Philippines 2016 - adding a week to beginning of ScubaBoard Invasion - where to go?

[goodt_go]

Hey all,

My hubby kneedeep and I are joining the '16 SB Invasion in the Philippians so we are already staying at the 2 Atlantis resorts - one in Puerto Galera and one in Dumaguete. We are wrapping a week on before the invasion so our daughter and friend can join us. We for sure want to Scuba but also tour a bit. Does anyone have a suggestion for other excellent places to both scuba and do land excursions? Any input would be ideal as we'd like to book this part of the trip!

Janney

 

[Divebooker.com]

I suggest you visit Bohol - https://divebooker.com/bohol-aaz6828, Dive Centers from Bohol. Along with great dive sites with unspoiled reefs, you can also see the famous Chocolate Hills there

 

[Doc]

How about getting off the plane and stretching your feet for a week in Hawaii or Japan? If you want land based terrestrial, maybe more diving, Thailand?

My experience in the Philippines has lead me to believe that better SCUBA locales and proximity to terrestrial tourism access is about nil.

You will absolutely enjoy the two SB Invasion properties provided by Hotel Atlantis, but you should understand that Puerto Galera is not where you are going to really be, you'll be at Sabang Beach, some 10 or so miles to the East...and that's a good thing. Just 50' inshore from the main "street" of Sabang itself, things get pretty seedy, and continues to devolve as you get closer to PG. Stay on the beachfront unless you are looking for adventure of a new and different kind. The tourist zones are spectacular and more than enough.

Dumagette is isolated and it's remote location provides different opportunities, but more difficult terrestrial travel considerations.

I have seen nothing I needed from Manila on down to the Southern tip's jumping off pier in Batangas for your boat ride to Sabang.

if Atlantis still offers a live aboard, I'd jump aboard.

I'm not selling anything, no tours or whatever like linked booking sites.

 

[Centrals]

If you are interested in WWII history then Manila has one place that no American should miss: Corregidor Island. However, Manila is NOT the place that I would recommend to anyone generally.
Arrive in PG earlier but stay in other resort so as to sample the varieties offered!!! June is the low season so enjoy small group diving among yourselves!! There is also a small golf course up in the mountain if you like the game.
If you are really interested in macro then I would suggest you should consider Anilao which is just across the channel. And you can arrange the direct boat transfer from Anilao to Sabang Beach.

 

[PhatD1ver]

If you are interested in WWII history then Manila has one place that no American should miss: Corregidor Island. However, Manila is NOT the place that I would recommend to anyone generally.
Arrive in PG earlier but stay in other resort so as to sample the varieties offered!!! June is the low season so enjoy small group diving among yourselves!! There is also a small golf course up in the mountain if you like the game.
If you are really interested in macro then I would suggest you should consider Anilao which is just across the channel. And you can arrange the direct boat transfer from Anilao to Sabang Beach.

I'm with Centrals on the Anilao recommendation... I've been there three times and I still love diving the sites there... I like the laid back atmosphere and great, great food at Aquaventure Reef Club, and one of my favorite dives is just out the front door which is the helicopter wreck that sits at 30m literally 50m out from shore... Beatriz is a dive site that even after my recent trip to Cozumel sits at #1 out of my few 141 dives in the past 18 months... what a spectacular reef, it's literally like you drop in over an aquarium with the multitude of soft and hard corals, fish big and small, octopus, and on and on, if you have a week, there will be one day where the currents run right for you to see it... Kirby's is always a good time, of course you need to see Cathedral in the day and then for a night dive... I could go on and on... love that place!! maybe you aren't going to spend your time with the big stuff, but the variety of little stuff found on the Anilao sites is totally amazing, I have lost count of the number of different nudies I've seen there...