Palau or Philippines? Help!!

[viva1]

I've been getting suggestions from divers on the ultimate diving for my tastes and now I'm very confused. Originally I was planning on Palau with a possible trip to Yap to see the mantas. Someone responded that there is a lot of current (I'm not opposed to some drift diving, but like to be able to stay still and watch the fish up-close), big crowds at the best sites and it's expensive. I can afford PPR, but if diving is better in a less expensive country, all the better!

Then someone said I had to look into PI (Bohol, Damaguete, other--Puerto Galera? with a possible trip to Yap at the end). I looked into PI and it looked good. Possibly stay at Panglao, Bohol (Alona Beach?) and Atlantis Resort in Dumguete.

Then someone who has dived extensively in both countries (living in Alona Beach now, but dived 10 years in Palau) said that Palau is the ultimate and that I should go there and just put up with the current because the fish life is so varied and spectacular.

My diving goals are beautiful, colorful fish and coral, some big stuff is great, but not the be all and end all. I do love mantas (only saw them once in Bali and would love to see more, thus my plan to go to Yap for 4 days), but sharks are not as important. I like macro diving a lot, but LOVE beautiful reefs. I am a 2-3 tank diver/day and also love to snorkel if conditions are great (shallow water or tall reef near the surface--lots of fish). It would be nice if there were some interesting things to do on land, as well.

Sooooo...can any one help me with this decision? I'm goin' nuts! Thanks.

 

[Deep Water Dan]

Yeah. I think Palau is a "must-dive", with Yap and Truk Lagoon right up there, too. I wouldn't get all bent out of shape about the currents in Palau, just don't dive Peleliu. I know several novice divers that have dived in Palau with no problems at all, including a couple that went straight from their open-water cert class to the Blue Corner (not what I would recommend, but they did it). The drift diving is wonderful. Not all the dives in Palau are in current, either. I have not been to the Philippines yet, but there are some regulars here who have. I'm sure they'll chime in before too long. Wherever you decide, enjoy!

 

[guamrider]

How long is your trip? Why not go to all three.? You can start in either Yap, go to Palau, and then a direct flight to the PI. Or vice-versa. Three-four dive days at each (I'd pick Dumaguete for overall everything in the PI). All are great places to visit and dive.

 

[Damselfish]

I think it's fun to ride currents sometimes but I'd usually rather be able to stay still and watch critters too. If I can see the same things without current I'd just as soon not have it, but sometimes you can't. The thing about current is, it can bring in food, certain types and quantities of animals, and help keep the reefs healthy. Places that are known for both great diving and current, got the way they are partly because of the current. So avoiding current too much may result in avoiding some good stuff.

There are certainly sites in Palau without current, but even on sites known for current it can be quite variable. When we were there the currents were mostly much lighter than what it's known for. I'm not sure if that is something you can plan for around the phase of the moon or something, but not necessarily a good thing as we missed out on some stuff because of the lack of current.

 

[bbarada]

We went to Palau last March. The currents were strong on some dives, but with reef hooks and drift diving, we didn't have to swim against them. On Pelileiu we had an awesome wall dive with absolutely no current at all.

 

[altaskier]

I've been on a liveaboard in Palau, and I've been to Anilao in the Philippines. I plan on returning to both places!

If I'm going on a dive trip, I like to dive! In Palau, a liveaboard is great as many (but not all!) of the dive sites are a ~45 minute boat ride south of Koror. It's a cool boat ride through the Rock Islands, but on a liveaboard you can do five dives a day (including night) at some fantastic sites. Some are really cool with currents (Ulong channel), and others are cool with swarms of open ocean fish and sharks around (like the Blue Corner) plus mantas at places like German Channel. You can also see a reasonable number of cool macro stuff. The trip there is long, and the liveaboards are not cheap (like $3k for a week - I loved Ocean Hunter I), but it's great diving.

In Anilao in the Philippines, you can also do 5 dives per day from a land based outfit, with the sites reasonably close by. Anilao is great for macro critters, with an incredible diversity of colorful nudibranchs and weird critters. We also had a cloud of jacks surround us one day, and we saw multiple frogfish on some dives. Just gorgeous diving, and people who have written books on Pacific nudibranchs and who have done surveys of biodiversity have returned year after year to Anilao. I stayed at Club Ocellaris and had fantastic dive guides (Alexis and Peri) and a neat stay in a bamboo hut on a hillside.

