Malapascua

[chip104]

.....and you are?
.....your opinion counts only if you lend credability to your post.
.....your experience level of diving in the Philippines is?
.....and I always thought a pom meant "alternative-lifestyle"....jeez!

Again, BabyD, this is an example of you not thinking before you post. I know others have already told you, but please RELAX BabyD. There are better and more polite ways to disagree with kosmonooit. And since you use the PPD logo as your avatar, I'm sure everyone here would appreciate you being more tactful. Please please please curb your enthusiasm and think twice about what you post and how you go about posting it.

@ Kosmonooit: welcome to the PPD. Unfortunate to hear about your trip. Yes, Puerto Galera is a very nice to dive, but it's unfair to compare it to Malapascua since it offers a different type of dive atmosphere. It really depends on what you want to see and as you build up your dive history, your outlook for each dive will most certainly change. As for your last sentence, don't give up hope yet on the Philippines. Corruption is being exposed as we speak (for example, last week the hearings on the lopez-meralco dealings were held). The tourism industry has been bumped up on the political agenda and the country's infrastructure has been trying to catch up with the growing industry for years now (just look at the construction upgrades of the SLEX and NLEX plus the new Star Tollway extension).

 

[greatwolf]

Again, BabyD, this is an example of you not thinking before you post. I know others have already told you, but please RELAX BabyD. There are better and more polite ways to disagree with kosmonooit. And since you use the PPD logo as your avatar, I'm sure everyone here would appreciate you being more tactful. Please please please curb your enthusiasm and think twice about what you post and how you go about posting it.

@ Kosmonooit: welcome to the PPD. Unfortunate to hear about your trip. Yes, Puerto Galera is a very nice to dive, but it's unfair to compare it to Malapascua since it offers a different type of dive atmosphere. It really depends on what you want to see and as you build up your dive history, your outlook for each dive will most certainly change. As for your last sentence, don't give up hope yet on the Philippines. Corruption is being exposed as we speak (for example, last week the hearings on the lopez-meralco dealings were held). The tourism industry has been bumped up on the political agenda and the country's infrastructure has been trying to catch up with the growing industry for years now (just look at the construction upgrades of the SLEX and NLEX plus the new Star Tollway extension).

Well said Chip.

 

[jbb]

Hello all 1st post... just a few words on my experiences from my 6 days at Malapascua In April this year.

I made three early morning dives to the Monad Shoal but sadly no Threshers ... and there was always so many divers there, who can blame the sharks from shying away. Yea I know its luck but it seems so commercialised I got the feeling its over..QUOTE]

I was curious as to which dive sites you were able to visit during your stay. I have been there many times and haven't had that much luck on Monad but then I've learned to appreciate the other criters crawling over the shoal in that time as well. Did you make it to Gato for the reef sharks?

The big three dive shops got together only in the last two months or so to divide up time slots at Monad so that only one small shop and one big shop would be diving there at any one time. They are also rotating the schedule so that depending on the day you might head out at 5:30, 6 or 6:30am. It is reducing the number of divers down at one time and if you use nitrox you'll have some extra time without the other divers on the boat. I got a few extra minutes with a thresher on my one morning dive on Monad, just wished it would have come a little closer. I was thrilled because I've been denied so many times before. I did go on a Monad manta dive (afternoon) and sighted a very large manta and a devil ray.

I enjoy the macro and that's why I go to Malapascua. I would also recommend Apo Island but the non macro is restricted to schools of jacks, baracuda and sea turtles. I have yet to see a lot of large creatures in my experience diving in the Philippines other than whale sharks in southern Leyte and the schools of fishes on Tubbataha reef.

I am hoping that with the further commercialization of the Malapascua area that the government will crack down on dynomite fishing and people will modify thier fishing practises. They are trying to promote the island as the next Boracay - I'm not if favor of that but it seems inevitable. At least it's a bit more difficult to get to. There is still a bit of dynomite fishing going on even on Gato despite the guards stationed on the island. The fishermen seem to have kept the fish population down at Chocolate Island but I've seen a lot of great stuff at both locations in my visits to the Malapascua area.

Pom - damn, I had to look that up. I've dived with Sea Explorers before but most of the divers were Swiss or German. I've preferred the adhoc collection of divers with TSD more. Course I'm usually about the only Yank on board and that's just fine by me.

 

[jbb]

pakman, I think you are right, and I think I was the one next to you on the dive. Interesting meeting here rather than on the boat

I think one of the Japanese divers got it all on video...

