First time to the Philippine! need some advice on where I should go

[lovelyG]

I never gave a thought to wandering about Sabang... but then I'm a rather strong male. I had female divers there at the same time and they felt no qualms to the best of my knowledge. The Atlantis Resorts are reviewed very favorably. I enjoyed my time with Action Divers who gave me a $95/day package that included 3 dives per day, hotel (Banana Moon) and breakfast. If you choose to go there, take a VISA card as they didn't accept traveler's checks (who does these days?) or MasterCard in many places.

Thanks for the info drbill ! I was just thinking where I should start from to pick up one among the loads of dive resorts in PG.
Action Divers seems to offer dive packages at super low prices!!! I have no idea they are cheap even among the operators in the Philippines as I'm a first timer to visit there, but it's really under the price I expected anyway. As price is one of my considerations to choose a dive resort, I think it would be okay to go for your recommendation without extra browsing (It really gets me some headaches haha) unless they have things for a solo female diver to care about, which I don't think they do.

It would be really appreciated if you could share the experiences of staying in Action Diver... how diverse the dive points they go are, accommodations, restaurants around, atmosphere, etc..

What do you think of splitting my trip... like 3 days for Anilao and 4 days PG? I would just skip Anilao if staying for 3 to 4 days in PG is not enough in terms of dives.

Thanks in advance

 

[eagerbeaver]

Action Divers is great. You'll be very happy.

 

[aumexican]

Sorry drbill Banana moon accomodation closed, Rosco has other budget accomodation available.

lovelyG for your info Portofino has a female manager, Donna. I'm sure she would be happy to give advice on where to go in PG even if staying elsewhere.

 

[bill22]

There are a ton of dive sites in PG... 3 or 4 days would not be enough time to dive them all. The same can be said about Anilao. Have you thought about how many dives a day you want to do? I have done a combination Anilao/PG trip. I dived 5 days in Anilao and 6 days in PG. I normally do 4 dives a day when I'm on a dive trip so that should give you an idea.

I did Anilao first and had a private transfer from the airport to Club Ocellaris. I dived with Dive Dojo in PG. I don't know if Dive Dojo is still around or not. Their website doesn't seem to have been updated recently. Something to consider though is that if you dive Anilao during the week, unless it's changed you will pay the entire charge for the boat if there is no one there to split it with. If money is an issue, this is something to check into. This is not an issue in PG. They will go out with only one diver on the boat if that's all there is and not charge extra. I've not been to PG or Anilao during the high season so possibly this is not a problem the time of year you are traveling.

I was able to transfer from Anilao to PG using public transport and reach PG in time to do the night dive. Not saying not to do both, just suggesting to do further research before deciding.

 

[drbill]

Sorry to hear Banana Moon is closed. I knew they were trying to sell it when I was there. Although it was "basic," it was a very suitable place for me with a great view of the Verde Passage and Verde Island.

Action Divers offered three dives a day with about a two hour break on shore in between dives. They hit most of the dive sites the other operators go to. The only exception was Verde Island which we never made it out to, although it could have been arranged if there were enough divers interested in going there.

I chose them because of a recommendation from a female friend of mine who is a tech diver and backpacker. She enjoyed her time there a year or two before I went and I found the operation to be very satisfactory. They even allowed me to solo dive when a group of less experienced divers were on the boat.

On occasion current can be an issue. At two dive sites I thought I was flying over the submarine landscape and had great difficulty finding stability for filming. If I had just been diving without a camera it wouldn't have been a problem. Of course the currents impact everyone so that is certainly not a negative on the operation itself. I think I did 18 dives with Action (after 44 dives in Anilao with Club Ocellaris). We hit quite a number of interesting dive sites with lots to see and film (including flamboyant cuttlefish, sea horses, giant clams, blue ribbon eels, etc). The only dive I wasn't really enthused about was a wreck dive right in the bay. I'm not a big fan of wrecks although I did film a great frogfish on it.

 

[lovelyG]

There are a ton of dive sites in PG... 3 or 4 days would not be enough time to dive them all. The same can be said about Anilao. Have you thought about how many dives a day you want to do? I have done a combination Anilao/PG trip. I dived 5 days in Anilao and 6 days in PG. I normally do 4 dives a day when I'm on a dive trip so that should give you an idea.

