Trip advice - early august

[Centrals]

I'll have to get up to La Union sometime - I didn't know there was diving there until this thread raised the subject

There are couple of deep wrecks further north!!! I believe they are from WWII vintage.

Even the M10 tanks are from 48m downwards!!

 

[scubajo007]

Barges, El Capitan, LCU, San Quentin and the reefs around Grande Island, Nabassan and Lighthouse are very easy, shallow and stress-free dives.

DevonDiver!
this is getting quite interesting and also drifting away from the basis of this thread, I think a new thread: Diving the Northern Philippines would be worth to consider.
However just to continue on this path, I will be on the Philippines from next week and 3 weeks onwards. We are going to Sipalay the first week, thereafter we will be in Pangasinan for the rest of the time. My better half have decided that we will go diving and do some snorkeling with the kids at 100 Islands, but maybe I can convince her that we should try Subic Bay if there are good dive sites for us and if we bring the kids that there are some proper snorkel sites for them of course provided things can be arranged with short notice. Can you PM me a mobile or contact number in case we decide to give Subic a try.

 

[lifesabeach]

He is talking about summer I guess in the northern hemisphere.

Manila is about 14 degrees North of the equator....but I'm talking about summer in the Philippines...greater chance of rain and typhoons...fewer chance of drunken sun seeking Southern Hemisphere tourists....

Still wondering about whether its worth the trek to Subic...3-4 hours out of Manila sounds daunting...can almost make it to Sabang in that time...Sabang PG White Beach is quite beautiful...wonder how beautiful the Subic area is....any beaches nearby?....visited Angelas once, never go back there...not nice to look at by day...

 

[DonCebu]

Manila is about 14 degrees North of the equator....but I'm talking about summer in the Philippines...greater chance of rain and typhoons...fewer chance of drunken sun seeking Southern Hemisphere tourists....

In that case at 14 degrees the weather is always "feels" like summer.

So "summer" activities in the Philippines start at Holy Week and ends when school starts again sometime in June.

 

[DevonDiver]

..wonder how beautiful the Subic area is....any beaches nearby?....visited Angelas once, never go back there...not nice to look at by day...

There's another thread just been started that links to this; but here's a photo blog from one of my recent customers. Photos were taken about 3 weeks ago. Should give an indication of typical 'monsoon season' diving in Subic...

Wreck Diving in Subic Bay « Scott-Photos.com

I went back there again last week and the conditions were a little worse that described in the blog. There had been (very) heavy rain, which had washed silt and (jungle) debris into the bay from the surrounding mountains.

Viz on the New York was disappointing - less than 5m, but Barges and El Capitan both still had over 15m viz. Not bad considering the weather...

Visit any location in the wake of heavy and persistent rains and you'll expect a deterioration in viz. Subic, being a very sheltered bay, takes a little longer to clear the viz because the currents are quite weak and don't clear out the water as quickly as off-shore locations.

The worst of the viz is always contained in the sites nearest the Olongapo river (i.e. USS New York, Oryuko Maru, Lighthouse etc). As you get nearer the bay entrance, passing currents keep the water much clearer. Also, because the bad viz originates from river water entering the bay, the bad viz tends to get trapped at the very surface - because the fresh water lies on top of the salt water. Near the river mouth, there is quite often a layer of cold, murky (fresh) water in the first 2-5m... and below that there is much clearer, warmer sea water. The halocline separating those layers of fresh and salt water can be quite a marvel to see.

That said, one of the great benefits of wreck diving is that gin clear viz isn't critical for enjoying a magnificent dive. Our customers get really excited about dives on these wrecks, in conditions that would otherwise be considered miserable if you were trying to appreciate a reef.

 

[Centrals]

Why in heaven would you say something like that? The weather is fantastic, the diving is fantastic, and it's not crowded. I'm sitting on a paradise white beach looking and glass flat, crystal clear blue water after a great day of diving with sharks, wrecks and macro life... typhoon, shmyphoon...

Hi Don Cebu:
He never mentioned 365 days!!!
It is your added words, right?