PHILIPPINES 2020 FAM TRIP (Puerto Galera & Dumaguete) - REPORT & PIX

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With regards to the air hogs, why don't they insist on a private divemaster for the air hogs and let the rest of us dive our tanks?

It’s not as big a deal as it sounds, a great deal of the diving in both locations is less than 60 feet, and with dive times limited to 55 minutes only a super hog is headed up early. I just checked my logbook and I had no dives less than 50 minutes except for Alma Jane (99 feet and current) and two dives at Pinnacle on Verde Island.

In regard to Verde, it is a decent boat ride, can’t remember exactly. The Atlantis had an area set up for us with a pier, pavilion, barbecued food, it was a highlight of the trip.
 
It’s not as big a deal as it sounds, a great deal of the diving in both locations is less than 60 feet, and with dive times limited to 55 minutes only a super hog is headed up early. I just checked my logbook and I had no dives less than 50 minutes except for Alma Jane (99 feet and current) and two dives at Pinnacle on Verde Island.

In regard to Verde, it is a decent boat ride, can’t remember exactly. The Atlantis had an area set up for us with a pier, pavilion, barbecued food, it was a highlight of the trip.

OK, but if I'm flying half way around the world and have limited days to dive, I'd rather dive my tank and get 75 plus min.
 
Updated. I have 80 logged dives. I am a free diver who got into scuba. In the past I enjoyed free diving Nanakuli when I grew up in Hawaii. Lately my girlfriend wants me to stay in the barangay where she lives. And I take her to Manila. I have family in the Philippines. Busy schedule when I'm in the Philippines.

Why is your dive count so low in your profile?
 
OK, but if I'm flying half way around the world and have limited days to dive, I'd rather dive my tank and get 75 plus min.
There's a reason they do it this way. There's a LOT of boat traffic in the area so the last thing they want is for divers to be surfacing at different times in different spots. The DM/guide shoots a marker at the safety stop and asks everyone to stay close and surface near the marker. (Another reason they keep their groups limited to 6 divers + guide.)

And if you don't like this because you feel you're getting robbed of dive time, then vote with your feet and dive with another operator who doesn't have this type of a policy.

In our group, we had one gal who would run a bit low a little early and she and her BF (instructor) got the guide to agree that as long as they carried their own surface marker, they could signal the guide, deploy that, and go up early (maybe 10-15 minutes before the rest of us) minutes, and that was all right.

So even though this may be policy, there may be ways to mitigate it without affecting the entire group. You never know unless you ask.
 
Thanks Ken for a great report.
Not been to PG and honestly I have never read a single review that has made me desperate to go there.
I have been to Dumaguette and really enjoyed the place. I think Anilao has better macro dives. But they both offer different pro's and cons.
Duma suited my family better, with much better beach and snorkeling and tours (whale shark, turtles, waterfalls etc), but Aniloa has the better critter diving....
 
Does anyone know if you can dive at Oslob? Part of out package includes the whale shark snorkle but ive done that and meh. I was wondering if it’s possible to dive that area to see the whale sharks as they head off after doing thier feeding pass.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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