Trip Report Jan 2024: Anilao, Puerta Galera and Boracay

[JonnieB]

This is not correct. In the Philippines we've dived Anilao, PG, Dauin, Malapascua, Moalboal, Panglao, Anda, and Southern Leyte. Every operator has planned the dive to 1 hour (gas allowing), with the exception of Captn Greggs who planned to 45 minutes.

We're just arrived back in PG and have chosen a different dive operator

If you're in a group, with only one guide, your dive time is limited to who sucks down their tank first.

 

[carono6333]

If you're in a group, with only one guide, your dive time is limited to who sucks down their tank first.

But if everyone's air lasts, you get an hour. Unlike Capt Greggs where the dive is planned to 45 mins bottom time and you have to go up regardless.

 

[carono6333]

If you're in a group, with only one guide, your dive time is limited to who sucks down their tank first.

And good dive centres have planning so that one individual does not significantly restrict dive time of the group if they consume faster. For example, Evolution (Malapascua) made sure we were grouped with divers who could also last one hour. 'Anda Scuba Diving' in Bohol, would take up divers and then rejoin my wife and I so we could complete the hour dive.

Appreciate sometimes it doesn't work out... but when dive planning includes 45 bottom times fof all dives just means that are not diving with Capt Greggs again as the dive time is significantly reduced

 

[Centrals]

And good dive centres have planning so that one individual does not significantly restrict dive time of the group if they consume faster. For example, Evolution (Malapascua) made sure we were grouped with divers who could also last one hour. 'Anda Scuba Diving' in Bohol, would take up divers and then rejoin my wife and I so we could complete the hour dive.

Appreciate sometimes it doesn't work out... but when dive planning includes 45 bottom times fof all dives just means that are not diving with Capt Greggs again as the dive time is significantly reduced

Nothing is perfect.
Most operators will try to put divers with similar experience in the same group and then fine tune it.

@JonnieB was talking about the common practice by some operators based on Phuket ie large group with only one guide.
Stay away from the day boat of Phuket.

 

[JonnieB]

Good point.

 

[Centrals]

There is no such thing as 55mins standard in SE Asia. Plain BS.

 

[wsar]

I've dived with CnG on 2 trips in the last 6 months for a total of around 30 dives and I don't recall any dive planning to 45mins, most of the dives were about 60 mins, give or take, and some of the muck dives went a bit longer than 1h. The only dives I remember that were significantly shorter than 1h were at Canyons and Verde when we had to fight some wicked currents, but the dive plan wasn't initially set up for 45min.

To be fair, there are other operators in the Philippines that are very generous with dive time where you can basically dive your air till 50bar (70-80 min dives with Alona Divers in Bohol) and then there the Thai liveaboards from Khao Lak that Centrals was referring to, where dives were really limited to a ridiculous 45min+5min safety stop, so CnG is somewhere in the middle, but I don't think it's fair to say they 'shortchange' wrt dive time. And they do try their best to divide groups based on experience/skills, although I guess it all depends on who else is diving on the day.

 

[JonnieB]

I've dived with CnG on 2 trips in the last 6 months for a total of around 30 dives and I don't recall any dive planning to 45mins, most of the dives were about 60 mins, give or take, and some of the muck dives went a bit longer than 1h. The only dives I remember that were significantly shorter than 1h were at Canyons and Verde when we had to fight some wicked currents, but the dive plan wasn't initially set up for 45min.

To be fair, there are other operators in the Philippines that are very generous with dive time where you can basically dive your air till 50bar (70-80 min dives with Alona Divers in Bohol) and then there the Thai liveaboards from Khao Lak that Centrals was referring to, where dives were really limited to a ridiculous 45min+5min safety stop, so CnG is somewhere in the middle, but I don't think it's fair to say they 'shortchange' wrt dive time. And they do try their best to divide groups based on experience/skills, although I guess it all depends on who else is diving on the day.

I generally dive my tanks to 20-30 bar...I guess that's why I generally do solo diving

 

[carono6333]

I've dived with CnG on 2 trips in the last 6 months for a total of around 30 dives and I don't recall any dive planning to 45mins, most of the dives were about 60 mins, give or take, and some of the muck dives went a bit longer than 1h. The only dives I remember that were significantly shorter than 1h were at Canyons and Verde when we had to fight some wicked currents, but the dive plan wasn't initially set up for 45min.

To be fair, there are other operators in the Philippines that are very generous with dive time where you can basically dive your air till 50bar (70-80 min dives with Alona Divers in Bohol) and then there the Thai liveaboards from Khao Lak that Centrals was referring to, where dives were really limited to a ridiculous 45min+5min safety stop, so CnG is somewhere in the middle, but I don't think it's fair to say they 'shortchange' wrt dive time. And they do try their best to divide groups based on experience/skills, although I guess it all depends on who else is diving on the day.

Glad you had a better experience than us.

The planned 45 bottom times and a safety issue we observed meant that we didn't return to Captn Greggs when we went back to PG last month.

 

[Centrals]

I will raise the question of 45mins bottom time on my next visit.