Thanks for helping me get some ideas of planning my trip bill22! I think I would do 3 dives a day plus occasional night dive. No more than that.... so based on what you said, I'd better go directly to PG from the airport and spend a week there. Thanks again!

---------- Post added October 24th, 2014 at 06:37 AM ----------

Thanks for your reply drbill,
I'm going to contact to Action Divers for reservation !

 

[bill22]

We're all happy to help You will really enjoy PG.... I guarantee you won't be bored

 

[FT]

No need to switch areas for an 8-9 day stay, so many different dive sites around PG, and transit in the Philippines eats up so much time. The sleaze factor is concentrated in Sabang; less obvious in Small La Laguna; pretty much absent in Big La Laguna which also has the only real beach. Ask Action Divers if they can recommend lodging there.

Verde Island is a must. If your operation can't put together a group together to go there during your stay, it should not be a problem to join one of the other outfits for a one-day, two-dive excursion.

Swiftest transfer from Manila airport is private driver to Batangas and a private bangka transfer; more than a little pricey for a single at probably $US 150 at least, each way -- going home you can almost certainly find someone else to share the transfer cost. You can also overnight at or near the City State hotel in the Ermita area of Manila, and take the Sikat transfer service to the Batangas ferry in the morning. There are earlier threads here discussing this option.

 

[aumexican]

If going with Roscoe at Action he can organise transport.
if staying in Manila for the night I have heard these guys are ok, Puerto Galera Gallera Si-Kat Sea Cat bus service ferryboat Manila Mindoro Philippines - About Us and if you want to do it alone bus/ferry, less than 20 USD. PM me with email and I can send detailed information.

 

[WOODMAN]

Just thought I would drop in my 2 cents worth. I completely agree with most of what my learned compatriots have said about Sabang, and I posted an insanely detailed review of the area here about 6 months ago which addressed most of your questions, I think. A couple of points- I really don't know why everyone keeps calling the area Puerto Galera, as this is a city about a half hour jeepney ride south of the diving area. I know that this is the administrative center, and there are a few scattered dive operations around it, but 95% of the divers head north to Sabang, which is where the action is for divers. The area is laid out along the northern coast of the island of Mindoro, and is just south of the southwest coast of Luzon, the main island where Manila is located. Actually, the area of Sabang and the much mentioned area of Anilao are just about across the channel from each other. Sabang proper is the bustling little city where the road up from Puerto Galera ends at the waterfront, and then the "beach" and resort areas stretch out to the west from there. There are about 3 main beach areas along the coast as you walk west, going from Sabang beach (the city itself) to Small La Laguna to Big La Laguna, and even more if you wander farther west. I would say that a lot of the action is in Small La Laguna, as this is the closest to the shopping/restaurant/activity center of Sabang. It is pretty much wall to wall resorts and restaurants and dive shops all along Small La Laguna, and to a lesser degree at Big La Laguna. Remember, the farther west you locate for your resort/hotel, the farther it is into Sabang, and it's all walking along the beach with no transport available that I am aware of.
As to your concerns about a single lady afoot in the area, I never saw anything that I thought would give anyone pause. Granted, I am a 6'3" white male of considerable mass who never gets messed with anyway, but my lady wife was with me everywhere we went, and she was of the exact same opinion. If you don't mind the continual hustlers trying to sell you everything imaginable that was portable, (nice pearls, lady? Genuine swiss watches, Mister? Post cards? Fruit? Baskets? Arggh!) although I have seen the same in a lot of other places, and they were a lot less aggressive here than a few other spots I could name. I did notice though, that in a few of the beachside restaurants with open windows facing the beach, you would do well to sit back a table or two from the window to prevent them from trying to hustle you right through the window at your chair. All in all, you should have no problems, even if you wander close to the Girly areas. As I mentioned in my earlier report, this part of Sabang is pretty much confined to a stretch of alleyway one street up from the beach, and although it can get pretty loud back in there, we walked through there many times with absolutely no problems. I saw a lot of women walking around back there, and never once saw any of them encountering any difficulty. I think you will do fine, and your only issues will be logistical. (What resort? Which dive op? How do I get there? Are breakfasts included? What about a Verde Island trip? What about night dives? {we saw our first stargazer right out in the harbor in front of Sabang near a couple of old wrecks that were crawling with stuff at night - not to be missed!} but you get the idea) If we can be any further help to you, please PM any of us for advice, and I'm sure most of us would be glad to help. We wish you all the luck. Woody