You could eat off the floors in that place. It was precisely what I would have expected from a GUE affiliated dive shop. The people were really nice, too.
Trip Report- El Galleon/Asia Divers in Puerto Galera/Sabang in March 2014
- Thread starter WOODMAN
- Start date
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Yes Dave, Sam, Ferg & the team run a good show at TA. My DPV and spare doubles live there in a secure, climate controlled environment. Not sure when you were there last but they've remodelled recently, you can see some pix on their facebook site.
OP
WOODMAN
Contributor
An update to my report: Please ignore my effusive comments on the free buffet breakfast at the Remington hotel. They replaced it with a McDonalds! And the free (limited!) breakfast is across the street at a casino! I guess it's like the old song says- you don't know what you got till it's gone...:sad:
DesertEagle
Contributor
Based in part on Woodman's trip report I did my diving with Asia Divers. Instead of writing my own full report, I'll add to Woodman's.
Asia Divers were very good. They are a very flexible operation. Every day there were at least 3 guided dives to the local reefs. They were very open to recommendations and they accommodated my requests every time.
My first dive was at Dungan wall, a nearby site with more or less a sloping reef. The currents were moderate which made it a good location to get familiarized after a few years out of the water. The corals were okay, nothing special. The number of reef fish was moderate (don't expect huge clouds of fish). On the other hand, the small critters were amazing. I had a guide who was from England (sorry I can't remember his name). He knew every nook and cranny of the reefs.
FYI I rented my gear. They have all new Cressi stuff. The BCD's have an integrated weight system. Good stuff!
The second dive at 1:30 was to Sabang wrecks. It's a very easy shallow dive, but beware boats on the surface. Expect lots of reef fish and small critters.
When I got back I found out that two other people wanted to dive Verde Island the next day. I had told the managers earlier that I wanted to dive Verde, so my name was already added to the list. Each of us paid the two tank trip rate and an extra $50 for the boat. It still cost less than two dives at most places.
Verde Island was undoubtedly the highlight of my trip. After an hour-long trip on a bangka boat we arrived at our destination. There were no other dive boats in the area. Already this was a good sign! The reefs here are spectacular. There were huge numbers of anthias and lots of other other reef fish. There were mostly hard corals but I also a lot of beautiful yellow and pink soft corals. It reminded of the Red Sea but without the crowds and even more varieties of fish. Just a note about Verde- I experienced some of the strongest currents here. Our guide was a gentleman from Oregon who did a great job, so we let the currents do the work for us.
The next morning I did my first dive at the Canyons. We entered through "hole in the wall" and made our way into the "bowls." They are filled with red soft corals and clouds of anthia fish. This is heaven for me. One of the bowls has some resident sweetlips fish that were just asking me to photograph them. I liked this dive so much that I went there the next two days.
The afternoon dive that day was Hole In The Wall which also has great soft corals and reef fish, minus the sweetlips. The next afternoon we started at Hole In the Wall and let the currents carry us a long way. It was like riding an express train out in the open.
Overall the diving was excellent. I enjoyed having a site like the Canyons so nearby that I could dive and be back for a quick lunch.
First: the Canyons
Then Verde island:
Asia Divers were very good. They are a very flexible operation. Every day there were at least 3 guided dives to the local reefs. They were very open to recommendations and they accommodated my requests every time.
My first dive was at Dungan wall, a nearby site with more or less a sloping reef. The currents were moderate which made it a good location to get familiarized after a few years out of the water. The corals were okay, nothing special. The number of reef fish was moderate (don't expect huge clouds of fish). On the other hand, the small critters were amazing. I had a guide who was from England (sorry I can't remember his name). He knew every nook and cranny of the reefs.
FYI I rented my gear. They have all new Cressi stuff. The BCD's have an integrated weight system. Good stuff!
The second dive at 1:30 was to Sabang wrecks. It's a very easy shallow dive, but beware boats on the surface. Expect lots of reef fish and small critters.
When I got back I found out that two other people wanted to dive Verde Island the next day. I had told the managers earlier that I wanted to dive Verde, so my name was already added to the list. Each of us paid the two tank trip rate and an extra $50 for the boat. It still cost less than two dives at most places.
Verde Island was undoubtedly the highlight of my trip. After an hour-long trip on a bangka boat we arrived at our destination. There were no other dive boats in the area. Already this was a good sign! The reefs here are spectacular. There were huge numbers of anthias and lots of other other reef fish. There were mostly hard corals but I also a lot of beautiful yellow and pink soft corals. It reminded of the Red Sea but without the crowds and even more varieties of fish. Just a note about Verde- I experienced some of the strongest currents here. Our guide was a gentleman from Oregon who did a great job, so we let the currents do the work for us.
The next morning I did my first dive at the Canyons. We entered through "hole in the wall" and made our way into the "bowls." They are filled with red soft corals and clouds of anthia fish. This is heaven for me. One of the bowls has some resident sweetlips fish that were just asking me to photograph them. I liked this dive so much that I went there the next two days.
The afternoon dive that day was Hole In The Wall which also has great soft corals and reef fish, minus the sweetlips. The next afternoon we started at Hole In the Wall and let the currents carry us a long way. It was like riding an express train out in the open.
Overall the diving was excellent. I enjoyed having a site like the Canyons so nearby that I could dive and be back for a quick lunch.
First: the Canyons
Then Verde island:
Should try Horse Head Reef(36m) which still has several Giant Groupers and the size of the sea fans is a dead give away that the current can be brutal.
Kilemar Drift is a high octane drift. It is off limited if the ebb tide is too strong!!!!!!
Kilemar Drift is a high octane drift. It is off limited if the ebb tide is too strong!!!!!!
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