shamufish
Registered
Typing this up on the plane Im coming back from a trip to the Philippines where I passed my PADI Open Water cert with Andy Davis from Scubatech (Scuba Tech Philippines) as my instructor.
Having family in the Philippines I was lucky to be able to spare 5 days to do pretty much anything I wanted. I figured learning a new skill would be a great way to relax, especially as Subic has quite the reputation when it comes down to diving. My level of diving at that point was total n00b
A few messages later on these very boards and it became clear than most diving places in Subic have either busted websites or no website at all, and when they do, the emails usually bounce or no reply is ever received. Exceptions to this rule: Scubatech and Johans. Having lived in Subic myself for 3 years, I know the place quite well (and yes believe it or not I never had tried diving before!). Johan was not really an option due to its location (they are outside the SBMA base, and my hotel was on base) and vibe... Just look up Barrio Baretto girls in Google and youll see what I mean. Nothing wrong with that but my wife wouldn't have approved for sure! :-D
So it was now down to one choice, Scubatech. Spotting that Andy was an admin on these boards sealed the deal and alleviated my concerns about the seriousness of the operation - something which in the Philippines is a genuine and valid concern to have. The low cost (compared to the UK) also made it an easy option to go ahead with.
So how was it? Well quite simply the last 15 days rank up as one of my best holidays, and its during the diving that I probably saw some of the best sights, if not the best sights I had the chance to enjoy in my travels so far (and I do travel a lot). I can't even begin to describe the eerie feeling when the bow of the El Capitan or the guns from the USS New York slowly appeared out of the darkness, their silhouettes drawing themselves in front of me. As for the interiors - cathedrals of rusty steel bathing in glowing green light. There are no words!
Having never done scuba diving before, I was slightly anxious as I imagine many beginners are. I was lucky enough to have Andy teach me one-on-one and he put me at ease immediately. I particularly appreciated his emphasis on safety. Indeed, before, during and after the dives I again found that safety formed the cornerstone of his teachings.
Now, I may not know a scooby about diving but I do know a thing or two about teaching, having led IT courses for a good 3 years in a previous life. For that reason, Im usually very critical and picky while on a course myself. However here I cannot find anything to fault Andy with. It was a pleasant experience from the first day of theory all the way to the last dive of day 4. Every day felt interesting and at no time did I feel pressured into anything I wasnt comfortable with. It didnt feel like work either - Andy knows how to proactively pre-empt theory boredom by integrating practical elements at regular intervals during the course.
I also liked on how Andy focused a lot on buoyancy control - his goal is clearly to instil 'best practices' in newbies like me rather than just churn out course after course just for the sake of money. I feel this approach paid off and on my 8th dive (we did some extra dives on the Friday), I felt comfortable exploring my third wreck, the LST!
Now I know theres quite a bit of controversy regarding the value of PADI. Honestly I think its just common sense - considering the potential risk of this activity it is obvious that 4 or 5 dives just arent going to cut the mustard long term and that regular practice and skills training are required to constantly reinforce one's knowledge and stay safe. Andy made that clear (even if he didn't have to) and I'm comfortable with this as the course helped me get started and receive structured training - just what I was after.
Then of course there is the boat and the equipment. I loved the boat - it's nothing fancy but the shaded rest area, the ample space, the on-board barbecue and above all excellent stability made it an excellent, sunburn-free experience.
As for the equipment, it was all on rental of course but both the jacket-style BCD and reg/SPG/etc were brand new. After visiting a local dive shop it became pretty clear that the equipment I was using (Apex reg for example) was top notch versus the 'standard' rental gear one might encounter.
All and I all my feeling is that I was really 'spoiled' as a beginner. My graduation dive was on El Capitan and I got the chance to do the USS New York twice the day after that as part of a custom course. The sights were simply spectacular. Add 31c water, sunshine and a cost that's literally a fraction of what one would need to pay to learn in a boring London pool - and you have a very happy customer going home with a head full of wonderful memories.
