Sogod Bay Philippines

[Travelnsj]

Has anyone dove Sogod bay in the Philippines? any info is appreciated ie. places to stay? what the diving is like? how do you like it compared to other places in the Philippines? etc.

I'm looking at going next March for 5 days of diving.

 

[pakman]

travelnsj, look below or do a search and you'll find a lot of recent trip reports/ threads on Sogod... Basically 2 shops to pick from (Sogo Bay Scuba and Pete's) which are right next to each other. There are some others but I don't know of them that well.

and here are a few pics from our 06 trip.
Sogod Bay Dec 2006 - a set on Flickr

 

[clgsamson]

here as well
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/un...2872-sogod-southern-leyte-feb-22-25-08-a.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ph...222711-sogod-southern-leyte-picturelogue.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwater-photography/226279-philippines-doesnt-suck.html

 

[drbill]

Whew... if all goes right, Scott, I'll beat you to the Philippines.

 

[Travelnsj]

travelnsj, look below or do a search and you'll find a lot of recent trip reports/ threads on Sogod... Basically 2 shops to pick from (Sogo Bay Scuba and Pete's) which are right next to each other. There are some others but I don't know of them that well.

and here are a few pics from our 06 trip.
Sogod Bay Dec 2006 - a set on Flickr

Pakman...I did not know you had been to Sogod. How do you rate it against Puerto Galera or Malapascua? Those are your pics of the Whaleshark?....kewl!!!

I have done a search just wanted some additional info.....Thanks

 

[Travelnsj]

Whew... if all goes right, Scott, I'll beat you to the Philippines.

Yeah right Bill....you could not survive in water above 67 degrees or 19C....Just teasing ya.....What are your plans?

 

[pakman]

Hmm... Tough to say... Each have their pros and cons.

Malapascua - postcard white beaches, threshers, mantas, wrecks, gato island, and some cool macro critters around.

PG - great macro, more mid size fish life (groupers, etc), fun drift dives, and plenty of topside entertainment and restaurants to choose from.

Sogod - absolutely nothing to do besides diving... Resorts are nice but basic. Nice place to go if you just want to wind down and enjoy some good diving. Rocky beaches. Not much to see topside in the area. But the chance to dive with whale sharks and the much underated Napantow (sp?) Wall makes up for this. That plus some pretty cool night muck diving at the nearby Padre Burgos town pier.

 

[Travelnsj]

Man they all sound great....I have 5 days diving in Sogod or PG....then to Palau for 10 days....might change to 7 days in the Philippines....Thanks for the info.

 

[Kevster]

S.Leyte/Sogod is my fav dive site in Philippines.
I would compare the reef/soft coral to Papua. Not many big fish/no sharks/rays but saw lots of cuttlefish , banded sea snakes.
The amazing thing about Leyte was the viss. I was there in Feb this year and viss was 30+m. It gets better in Jun.!
Macro/night dives in front of the resort & the pier were great. (However these cannot really be compared to Lembeh).
There is 1 dive site across the bay which is stunning (lots of small fish,amazing soft coral )Would be in my top 10 dives.
Unfortunately i did not see any whale sharks. I think most of 08 has been an off season compared to 07.

I enjoyed Sogod bay dive resort, decent clean accom, friendly staff, Pedro was good guide & water was calm, not much current. Excellent value. Nothing to do but dive. Would suggest to make sure you get a room within the resort rather than the nearby bungalows(which they use when its busy). The resort & bungalows are similar. The rooms in resort are a bit better however it is a lot more convenient staying in the resort . the nearby bungalows are approx 200-300 m from the resort.
I am considering a return in 09, depending on WS activity! If i go back i would maybe do 4 days at Anilao & a week at Leyte. Would definately go back to Sogod bay dive resort.

 

[Travelnsj]

Kevster.....What were the water temps? I will also be going in late Feb/March. I am lucky the DM/Keith I use in Palau is going to meet me in Sogod.

I'm looking at staying at Peters I have read a couple of trip reports of people who were a bit dissatisfied with the Sogod bay resort.....thanks for the info.