Weekend Diving from Manila?

[JerryR]

Hi - I'll be in Manila for five weeks, last week of July to the last week of August. What diving can I get in on weekends? I can Leave on Friday evening but have to be in the office on Monday. A full day of diving on Saturday would be what I would be looking for, so with 18 hours between last dive and flights, I need flights back on Sunday evening or even better - ground transportation? I haven't dived the Philippines before, but have done a lot of diving in SE Asia.

Thanks....

 

[DevonDiver]

Subic Bay = 3-4 hours by bus / 2-3 hours by car

Anilao = 2-3 hours by car

Puerto Galera = 5 hours by bus/ferry

Cebu / Bohol / Coron etc by internal flight.

*timings determined by traffic in Manila

 

[DamonL]

Dive in Anilao. Stay at a resort for the weekend on a dive package that includes dives, lodging and meals. Accomodations are rustic but comfortable. Food is good. You can go early Saturday. Two boat dives on Saturday and two boat dives on Sunday. Drive home Sunday after the last dive.

Subic has one wreck worth diving and thats about it.

 

[Centrals]

Leaving Manila on Friday night and return by Sunday evening.
1. Anilao: You probably have to take private transfer on Friday night which will set you back around P4,000.00. Not a problem on the return if you leave in the early afternoon(public transfer).
2. Subic Bay: Public bus to Olongapo and then onwards to Baloy Beach. There are several wrecks there and how would you rate them is entirely up to you. USS New York is a must.
3. Puerto Galera: I wouldn't like to cross that stretch of water by banka in a rough sea at night.

Plenty of trip reports on these three places.

 

[DevonDiver]

Subic has one wreck worth diving and thats about it.

As Centrals said, the enjoyment of dive sites is very much a personal factor. There are over a dozen wreck and reef sites in Subic Bay.

Personally, I love them. I couldn't even begin to guess at which wreck DamonL believes was the only one "worth diving"?!?

The USS New York? Gigantic and historically fascinating warship, complete with 8" gun turrets, prop and a thousand hours worth of potential explorative penetrations?

The Landing Ship Tank? "The ship design that won WWII"...Sitting upright in 36m, swarming with schools of fish, in 20m viz with occasional swim-pasts by the resident Bull Sharks?

The El Capitan? The war hero vessel, awarded a battle star for action in Guadacanal.... offering perfect wreck training conditions, with extensive and safe penetrations, submerged air-pockets, structurally intact and sitting so shallow you can do a safety stop on top of her hull?

The San Quentin? A 120 year old relic from the Spanish-American war, laying scattered over a vibrant coral reef...playing host to a wide collection of reef and macro marine life...with considerable historical interest in the design of the huge boilers (still standing proud) and sturdy wooden superstructure (still preserved on the sea bed).. typically in 20+m visibility, its a dive like no other?

Well...for me, that's 4 dives that are unmissable.... I've done hundreds of dives on them.... and still love each return visit. Don't even get me started about Japanese Patrol Boat, Barges, Grande Island or the F4 Phantom....

I'm addicted to diving Subic Bay.... but, as Centrals said, it's a personal thing. Just don't write it off, until you've judged for yourself.

More info: Wreck Dive Subic Bay

Anilao Diving: Diving in Anilao
http://www.scubatechphilippines.com/scuba_diving_anilao.html
Photos of Subic and Anilao: Photo Gallery

 

[Rogersea]

I've Dived Anilao, Puerto Galera, Verde Island, Subic and 100 Islands Plus a couple of places which easily done during a weekend..

Transportation is easy if your not too picky, if you are and you are on travel with a foriegn company than private transportation is always an option. There are lots of good threads on this board which describe transportation options. With your stated schedule(flying after diving) you probablly want to stay up in the Luzon/Mindoro(PG) region, as I dont think it is worth flying somewhere for just a couple of dives. But if you can take an extended weekend then that opens up lots of choices!!!!

Cheers,
Roger

 

[mlsantos]

For that tight of a schedule i would definitely look at anilao. It has a wide variety of under water life to see. with anilao you get 2 full days of diving both on saturday and sunday. if you are looking for a dive group to go with pm me and let me know as i will be in anilao almost every weekend of july and august and would welcome more company.

now if you are serious about doing just one day of diving, i would suggest moalboal in cebu you can fly manila-cebu on a late flight friday like 9pm or so (the last flight is at 1030 if im not mistaken) transfer straight to moalboal (an hour and a half van ride), do 4 day dives and an optional night dive and still have a 24 hour sit before flying back to manila on a late flight sunday night. It does seem like a tight squeeze but i only suggest it because the sardines at pescador are a majestic sight to see. not to mention that moalboal has great wall dives with lots of turtles and a wide array of macro life. On top of that my two favorite night dives are also in moalboal, the club serena house reef where blue ring octopus is common at night and the pantalan an extremely shallow muck dive if that is your thing.