Eco Explorer Runs Aground On Tubbataha

[Xizang]

Yikes, I am going on that boat next week. Heard from Explorer that will be depart as per normal. Anyone wanna comment?

ask them if its the same dodo captain driving..

 

[Wolverine]

good question... wonder which idiot this is and whether the accident happened in daytime or night time..

 

[clgsamson]

good question... wonder which idiot this is and whether the accident happened in daytime or night time..

Night time wolvie. Apparently all were sleeping, including the captain!

 

[chewie]

or maybe drunk....

 

[Xizang]

I think they ran out of captains and hired one of the bangkeros at outrigger.

 

[clgsamson]

bwahahahahahaha...

 

[Wolverine]

Man, I'll be asking a lot of questions when I get there next week. Anyone know where is Metrostar Bldg (Scuba World Office)? Wanna drop by on Monday before I head out to Puerta Princessa...

 

[shugar]

Man, I'll be asking a lot of questions when I get there next week. Anyone know where is Metrostar Bldg (Scuba World Office)? Wanna drop by on Monday before I head out to Puerta Princessa...

metrostar? in manila? as far as i know their head office is (not metrostar) but the scubaworld makati shop along vito cruz extension (aka pablo ocampo ave.)... but most cab drivers know it as "vito cruz"

Jag

 

[clgsamson]

Man, I'll be asking a lot of questions when I get there next week. Anyone know where is Metrostar Bldg (Scuba World Office)? Wanna drop by on Monday before I head out to Puerta Princessa...

of course they will answer whatever questions you'll throw at them. They'll even do it with a smile. The question is, will you believe them?

 

[manhattandiver]

Yikes, I am going on that boat next week. Heard from Explorer that will be depart as per normal. Anyone wanna comment?

Another thing you should be aware of is that they may try to cut the trip short on you. Even though they promise 5 dives a day, on the Stella Maris they tried to get away with doing only 2 dives on the last day of the cruise. I got into a huge argument with Allen, the head divemaster, about it. While he finally gave in, he restricted bottom times to 35 minutes at a max depth of 20 meters, despite the fact that my group was also diving Nitrox. Somehow the idea of actually getting what is advertised and what you pay for doesn't register with this operation. Given that in most places in the Philippines, dives on day boats cost around $20 each and very good, private accomodations can be found for $20 per night, the $1400 Cruise Island Adventure / Scuba World charges for a shared, "deluxe" room on the Stella Maris Explorer is a complete rip-off. In the Philippines, 6 nights of land-based accomodation and an equal number of day boat dives would cost around $520, plus a nominal amount for food. In addition, you'll almost certainly get bottom times of 1 hr. or more on each dive with land-based operators.

I've been to the Philippines four times now and think that in the right places it has some of the best diving in the world. I go for the reefs, wrecks, macro life and tremendous bio-diversity. Tubbataha was a nice dive site, though not spectacular. For big animals, it simply doesn't compare to places like Sipidan or Palau and certainly is not worth three times the price of other Philippines destinations. That's especially true when diving with an operator as negligent as Cruise Island Adventure / Scuba World.