there is no sales tax...). They also have a pretty extensive stock of wetsuits at a good price. I think they should have larger "western" sizes (I wear a large edit: but I'm not sure how extra long sizes they carry...)... If not, Mandarin Divers, runned by an Aussie tends to cater to the expat crowd and usually carried big sizes but their prices aren't the most competitve in HK.

 

[shugar]

pakman... PASALUBONG!

thanks!

Jag