beepbird
Contributor
7 days at Scandi Divers Resort
Scandi Divers encompasses the entire west side of Big LaLaguna Beach in Sabang in the northern peninsula of Puerto Galera, including what was Campbell’s Dive Resort. It has a total of 40+ rooms in varying sizes and price ranges (some very inexpensive by US /Caribbean comparison). Our room had 2 double beds. Bathrooms are clean with hot showers. Air conditioning was great to keep the moisture out. There was a flat screen television but the channels are limited. Internet was spotty, sometimes it was good and one time the whole town of Sabang was out. Count on it being slow and it might exceed your expectations. I didn’t get an Asian SIM card so my Verizon network did not work, but I could use Wi-Fi for text msg and internet use. If you put your phone in airplane mode it won’t try to make cell connections.
We were assigned to the 3rd floor Penthouse Ocean front room of what used to be Campbell’s Dive Resort. The resort delivers your bags to your room upon arrival. There is a wide patio in front of the three rooms to dry bathing suits and to take in the views. Plan on getting lots of exercise as there are no elevators and you will climb stairs and walk all over.
Diving was a combination of both wide angle subjects and macro critters. Many dive sites are located within a 20 minute boat ride of the resort. There are enough variety to the dive sites that can interest both novice and expert divers. Our group of 3 all had over 1000 dives, one had 10,000 dives and the third was diving on a rebreather. There are lots of areas of very healthy hard and soft corals. Some areas show some bleaching. Often times, the best part of the dive was during our safety stop. They just take the more experienced divers deeper (60-90 ft) as many sites are up against the shore of the island. Surface intervals are a minimum of 60 minutes. They serve a warm drink and a couple of cookies between dives. The house reef to the swim platform is gorgeous but it is where much of the scuba instruction takes place. The reef to the west around the bend was pristine but shallow (8-12 ft). The owner of the resort recently bought WonderDive so they have more bancas and speed boats to transport guests. One larger banca has an outhouse in the back that’s great to for more distant dive sites. If your group fills the entire boat then you will have command of when you leave and how many dives you have. They are flexible. Water temps were between 79-81 degrees. I was toasty with a 5 mm wetsuit and a hood.
Dive masters/guides were excellent in pointing out critters to the guests. Boat men were attentive and made the diving experience seamless. There are 3 instructors (Chinese, Philippine, and British) onsite catering to the many visitors from all over the world. They don’t mix their own nitrox but swapping out tanks at the El Galleon pier was very simple. The dive locker was neat and looked well stocked. There is a central staging area for divers so you can check your gear before it gets put in the banka. Divers are given a crate to store their incidentals and the equipment is locked up in the evenings. The new camera room has 6 bays.
We asked for a trip to the Verde Island Drop off. We did 3 dives there with a wicked current on the first dive. It was stunning! The untouched reef was alive and growing with beautiful corals both hard and soft. Only seasoned divers should do this as currents are unpredictable and the diver pick up can be hairy due to the swells. (A few weeks later, Scubaboard posted a diver had died there). We stopped for lunch on a beach on Verde Island called the Surface Interval. Scandi Divers had reserved a cabana for us and we dropped off a chef and an assistant prior to our dives. After the second dive, we pulled up to the beach to find a fine feast was prepared while we blew bubbles.
Food: Resort has 3 restaurants and a broad menu consisting of Korean, Chinese, American, and Filipino cuisines, not to mention pizza as well. Picky eaters will find something to their liking in their meal plan. Highlights included the Crispy Pata, and the steamed fresh caught fish. Fresh mangos bananas, and pineapples are readily available from the kitchens for anything from fruit topped pancakes, ice cream to fruit drinks.
The staff are friendly and responsive to requests. Yellow striped beach towels are embroidered with a number are checked out at the front desk. They really love Scandi Divers and hang out like family at the Big LaLaguna Beach in their off hours.
The town of Sabang is a 7 minute walk from the resort and you can find at least 2 dozen other dive resorts within a 10 minute walk. Restaurants abound in the small town. This makes Scandi Divers a nice, quiet, safe, resort as it is furthest away from the town. If you are inclined for night life, Sabang has girly bars and 24 hour restaurants. The floating Bikini Bar is just a water taxi away. There is a camera shop in town but if you need anything, but it is best to be self-sufficient. A couple of dive shops carry the basics. There is really no need to go into town unless you need something or get bored. Shampoo is not provided but a convenience store is around the corner to pick up necessities.
Transportation: If you are in a group, let Scandi Divers arrange a private pick up at the airport to the resort. They will pick you up outside of the airport and take you to a private landing where a Scandi chartered ferry will transport you directly to Scandi Divers Hotel and Dive at Big LaLaguna Beach. The Scandi arranged airport van with the private ferry is $160 USD (total) one way for 1-6 people. The van ride is 1.5-2 hours depending on traffic and the private ferry ride is an hour in good weather - more if windy and big swells. You want to land in Manila by Noon, so you arrive at Scandi by 5 pm before it gets dark. Ferries do not run in the dark. Or you can take a public bus ($?) from the airport to the Batangas Pier and then take the public ferry to Sabang (230 pesos). It is a long walk (3/4 mile) on the boardwalk from the Sabang pier to the resort. You will have to climb up and down approx 4 flights of stairs over the hill and through the sand. You can arrange a private transfer banca from the Sabang Pier to the resort (approx. 200 pesos, $4.00). Porters will be clamoring to help you and they expect tips.
Helpful tips:
• Bring a cheap pair of gardening gloves to prevent hydroid/fire coral stings.
• Tall safety sausage in your BC pocket if you get caught in a current or if you get separated from the DM.
• Muck sticks are great for trying to hold your position in taking a picture.
• Bring multiple 220v to 110v converters and plug configuration adapters for use in your guest room or the camera room.
