Diving for First time in Puerto Galera

[blue steal]

Been to PG many times and there are many good shops to choose from depending on what you want and your budget.
I have used Mark at searider and been very pleased with his outfit. Small shop.
There are also many, many places to stay from $10 night to several hundred dollars.
I always stay in small la laguna at the banana moon, runs about $35 night.
There are a few nice places over at big la laguna as well and worth a look.

 

[TSandM]

I don't know; if I know nothing about a place, and I post a question asking about dive operators, if a dive operator comes on politely and says, "We're here, and we can offer the services you are asking for," I'm perfectly happy about that. I can then either ask in the same thread, or start another one asking for the operator's reputation, or I can search ScubaBoard for other threads about the operator.

I've never seen a thread overwhelmed with that kind of response, but I have seen many where one or two people have come on and offered their services. It seems to me that that's what you WANT! Everybody knows a business is not going to say bad things about themselves -- that's why resources like this are so valuable, because you can hear about somebody, but then you can go and see what everybody else has said about them.

 

[Centrals]

I prefer REAL personal account rather than advertisement! Because I can use Google/Yahoo search if I need one.

 

[drbill]

This must be a second thread on the subject since I'm sure I posted a reply yesterday. I dove with Action Divers and stayed at Banana Moon. $95/day for three dives, room and breakfast. Not luxurious but more than adequate for my tastes as a "traveler" (backpacker) type.

I have no problem with operators posting in these threads either. If someone wants to disregard them, it is easy to do. Of course I would always check with independent sources to get a feel for any dive op. That's how I chose Action Divers... had friends who dove with them and liked it.

Just DON'T take travelers checks. I was almost stuck in Sabang without any way to pay my bills since all I had was a little cash and mostly traveler's checks. If it hadn't been for a loan from two nice folks I met at Action Divers, I might still be there (Hmmm... not that that would be bad!)

 

[scubamg]

It depends what type of diving you want to do. If you are a tec diver Tec Asia are a fantastic outfit. If you just want to do some recreational diving Asia Divers are good and stay at El Galeon fairly cheap with okay rooms. They can also arrange transfers from the airport.


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[Makhno]

It depends what type of diving you want to do. If you are a tec diver Tec Asia are a fantastic outfit.

+1 for Tech Asia. Technical diving is not for everyone, though.

 

[divetheplanet]

When I first arrived at PG, Rick at Frontier really took care of me. I was headed to Malapascua with another instructor to work. About a week before our flights, we received an email saying the shop hired two instructors that just showed up. (our flights were already booked. ouch) We sent a flurry of emails to dive shops around the PH. Rick responded dives are this much and I can get you a room for this much, nice and easy. We both ended up doing a little over 30 dives. My favorite dive site was Manila Channel, and do Verde Island if you get the chance.

 

[scubamg]

Absolutely Tec Asia is not for everyone. But if you are a Technical diver it's a great facility.

On a separate note, regardless of which dive operation you use. The diving in PG can be quite challenging with some huge currents. Not for the faint hearted but a lot of fun. So just make sure you dive within your capability and comfort level.


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[drbill]

Yes, I do remember a few dives where the current was so strong that it essentially prevented me from filming unless I tucked behind a BIG rock. Had some amusing rides in them though... I remember the Tanja, the DM, smiling as we sped along.

 

[Makhno]

Yes, I do remember a few dives where the current was so strong that it essentially prevented me from filming unless I tucked behind a BIG rock. Had some amusing rides in them though... I remember the Tanja, the DM, smiling as we sped along.

Tanja's the Finn, right? Huw and Simon, with their years of experience on those reefs, were better at critter-spotting, but Tanja's enthusiasm was contagious.