So to sum up, I can highly, highly recommend Andy and Scubatech! Feel free to msg me directly if you have questions.
Having family in the Philippines I was lucky to be able to spare 5 days to do pretty much anything I wanted. I figured learning a new skill would be a great way to relax, especially as Subic has quite the reputation when it comes down to diving. My level of diving at that point was total n00b
A few messages later on these very boards and it became clear than most diving places in Subic have either busted websites or no website at all, and when they do, the emails usually bounce or no reply is ever received. Exceptions to this rule: Scubatech and Johans. Having lived in Subic myself for 3 years, I know the place quite well (and yes believe it or not I never had tried diving before!). Johan was not really an option due to its location (they are outside the SBMA base, and my hotel was on base) and vibe... Just look up Barrio Baretto girls in Google and youll see what I mean. Nothing wrong with that but my wife wouldn't have approved for sure! :-D
So it was now down to one choice, Scubatech. Spotting that Andy was an admin on these boards sealed the deal and alleviated my concerns about the seriousness of the operation - something which in the Philippines is a genuine and valid concern to have. The low cost (compared to the UK) also made it an easy option to go ahead with.
So how was it? Well quite simply the last 15 days rank up as one of my best holidays, and its during the diving that I probably saw some of the best sights, if not the best sights I had the chance to enjoy in my travels so far (and I do travel a lot). I can't even begin to describe the eerie feeling when the bow of the El Capitan or the guns from the USS New York slowly appeared out of the darkness, their silhouettes drawing themselves in front of me. As for the interiors - cathedrals of rusty steel bathing in glowing green light. There are no words!
Having never done scuba diving before, I was slightly anxious as I imagine many beginners are. I was lucky enough to have Andy teach me one-on-one and he put me at ease immediately. I particularly appreciated his emphasis on safety. Indeed, before, during and after the dives I again found that safety formed the cornerstone of his teachings.
Now, I may not know a scooby about diving but I do know a thing or two about teaching, having led IT courses for a good 3 years in a previous life. For that reason, Im usually very critical and picky while on a course myself. However here I cannot find anything to fault Andy with. It was a pleasant experience from the first day of theory all the way to the last dive of day 4. Every day felt interesting and at no time did I feel pressured into anything I wasnt comfortable with. It didnt feel like work either - Andy knows how to proactively pre-empt theory boredom by integrating practical elements at regular intervals during the course.
I also liked on how Andy focused a lot on buoyancy control - his goal is clearly to instil 'best practices' in newbies like me rather than just churn out course after course just for the sake of money. I feel this approach paid off and on my 8th dive (we did some extra dives on the Friday), I felt comfortable exploring my third wreck, the LST!
Now I know theres quite a bit of controversy regarding the value of PADI. Honestly I think its just common sense - considering the potential risk of this activity it is obvious that 4 or 5 dives just arent going to cut the mustard long term and that regular practice and skills training are required to constantly reinforce one's knowledge and stay safe. Andy made that clear (even if he didn't have to) and I'm comfortable with this as the course helped me get started and receive structured training - just what I was after.
Then of course there is the boat and the equipment. I loved the boat - it's nothing fancy but the shaded rest area, the ample space, the on-board barbecue and above all excellent stability made it an excellent, sunburn-free experience.
As for the equipment, it was all on rental of course but both the jacket-style BCD and reg/SPG/etc were brand new. After visiting a local dive shop it became pretty clear that the equipment I was using (Apex reg for example) was top notch versus the 'standard' rental gear one might encounter.
All and I all my feeling is that I was really 'spoiled' as a beginner. My graduation dive was on El Capitan and I got the chance to do the USS New York twice the day after that as part of a custom course. The sights were simply spectacular. Add 31c water, sunshine and a cost that's literally a fraction of what one would need to pay to learn in a boring London pool - and you have a very happy customer going home with a head full of wonderful memories.
So to sum up, I can highly, highly recommend Andy and Scubatech! Feel free to msg me directly if you have questions.
