Hi Mark, I could be a little bias of course as I live in Subic and am involved in a dive shop here, but I promise to be objective. I have experience in diving both locations. Subic much more of course.
First off, if you love diving wrecks the wreck diving in both locations will suit your passion. Both locations feature some of the most accessible, historic and diverse wreck diving in the world. (Especially if you are into WW2 wrecks) Both locations are inexpensive as compared to many other countries and locals. Even the flights from the US to Manila or Clark have been insanely low and in many cases, less then a trip to the Caribbean certain times of the year.
I have addressed the question of "Subic or Coron" with many a diver. My response has always been the same. If you are into wrecks, it is super easy to dive both locations on the same trip. Figure, 10 days for a comfortable trip. (Why anyone would come all the way to the Philippines for less then 10 days is beyond me, but 10 is a good minimum to dive both) Since you have already been to Coron ( Busuanga Island), I will just address Subic Bay.
Subic Bay and the area has a rich history and as you may already know was the past location of the the second largest overseas US military installation in the world. It is super easy to get too with a 3 - 4 hour drive from Manila Airport and 1.5 hour drive from Clark Airport..and a proper toll-way most of the way. (Example: Last Monday we had an American diver land at Clark at 6am from Singapore and he was on our 9am dive boat) Public transportation is top notch and easy to navigate and private cars are easy to arrange to get here. The area boast a large selection of lodging choices of all caliber. Lots of restaurants, shopping, public markets, and a robust nightlife of pubs, sports bars, bars with bands, beach bars and dance venues. Barrio Barretto is the busiest "beach resort" area and where most divers go. Once you are in Barretto, there is no need to go anywhere else. Everything you need or pretty much want to do is at your doorstep. (Unless of course you need to go to a shopping mall for some reason. That is on base - the Freeport - and about 8km away) There is also a bunch of "non" diving activities in the area if you're looking for other things to do.
As far as the diving goes, Subic Bay is loaded with historic wrecks and features the most diverse wreck diving in the Philippines. For example: 1894 US Armored Cruiser, American and Japanese Freighters, Douglas Sky Raider, M3 Half Tracks, Landing Craft, A Japanese DC-3, MD F4 Phantom..even a late 1800's Spanish gunboat that was used as a blockade ship in the Spanish American war. This is the short list...Subic has over 15 primary dive sites with probably another 15 secondary. Plus, a couple of very nice reefs that cater to the macro minded! All of these are listed on our website as also a simple google search will yield a ton of information.
The average boat ride is about 25 - 30min. It's pretty common for a lot of divers to do two dives in the am, then have lunch and do a third in the afternoon...getting back just in time for "beer-o-clock!"
As far as visibility goes, the vis in Subic is really not any better or worse then a lot of the historic "real" wreck diving locations in the world. (As you mentioned Coron was not that great for you on your last trip!) With Subic, since most of the wrecks are in a "bay" factors such as time of year, tide, weather, and surface ship movement have an effect. Also, the vis will be different dive to dive based on wreck location. For example, while the LST (Landing Ship Tank) had great vis a couple of days ago, the El Capitan, one of the most popular wrecks, on the second dive, was really murky. Today, the El Cap was pretty good with the vis within the cargo bays crystal clear.
Although no one here will ever "promise" you amazing visibility on all the wrecks, we can pretty much promise you that you will love your trip here, love the diving, love the service and have a great time. Even in low vis, you will see what you came to see and dive some history. Not to mention, hanging out in the Philippines is pretty cool, and crazy cheap for those that live in the western world.
In a year and a half of living and diving here, I have yet to meet a "wreck diver" diver that did not really have a great time and is looking forward to coming back.
Please, hit me with all the questions you might have and we hope you have a chance to come back to the Philippines and dive the historic wrecks of Subic Bay.
Ken
