Moalboal vs Anilao or PG?

[JonnieB]

The first part is the same ie. bus ride to Batangas.
But banca is NO longer allowed to ferry passenger unless it is privately chartered.
The best options : Roll roll to Balatero or fast craft to Calapan and then at least 1hr overland by van/jeepney. The Marine Dept is trying very hard to discourage travllers and the local to cross the channel.
If you have seen the 2-3 boats that are used to ferry passengers between Sabang(Mulle) and Batangas you will understand my suggestion.

Interesting...why don't they want people to cross the channel...is it dangerous by banka? That's how I used to get there...banka charter.

 

[FairyBasset]

If you fly to Cebu, its a just a few hours drive to Moalboal, so very easy to get there.
There are many different types of resorts there, from backpacker to more upscale.
The sardine school is amazing to see.
You are a short trip to pescador island and other good dive spots also.
You can also easily take a day trip down to Oslob for whale sharks.
Moalboal has good bars and restaurants.Quite a good variety available for one week.
Haven't dived in PG or Anilao, so can't compare.

 

[DSR-3]

Thanks for all of the input and feedback. I found other threads that were informative as well.
Last minute as usual- I'm taking the simple option of going back to Anilao. It fits my schedule well, and is an easy choice, though I do look forward to new places when I have more time. This time I am going to treat myself to a private guide and boat per another forum members suggestion.

 

[Scandi Divers]

The first part is the same ie. bus ride to Batangas.
But banca is NO longer allowed to ferry passenger unless it is privately chartered.
The best options : Roll roll to Balatero or fast craft to Calapan and then at least 1hr overland by van/jeepney. The Marine Dept is trying very hard to discourage travllers and the local to cross the channel.
If you have seen the 2-3 boats that are used to ferry passengers between Sabang(Mulle) and Batangas you will understand my suggestion.

The situation has improved somewhat since the Philippine marina made some changes to the type of boats that can run from Batangas to Puerto galera. There are now 4 public boats that run from 6am to 5pm and apart from a few days when there has been delays due to large numbers of people or maintenance issues things are starting to get better. At the moment you can still use private banca boats which can be arranged with the resort you are planning to stay with. The marina are keen to stop these wooden boats from running, they want only steel hulled or fiberglass vessels to handle passengers. To say that the marina are trying very hard to discourage people from crossing the channel to Puerto galera is false, they just want people to travel in safer boats than the wooden banca's.

You can indeed travel to Calapan but this will add extra time to your journey, the roro takes around 3 hours, Super cat and ocean jet are around 1 hour. The vans from Calapan to PG are overcrowded with up to 18 people packed in, these trips also finish at 5pm so not great if you are arriving late. Your resort can also arrange private van from Calapan to PG at a cost of around 2,500 Php.

If you are planning to visit Puerto Galera I would highly recommend joining the Facebook page 'I love Puerto Galera' It has the latest public ferry schedule.
I Love Puerto Galera

 

[Centrals]

At least in one of the fiberglass boat the entrance door is locked from OUTSIDE! You are a sitting duck if anything happen.
I would rather be on a banca than those enclosed fiberglass boat on rough sea. At least I can put on a life-jacket and bail out, no such luxury in at least one of the fiberglass coffin!!

My solution to the ferry issue is very simple, red eye flight to Manila, RoRo to Balatero and dive with La Laguna Beach Club and Dive Centre.

 

[Makhno]

"Critters are key."

Anilao, for sure. Be sure to do the night dive at the "pier." There's also a shop that does black water night dives -- named something like Anilao Photo Academy or something. It isn't cheap but is worth trying. All sorts of odd plankton life comes up from the deep at night, and you'll see critters you've never seen before, as well as larval stages of stuff you know as adults. It's pretty cool. Daytime muck dives are top shelf, and there are some great reef dives too.

 

[Trailboss123]

Interesting...why don't they want people to cross the channel...is it dangerous by banka? That's how I used to get there...banka charter.

El Galleon, where I am staying, has their own High Speed boat that goes from Batangas, right to their resort.