How good is Verde Island...?

[Kevrumbo]

Best technical open water drift diving ever experienced was in the ripping currents of the Verde Channel Philippines, Blackfish Corner off Verde Island:

. . .The Blackfish for which the site is named tend to aggregate around 51m/170ft, and on the deeper area you will come across large grouper and all manner of large reef and pelagic species, such as Batfish, Sweetlips, Snappers, schools of Jacks, large Tuna and others. . .

 

[Centrals]

Except PGaera is not exactly what i would call family friendly...

O Really?
Try to stay at CoCo Beach Reasort or La Laguna Beach Club and Dive Resort next time.

 

[Pao]

O Really?
Try to stay at CoCo Beach Reasort or La Laguna Beach Club and Dive Resort next time.

Or any place in big Lalaguna for that matter.

 

[Tortuga68]

...or small LLG

 

[Centrals]

Just make sure it is NOT Korean resort on both Small and Big La Laguna eg. Diving Park, Red Sun and Club Mabuhay!

 

[EMG]

Is it quite easy/convenient to get a ferry between Anilao and PG? For example, could you dive in Anilao in the morning and get a ferry across in the afternoon?

Depends on what you consider convenient.
Dive Anilao, take a tricycle to Batangas Pier, take the ferry to Muelle or Sabang or White Beach (wherever you're staying) then dive there. Travel time probably ~2-3 hours, depending on when the ferry leaves.

White Beach at night is interesting, on the weekends they do drag shows and loads of folks getting drunk. I go with my wife and daughter and we'll call it a night around 8 or 9 after watching a bit of fire spinning and it's plenty family friendly. Or we just stay at a nice villa we know right near Muelle.

 

[Centrals]

Is it quite easy/convenient to get a ferry between Anilao and PG? For example, could you dive in Anilao in the morning and get a ferry across in the afternoon?

There is NO public ferry linking these two places. You have to charter one. But you can travel to Batangas Pier(private or public) to catch the ferry to PG. As far as I know there are two schedules in the afternoon at 14:30 and 16:30. If you miss the last one then you have to go to Calapan and make your way to PG. The ferry schedule between Batangas and Calapan is more reliable if the sea is rough. Size does matter!! However, there is NO public transport from Calapan Pier to PG!!! You have to take a tricyle to the Jeepney Terminal for the connection! Expect to pay about P2,000.00 for private transport.

YES, you can dive in the morning in Anilao and still easily make it to PG in the late afternoon. But your gear will be dripping WET!!!

 

[EMG]

As far as I know there are two schedules in the afternoon at 14:30 and 16:30.

There are a number of shipping lines that all leave at different times. There's Father and Sons, Minolo shipping, Blue Penguin, and one or two more I can't recall right now. There's one leaving about every half hour of every day, but pretty much none leave at their advertised time. Expect a 30+ minute wait for that last passenger or two.