Question December-25: Puerto Galera - Dauin/Anilao

[Anish]

Anilao is great and easy diving, good for newer divers. But there is no town as such with easy access so you are more or less stuck at the resort, fine if you are doing 3 -4 dives per day, boring if you don't dive. PG at least has a town (Sabang) to get massages etc for the non divers. I was totally underwhelmed and unimpressed with Moalboal. The Sardines are okay and if you want a zoo like encounter Oslob is kind of interesting. It's hard to meet the needs of both divers and non divers on a holiday that both will enjoy equally. That's why I go solo on my dive trips and don't do much diving on family holidays.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Moalboal, thanks Centrals for the heads up on typhoon damages,

When was he last there? Moalboal has really boomed with new places and the walls and corals are in good condition except for one smal portion. Pescadore Island still pristine as it was in the past. I was not planning on returning there but found it totally transformed. It's certainly worth going there for a few days and doing Oslob or Kawasan falls for your family. I saw very few stray dogs in Moalboal. People can get bitten by animals anywhere in the Philippines.

PS I do not bring my wife on my dive vacations as she does not dive and secondly she lived in the Philippines for five years. For me I do 3 or 4 dives a day normally so dive eat check some video and photos sleep and repeat

Verde Island it's more about your own diving capabilities than your dive operator if you are not experienced in fast currents especially down currents. Sure it can be good fun most of the time but it's always a challenging dive there especially for inexperienced divers. Not saying you should not dive there. Do you have a 1.8m length DSMB? Reef Hook?

Btw do you have DAN diving insurance that covers you in case of a medical emergency for diving? Travel insurance often will not cover things such as a barometric chamber if you get a DCS hit.

Enjoy whatever places you travel to. Good to see you doing some research. Also be aware that domestic flights around Xmas can be delayed or cancelled so you may want to plan to get to Manila on 25th. I found airports quite crowded with passengers on xmas day but had a lack of staff for check in so long queues. I had a flight cancelled only 3 hours before departure time and had to stay an extra day in Bohol. Fortunately my international flight was for the day after.

 

[ArskaDiver]

@Blackcrusader yes, I always use DAN for dive insurance. I truly understand Verde Island is a bit challenging and needs experience - will consider and evaluate carefully with Huw from Action divers, he's been there for quite some years, of course it's my own call at the end, given AD will asses our dive experience sufficient.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on point of view my wife does not let me go on my own, or with just the diving daughter...as we will be flying over from Finland/Europe, this would be the main trip over the long and cold winter. Good thing is she enjoys very much just laying aside a pool and reading a good book (while I will be diving).

I think I am set for PG-Anilao for convenience and to avoid domestic flight related hassle and risk of delays/cancellation and need for adding extra days in Manila or Cebu city.
And thanks again, this discussion truly helped me lock my travel plan!

 

[Centrals]

When was he last there? Moalboal has really boomed with new places and the walls and corals are in good condition except for one smal portion. Pescadore Island still pristine as it was in the past. I was not planning on returning there but found it totally transformed. It's certainly worth going there for a few days and doing Oslob or Kawasan falls for your family. I saw very few stray dogs in Moalboal. People can get bitten by animals anywhere in the Philippines.

LOL.
First came to Moalboal in 1996 and at that time you won't find many non divers, very similar to Alona Beach.
My last visit to Moalboal was 2024 and Odette's damage is extensive. Most if not all areas above 9m suffered terribly.
Oslob? Only suitable if you really want to see whaleshark and does not the mind the pathetic presentation. One of the main reason why so many people prefer Southern Leyte over Oslob from Nov - May. BTW, diving there is so much better than Moalboal even pre Odette time.

 

[Centrals]

I always use DAN for dive insurance. I truly understand Verde Island is a bit challenging and needs experience - will consider and evaluate carefully with Huw from Action divers, he's been there for quite some years, of course it's my own call at the end, given AD will asses our dive experience sufficient.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on point of view my wife does not let me go on my own, or with just the diving daughter...as we will be flying over from Finland/Europe, this would be the main trip over the long and cold winter. Good thing is she enjoys very much just laying aside a pool and reading a good book (while I will be diving).

I think I am set for PG-Anilao for convenience and to avoid domestic flight related hassle and risk of delays/cancellation and need for adding extra days in Manila or Cebu city.
And thanks again, this discussion truly helped me lock my travel plan!