// Magnus;

Magnus, good diving with you as well. I was the shaved headed Joe or Kano (Yank) next to you on the TSD boat at least a couple of times. You got off the island just before the you would have had to pay extra like I did. It looked pretty scary in the morning but by the time the ferry started out at 1pm it wasn't bad. I've made the crossing in worse weather but not on one of the public boats.

 

[Babydamulag]

Okay, okay.....I just get a little worked up sometimes. I promise to to take my meds again.

 

[Dive_pa!]

Timing, as they say, is everything.

Then I guess I had a bit of luck with mine in June last year. I did only 1 dive in Monad and was able to glimpse one thresher as it appeared to swim towards the cleaning station. Although it probably sensed our anticipation because it slowly changed its course so we didn't get to see it up close. Then again, a glimpse is better than no sighting at all.


I'm a budget diver (read: scu-barat) and dived with probably the cheapest operator on the island, Dan Dives. They charged around Php1300 per dive, inclusive of equipment, DM services, environmental and boat fees. Nothing to complain about the equipment, the boat was huge and the boat men were alert and friendly. The DM was a jolly fellow but he seemed to be having fun in agitating the sleeping sharks in Gato because he kept on flashing his torch at the white tips under the rocks. :no

We also saw a big cuttle fish couple, large school of big mouth mackerel, barracudas, and scary sea snakes, so all in all, great value for money.

Btw, I also remember a bit of diver traffic in the cleaning station that time, I think we were 3 groups then.. sure hope I can go back for a closer encounter with the threshers...

Dive safe, everyone!
Jao

 

[Magnus.s]

Jason, good to see you here!

I agree with You, macro around Malapascua is really good! In fact I would count the "muck" dive we did at Bantigi as one of my top ten macro dives. But then also having Monad Shoal and the Threshers (and mantas) within reach makes Malapascua a very attractive dive location for me...

From Malapascua I went to Bohol, but no diving because of "conditions". I continued to Sabang and had some brilliant diving (pygmy seahorses, frogs, sea horses, lots of nudies, but my top find was a blue-ringed octopus )

I really enjoyed diving in the Philippines this time...

// Magnus;

 

[happybuddha]

Thought I would throw in my 2 centavos...I dived Malapascua during Holy Week and saw 1/2 thresher over 2 Monad dives. The 1/2 thresher was one that swam behind me and I only saw him/her as he/she dropped below the edge of Monad.

I dived with TSD this trip and enjoyed the crew there, best part was after the dives at the Pub Upstairs. Trevor has an excellent music collection on his iPod which led to a couple of drunken nights.

Mike at TSD did an excellent job instructing my friends 12 year old for his AOW course.

I dived with Exotic in '05 when an English couple (Terry and Nancy) were running the dive op there. Since they aren't there any more can't really say much about it. At that time Exotic was pumping helium and actually dived the Pioneer wreck on trimix and had an excellent dive.

I can never take Malapascua for more than 3 days, after that I've got to have a fresh water shower.

Drew

 

[kosmonooit]

Hello again, thanks for the replies.

I realise I had bad luck with my three dives to Monad, but even with the scheduling of dive shops, it did seem crowded. I was very careful to stick with the guide and follow their instructions, that meant practicing your boyancy skills on the shoal floor, but the same can not be said for a lot of the other divers who where cruising around over the shelf etc. Other divers there at the same time had better luck than me. My only consolation is that I got one of those beautifully carved wooden models of a thresher, which I am now sighfully looking at.

My other dives there were to the Dona Marilyn wreck, Gato Island and Chocalate Island where we did see a magnificent Blue Ring Octopus (the only thing we saw). I think I enjoyed Gato Island the best. My few dives with TSD were fine, I did the EAN course with them which was very professional, I just moved to Explorers because they are next door to the hotel, and they were a tad more laid back than TSD which I enjoyed as well, and diving with the Germans, Swiss etc was good fun. Brits can get a bit anal about "Rules and regulations" *joke*

On my next trip to Phils I think I am going to try mission to further away places that hopefully will be more pristine and less tourists. I will keep an eye on the board here hopefully pick up a few pointers... thanks in advance.

As for the whole situation there in Phils well I do believe its a mess, with a long story that I am slowly learning. But I do have love for & faith in the people who have endured all those hardships, one can only hope for a peaceful transformation of that society that will be bring social and economic justice. Every time I go there I learn more about the society and history, and I do have some close connections (the dispossesed) that I keep contact with. Cheers again all.

 

[Mampsa]

... to further calm down the board,

Guys i'll be in malapascua june 19-22, does anybody have a "suki" van that can give us a good rate? WIth the way fuel prices are sky rocketing, we might get ripped off... Pls PM me your friendly neighborhood van driver... Thanks

By the way, anybody from PPD going to be there on those dates?