Wetsuit for PG/Sabang in May?

[Oz Chris]

I packed my dive bag and it was about 46lbs with all my gear.

Wow. What have you packed? Our dive bag was 46lbs as well, but that was for two people (although no wetsuits, and only one set of regs).

 

[Luky]

The bag itself is a large Stahlsac soft side roller about 10lbs that I got off craigslist years ago for $80. Add my BCD with SS1 & safety sausage/finger reel, a couple of masks, fins, snorkel, B2 reg w/ console in a case, boots, gloves, 1.5mm wetsuit, 5mm hooded vest, a couple of rash guards, mesh backpack/dry bag for the boat, my UK C8 ELED light cannon (this is heavy with the eight C cell batteries), small mask box with allen wrenches, screw driver, 6" crescent wrench, leatherman multitool, dive knife, log books, spare coin batteries and manuals for computer, etc. Debating about leaving the big UK light home since I bought a small 1k lumen LED light as a "back up" for my BCD pocket and my gopro tray has a couple of 1200 lumen floodlights so when I do night dives that should be plenty... I don't think I have a a bunch of extra stuff, it just all adds up... I was considering getting one of those new large suitcases that are a molded plastic clamshell with four wheels on the bottom as they are a couple of pounds lighter, but the "cheap ones" at $130-$160 seem rather low quality and the better ones (name brand) are about $300 USD which seems ridiculous for a single bag. And the way the airlines kill the bags in handling it just doesn't seem worth it.

 

[Divenut1959]

I agree with you drop the C8 as I am sure you will never use it....if your doing night diving with photography your gropro lights and your backup will serve you fine..you will probably pickup several pounds just in the batteries...

 

[Damselfish]

In my ongoing campaign to reduce baggage weight & volume, big lights (and non-rechargeable batteries) were the low hanging fruit. I agree with leaving the C8 home if you really don't need it. I have a UK C4 that doesn't travel anymore either.

If you do feel a need to take it or any C-cell light someplace, consider using AA rechargeables in C adapters, especially if you are already carrying a battery charger anyway. Will save you some weight especially if you also feel a need to take spare batteries. Can make it annoyingly floaty if you clip it to your BC at some point, but I think it's worth the tradeoff. I clip it then tuck it under my arm.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I came in at exactly 23kg/50lbs with full set of gear - 5mm wetsuit (now probably more like a 4mm), BC, fins, boots, dsmb/spool, spare mask with save a dive stuff, non-titanium regs with transmitter on hose with octo not a spare air.

I also had basic toiletries (no cosmetics) and only enough weight for 4 tops and 4 bottoms for a 3 week trip.

I’m on the ground (in the water) in PG now and temps are 79-82F.

 

[Luky]

Checked my regs in the pool yesterday and all is good. Got my 3mm suit and tried it on. Kind of tight in the shoulders. Maybe it will stretch out a bit? Not nearly as comfortable as the 1.5mm (same brand and size) so hopefully I don't have to use it. I am so ready to go. Two weeks and counting.

A different question... I don't drink often but when I do I'm not a beer drinker. I prefer Meyer's dark rum. Anyone know if the bars in Sabang have this? It can be hard to find in china... Do bars there allow you to buy a bottle and "hold" it for you for when you come back? Can be much cheaper than Individual drinks. This was common in korea...

 

[Centrals]

Just bring your own and leave it behind as gift.

 

[D_Fresh]

Luky,

Meyer's might be around at some bars in Sabang, but likely only Big Apple or 50 Bar. If you're a rum drinker, I highly recommend you check out Tanduay, the local rum. I really like it, great mixer with Coke, Sprite, Ginger ale, mango, pineapple... super versatile rum. Most of the bars should be ok with Holding a bottle for you. Be kind to the bartenders and they'll take plenty good car of you

Regarding reef hooks, as far as I have experienced, no ban. You won't need one on most close dive sites. BUT, if you dive Canyons or anywhere around Verde Island you will need one. The island is mid channel and can have very strong currents.

On wetsuits, if course we all have different tolerances, but I dive a 3mm full with 3mm booties and I'm fine to 30m full dive with no chill. I do have a 2mm hood vest that I occasionally use in January/February.

Have a great time and please post a trip report! Happy Diving!

 

[Luky]

Thank you Fresh. I just finished my 8 days in PG (in the New World Makati hotel now packing to go to the airport) with 24 dives including a trip to Verde Island, night dive and an intro to the DPV which we took down to the Alma Jane (and through it) which was a lot of fun. Never did find Meyers (not at big apple), but I only had drinks on two nights I think. Even diving nitrox the entire time, with the jet lag and 3 dives a day I was pretty wiped out by the end of the day. Overall an excellent trip. I used my 1.5mm suit which was fine for all but literally the last dive where the temp dropped from 85F to 79F from the currents. Never did use my hook, but the muck stick was great. I have over 220 GB of video files from my gopro5 to go through and edit. Dove with Action Divers and Andy was great. Most dives were just him and I. He was very good as a DM and guide. I said I wanted to see Mandarin fish and he found them... I said that I had not seen a clown trigger, and the next dive we saw a fine example. He found octopus, cuttle fish, and frog fish for me. The only thing I did not see were sea horses. The most exciting part was when I got attacked by a large Titan Trigger. Scared the piss out of me. Had to bash it with my camera tray when it came at my face. Not a typical attack either where they run straight at you, shake and back off. This one was all over me. Biting my fins, and swimming all around me. Apparently it had just attacked Andy too and he was pointing at it to "warn" me when I swam up. I just got flashes of him on video. Very exciting 10 seconds and a good dive story.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Thank you Fresh. I just finished my 8 days in PG (in the New World Makati hotel now packing to go to the airport) with 24 dives including a trip to Verde Island, night dive and an intro to the DPV which we took down to the Alma Jane (and through it) which was a lot of fun. Never did find Meyers (not at big apple), but I only had drinks on two nights I think. Even diving nitrox the entire time, with the jet lag and 3 dives a day I was pretty wiped out by the end of the day. Overall an excellent trip. I used my 1.5mm suit which was fine for all but literally the last dive where the temp dropped from 85F to 79F from the currents. Never did use my hook, but the muck stick was great. I have over 220 GB of video files from my gopro5 to go through and edit. Dove with Action Divers and Andy was great. Most dives were just him and I. He was very good as a DM and guide. I said I wanted to see Mandarin fish and he found them... I said that I had not seen a clown trigger, and the next dive we saw a fine example. He found octopus, cuttle fish, and frog fish for me. The only thing I did not see were sea horses. The most exciting part was when I got attacked by a large Titan Trigger. Scared the piss out of me. Had to bash it with my camera tray when it came at my face. Not a typical attack either where they run straight at you, shake and back off. This one was all over me. Biting my fins, and swimming all around me. Apparently it had just attacked Andy too and he was pointing at it to "warn" me when I swam up. I just got flashes of him on video. Very exciting 10 seconds and a good dive story.

I'm glad to hear you had a great time! We had some crazy thermoclines as well, though brief. We saw some pygmy seahorses at Verde Island and at Fantasy Reef. I still haven't seen any mandarinfish yet....

The triggerfish were starting to nest in the areas we went to so they have been getting more and more aggressive. Trust me, you don't want to be bitten.....Been there done that! I am totally on edge when I see one now. We passed through an area with a bunch of nests in an open sand area in another region of the Philippines and I almost freaked out. I took the most circuitous route to my dive group. When we surfaced, I said they should rename the site Triggerfish City and the DM said it is called that - we just went from one dive site to the next.