I first visited PG in 1996 and Action Divers was already there. No idea if there has been changed in management, used to be Kiwi owned.
Stay close to the wall in Verde and listen to the pre dive briefing. The And there will be extra cost for the trip, well worth it.
Have a nice family Christmas holiday in somewhere a lot warmer. Water will be relatively cool particularly in PG!

 

[ArskaDiver]

Thanks.
Based on my investigation, if whale sharks would be the thing it would be Southern Leyte. I can not see myself enjoying the Oslob circus, have seen it on video. Unfortunately Leyte is too long way this time, and may be it would not be ideal as first visit to Phills .
My understanding is Action may still be with the original owners (Roscoe), since 1993.
Btw I have dived in Racha Yai (off Phuket), the Similans, Tulamben Bali, and Phu Quoc Vietnam (not really a diving destination). I am assuming PG/Anilao to be on different level, even though Tulamben was pretty nice.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Tulamben is very easy diving I never had any fast currents there.
Anyway enjoy your trip.

 

[Centrals]

Deleted.

 

[Centrals]

Thanks.
Based on my investigation, if whale sharks would be the thing it would be Southern Leyte. I can not see myself enjoying the Oslob circus, have seen it on video. Unfortunately Leyte is too long way this time, and may be it would not be ideal as first visit to Phills .
My understanding is Action may still be with the original owners (Roscoe), since 1993.
Btw I have dived in Racha Yai (off Phuket), the Similans, Tulamben Bali, and Phu Quoc Vietnam (not really a diving destination). I am assuming PG/Anilao to be on different level, even though Tulamben was pretty nice.

Good to know Roscoe is still involved in scuba diving in PG.
Enquire about Black Water Diving while in Anilao.

 

[bluesails]

@ArskaDiver I stayed at Solitude with my elderly parents last year and they loved it - it is a quite beautiful hotel and pool area, maybe the prettiest one on that main strip by the beach that still feels accessible to diving. Our dive guides were just okay imo. It's also right next door to Casa Escondida which does a lot of dive instruction and is more of a dedicated dive hotel with a social vibe, lots of groups of friends etc - so you could perhaps dive with them if the diving from Solitude is expensive / if you want to dive with more divers. If your family just wants to sit by a beautiful pool and read and look at seaviews, they will be happy with Solitude, tbh.

For things to do in Anilao/Batangas for non-divers, you could inquire with your hotel about day trips to see Taal Volcano, the volcano-within-a-volcano. We went on a helicopter tour of the area when I was a kid (though I haven't tried to do this post-2020). Tagaytay is also nearby tourist town that has family things to do as well, but maybe more for kids. There's a famous brunch restaurant named Antonio's (reservations required) that has great views and good food, and a delicious takeout bakery - celebrities from Manila come here.

I know you already have Anilao booked but I echo others saying Dumaguete & Dauin might be the more fun destination as Dumaguete is a college town and has more restaurants, bars, might have fun festivals for the holidays etc. When I went, I actually did a few days diving in Dauin (out of Mike's, great place to stay, Bongo Bongo divers is a little more budget-friendly too) AND a few days staying at a hostel in Dumaguete doing other stuff with non-diver friends. You can snorkel at Apo Island, not just dive, and the snorkeling is a crazy dreamlike experience - you have to hire a guide with you but then the turtles are EVERYWHERE, just dozens coming right up to snorkelers. I probably saw more turtles snorkeling than when I was diving, and a baby remora came up and tried to stick to me, lol. You can also book a boat trip to go visit a pretty sandbar and go swimming, and if the weather permits, go looking for dolphins to watch (we didn't luck out here unfortunately). Most of the hotels will have packages like these that pick you up and handle the logistics, though you do have to wake up super ******* early to go lol. The diving is top-notch in both places, I just have a soft spot for the fun I had in Dumaguete/Dauin.

One more note here is that you're right that pre-Christmas isn't going to be as busy in tourist areas as post-Christmas, but Christmas in the Philippines is still a huge production compared to anywhere else. Enjoy the decorations and perhaps public concerts, fireworks, art installations etc Depending on your checked luggage, you should shop for a beautiful parol star lantern made of capiz shell (a local oyster, looks like mother-of-pearl) in most towns, though they'll certainly try to charge you higher for it as a tourist.

You can't go wrong with either destination really, just depends on what you want to do topside - have so much fun!