Cheap Anilao Dives

[aquapro]

hi im a newbie diver.. just got my ow cert.. im just a student so i was wondering if anyone could suggest any cheap places/resorts in anilao to go to for daytrips & overnights. ill most probly go with a friend or group of 4-5ppl...

thanks!

 

[jigo]

if group of four or five, go to aquaventure (best to call ahead) and tell them you need a boat and a local dm. you just divide the cost of boat and dm fee. plus the tanks and lunch which comes off the 550 minimum (consumable) charge. if you need to rent gear, that will cost you. best to call ahead to see if they have your sizes. another option (which may even be cheaper) is to rent gear here in manila.

 

[blue steal]

I like Aquaventure. Nice resort, rinse tanks, showers, hangers. The restaurant is pretty good as well, you give your order before you leave and they will have lunch ready for you when you return. Room are just okay, nothing fancy here. Anywhere from P1000 per head and up. If you have 4-6 people that's great as the banca cost is P1500-1800 depending on where you dive. DM is I believe is P1200. This cost and the banca can be split with everyone.
They rent tanks, weight belts, bc and reg/octo, as well. Prices are okay.
If your rent your gear ,(BC & reg) from MakDiver in Mabini, Kiko will give you a good price and excellent equipment. all dives are done by banca and two tank dives are the norm. SI are ususally done on a beach somewhere so I bring water and bananas and snacks. They provide towels.The boat men will put your gear together for you and haul it to and from banca. I like to tip the DM/boatmen as they usally are quite helpful. Weekdays it is very quite in anialo, but the weekends most resorts are full and advance reservations are a must. Sometimes it can be difficult to get a DM on weekends.
There are many good dive sites that can be reached from 10 minutes to 50 minutes away.
Say hello to Baby, the manager for me. I like Alan and Bong-skee as DM's.
Tell them the Puti lalakae with the pony-tail who speaks crazy tagalog says hi.

 

[prandyulo]

Since I normally dive every other weekend, I too am looking for a reasonably priced resort. So far I've been satisfied with Planet Dive because even if I come alone or with my 2 kids, there is always a group to join for a boat dive & I pay 1700 per head with lunch which includes 2 boat dives, DM, weights, tanks, & unlimited shore dive at Twin Rocks. A friend mentioned to me an even cheaper place called Milagros but I haven't tried it out so I can't comment on the place.

 

[tazrox]

Are there any good shore dives around there, without having to pay for DMs, resorts or boats? Anilao is nice and all, but I do like the independent shore diving we do in CA. I plan to spend lots of time there, with family and all.

 

[jigo]

planet dive, balai, crystal blue, arthur's and dive n trek are close to popular dive sites so you can do shore dives from these places

 

[tazrox]

Twin Rock was my unforgettable intro to tropical diving, and even though I've never stayed there, I also vote for Planet Dive based solely on their house reef. I've only stayed at Club Ocellaris, and they qualify as a source of cheap Anilao dives.

For shore diving at those sites mentioned above, can we just show up and start diving, or do we have to go through (pay money to) these resorts?

 

[rab1412000]

hi im a newbie diver.. just got my ow cert.. im just a student so i was wondering if anyone could suggest any cheap places/resorts in anilao to go to for daytrips & overnights. ill most probly go with a friend or group of 4-5ppl...

thanks!

the cheapest way for me to dive in anilao was to skip the resorts all together and go straight to my dm, rey.
he has his own boat and you rent tanks and refills from the resorts. he also has gear for rent.
he charges only 500 pesos per dive (to be divided amongst divers) , and is very ma-alaga with his guests.
boat fees would be between 1200 to 2000 depending on where you wanna go.
i change in his house or in his friends nearby resort.
it works out quite well for me give it a try:

rey de castro 0927 738 5372

pm me if you need more info

for resort based diving though i suggest planet dive, aquaventure, dive and treck and el pinoy


btw: be carefull of milagros. i feel i was overcharged for the dives i did when i was there ( 2800 for 2 boat dives/ diver , group of 4 )

 

[prandyulo]

Thanks, rab1412000; where would you met up with Rey? and which of his friend's resort is this?

 

[glenver]

+1 on planet dive.. also good to call ahead to make sure that they have a group you can go with, if you are less than 4.