Palau and the Philippines are different from each other, but both are great. Anilao is a bit easier to get to (fly to Manilla, and a 3 hour van ride) and less expensive. The diving in Palau is a bit on the wilder side. More small stuff in Anilao, more big stuff in Palau.

You'll have a fantastic time at either place!

 

[guamrider]

altaskier

Great post. I go to the PI taking groups about 3 times a year, and have been to Palau, Yap, and Chuuk over 50 times over the years. Every place has its own special features so it's almost impossible to pick a clear favorite.

 

[circusoflife]

Maybe this thread response may help --

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/pacific-islands/377350-palau-fiji-maldives-2.html#post6195468

Yes--two different experiences...research these places ---

Southern Leyte, Donsol, Alona Beach, Dumaguete / Apo Island

Puerto Galera has been damaged by cyclones...it's not a "bad place" to dive - especially considering that it is close to Manila...but relative to other places in the Philippines...not as relaxing either due to the layout of the place IMHO.

 

[Sorrows]

Puerto Galera has been damaged by cyclones...it's not a "bad place" to dive - especially considering that it is close to Manila...but relative to other places in the Philippines...not as relaxing either due to the layout of the place IMHO.

Could you clarify that, please? How much damage? And what about the "layout?" One hears so many conflicting things about PG--it's confusing!

 

[circusoflife]

I did a scuba diving tour of the all those places noted in 2008 over 3 weeks. Except for Donsol...which at the right season is the place for - whale sharks. I wasn't there at the right time of year...otherwise I would have gone.

I had higher expectations of PG before I went due to things I had read, etc...I'll say it didn't live up to those expectations. (Check the General Travel forum, where have u dived thread - and u can see where I've dived before) As for damage some areas had noticeable damage / rubble areas. Some places are intact, but just not as vibrant looking (Pollution? Natural state of things. Dunno). Not sure how else to describe it. PG guilty of overhype. Fish life not as rich as other places noted from my recollection. U have 200+ dives, but not sure where..but everyone has different expectations / standards so u might go there and enjoy it alot. The scenery in the area is alright.

If u must satisfy ur curiosity go there for a day or two..it's very close to Manila. If I lived in Manila and had only a weekend (2 days) to dive, I might go there -- too much time/money wasted to go elsewhere - though I'm no expert on what else is close to Manila. If I had a long weekend of say 4 days, I would go elsewhere. 3 days...a toss up - depends how bad I wanted to go scuba diving / what I wanted to see.

As for the layout...u can see that on the Internet I suspect. Look on Wiki or Google Images for Puerto Galera. The main village where u stay has a cramped feeling to it. Overbuilding in one space from my perspective. I like more wide open spaces - which all those other places gives. But u gotta work harder to get to those other places. They are more remote.

Padre Burgos - Southern Leyte requires the most effort to get to from that list.

Alona Beach and Dumaguete/Apo are about the same effort I reckon. If coming from Manila, a flight to Dumaguete or Tagbiliran would be fastest then overland a little.

PI has something for everyone from a scuba perspective I reckon..but one really has to do their homework (Like all scuba me thinks) to match one's expectations. Wreck diving go to Palawan. Remote reef - go to Tubbatha. etc...

Get this book and study it! Was invaluable in helping me..but must read carefully...

Amazon.com: Diving Southeast Asia: A Guide to the Best Dive Sites in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand (Periplus Action Guides) (9780794600761): David Espinosa, Heneage Mitchell, Kal Muller, John B Williams: Books


-- if you LOVE beautiful reefs and don't care about sharks so much...go to APO Island and Alona Beach - Balicasag Island...the reef beauty exceeds that of Palau. Micronesia is more HARD coral. PI is SOFT (really both). I prefer a mix, but if I had to choose, would go more soft. But...if u are planning to go to Yap, well u may as well go to Palau and learn to LOVE DRIFT DIVES!! Hehehehehehehh