Scandi Divers encompasses the entire west side of Big LaLaguna Beach in Sabang in the northern peninsula of Puerto Galera, including what was Campbell’s Dive Resort. It has a total of 40+ rooms in varying sizes and price ranges (some very inexpensive by US /Caribbean comparison). Our room had 2 double beds. Bathrooms are clean with hot showers. Air conditioning was great to keep the moisture out. There was a flat screen television but the channels are limited. Internet was spotty, sometimes it was good and one time the whole town of Sabang was out. Count on it being slow and it might exceed your expectations. I didn’t get an Asian SIM card so my Verizon network did not work, but I could use Wi-Fi for text msg and internet use. If you put your phone in airplane mode it won’t try to make cell connections.
We were assigned to the 3rd floor Penthouse Ocean front room of what used to be Campbell’s Dive Resort. The resort delivers your bags to your room upon arrival. There is a wide patio in front of the three rooms to dry bathing suits and to take in the views. Plan on getting lots of exercise as there are no elevators and you will climb stairs and walk all over.
Diving was a combination of both wide angle subjects and macro critters. Many dive sites are located within a 20 minute boat ride of the resort. There are enough variety to the dive sites that can interest both novice and expert divers. Our group of 3 all had over 1000 dives, one had 10,000 dives and the third was diving on a rebreather. There are lots of areas of very healthy hard and soft corals. Some areas show some bleaching. Often times, the best part of the dive was during our safety stop. They just take the more experienced divers deeper (60-90 ft) as many sites are up against the shore of the island. Surface intervals are a minimum of 60 minutes. They serve a warm drink and a couple of cookies between dives. The house reef to the swim platform is gorgeous but it is where much of the scuba instruction takes place. The reef to the west around the bend was pristine but shallow (8-12 ft). The owner of the resort recently bought WonderDive so they have more bancas and speed boats to transport guests. One larger banca has an outhouse in the back that’s great to for more distant dive sites. If your group fills the entire boat then you will have command of when you leave and how many dives you have. They are flexible. Water temps were between 79-81 degrees. I was toasty with a 5 mm wetsuit and a hood.
Dive masters/guides were excellent in pointing out critters to the guests. Boat men were attentive and made the diving experience seamless. There are 3 instructors (Chinese, Philippine, and British) onsite catering to the many visitors from all over the world. They don’t mix their own nitrox but swapping out tanks at the El Galleon pier was very simple. The dive locker was neat and looked well stocked. There is a central staging area for divers so you can check your gear before it gets put in the banka. Divers are given a crate to store their incidentals and the equipment is locked up in the evenings. The new camera room has 6 bays.
We asked for a trip to the Verde Island Drop off. We did 3 dives there with a wicked current on the first dive. It was stunning! The untouched reef was alive and growing with beautiful corals both hard and soft. Only seasoned divers should do this as currents are unpredictable and the diver pick up can be hairy due to the swells. (A few weeks later, Scubaboard posted a diver had died there). We stopped for lunch on a beach on Verde Island called the Surface Interval. Scandi Divers had reserved a cabana for us and we dropped off a chef and an assistant prior to our dives. After the second dive, we pulled up to the beach to find a fine feast was prepared while we blew bubbles.
Food: Resort has 3 restaurants and a broad menu consisting of Korean, Chinese, American, and Filipino cuisines, not to mention pizza as well. Picky eaters will find something to their liking in their meal plan. Highlights included the Crispy Pata, and the steamed fresh caught fish. Fresh mangos bananas, and pineapples are readily available from the kitchens for anything from fruit topped pancakes, ice cream to fruit drinks.
The staff are friendly and responsive to requests. Yellow striped beach towels are embroidered with a number are checked out at the front desk. They really love Scandi Divers and hang out like family at the Big LaLaguna Beach in their off hours.
The town of Sabang is a 7 minute walk from the resort and you can find at least 2 dozen other dive resorts within a 10 minute walk. Restaurants abound in the small town. This makes Scandi Divers a nice, quiet, safe, resort as it is furthest away from the town. If you are inclined for night life, Sabang has girly bars and 24 hour restaurants. The floating Bikini Bar is just a water taxi away. There is a camera shop in town but if you need anything, but it is best to be self-sufficient. A couple of dive shops carry the basics. There is really no need to go into town unless you need something or get bored. Shampoo is not provided but a convenience store is around the corner to pick up necessities.
Transportation: If you are in a group, let Scandi Divers arrange a private pick up at the airport to the resort. They will pick you up outside of the airport and take you to a private landing where a Scandi chartered ferry will transport you directly to Scandi Divers Hotel and Dive at Big LaLaguna Beach. The Scandi arranged airport van with the private ferry is $160 USD (total) one way for 1-6 people. The van ride is 1.5-2 hours depending on traffic and the private ferry ride is an hour in good weather - more if windy and big swells. You want to land in Manila by Noon, so you arrive at Scandi by 5 pm before it gets dark. Ferries do not run in the dark. Or you can take a public bus ($?) from the airport to the Batangas Pier and then take the public ferry to Sabang (230 pesos). It is a long walk (3/4 mile) on the boardwalk from the Sabang pier to the resort. You will have to climb up and down approx 4 flights of stairs over the hill and through the sand. You can arrange a private transfer banca from the Sabang Pier to the resort (approx. 200 pesos, $4.00). Porters will be clamoring to help you and they expect tips.
Helpful tips:
• Bring a cheap pair of gardening gloves to prevent hydroid/fire coral stings.
• Tall safety sausage in your BC pocket if you get caught in a current or if you get separated from the DM.
• Muck sticks are great for trying to hold your position in taking a picture.
• Bring multiple 220v to 110v converters and plug configuration adapters for use in your guest room or the camera room.
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