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@diveUAEGuess I'm not most divers then ... For beautiful reefs and "fish" one of the best and most affordable places is Red Sea - take a north + wreck and you'll see extremely vibrant reefs and millions of small fish - after 2 days I was done - very boring (to me).
OP: Balicasag (from Bohol) has stunning reef and actually the "wall" diving closer to Bohol was not that bad (although not the best we've seen).
Also from Dauin/Dumaguette you can dive Apo Island and that was beautiful reef/wall like. Problem is finding an operator, who will go there every day and the dives closer to the coast is very much muck.
From Moalboal you can do Pescador, which is also beautiful, but with so many divers it just felt like waiting in line at the super market. Sardine school I found mesmerising (and crowded).
Our favourite in Phils so far was Malapascua - our dives with the threshers were nothing short of amazing (only few other people around, so they came very close). Don't remember any really nice corals and big schools of fish - but we asked for nudies, sea horses, frog fish, ghost pipe fish, blue ringed octo and sharks (Gato island), so that's what we paid attention to and not the reef. Other than the Thresher shark and Gato dives we rarely saw others at the dive sites our guide picked - this was back in 2019. Dive center did not survive Wuhan
OP I would definitely check out Southern Leyte and/or Balicasag, depending on what's most convenient for your travel.
Lots of places for this…
Hi there! Just in case you'd want to explore another side of Puerto Galera, I’d highly recommend checking out Casalay Boutique Villas and Dive Resort. It's got that perfect blend of peaceful seclusion and vibrant dive spots that go beyond muck diving. Their location lets you experience some amazing coral gardens and marine life, plus the villas are beautifully designed and have A/C for maximum comfort. Their service is also pretty top notch! If you'd like, check them out here: Diving - Casalay Boutique Villas & Dive Resort
Hi @chillyinCanada ,
Hi @chillyinCanada ,
You're right, I should have led with that. I am connected with them as I do tech work there but I used to be a tourist there too. I became a heavy advocate for the resort itself and it's people. I got into diving myself just this year and I learned so much in Casalay's community
Would it be ok for me to promote their services so people can enjoy them too as much as I did? If not, I'd be happy to just reply to other's questions and share stories of my dives
I was at El Galleon last April and enjoyed a wide variety of dives. We did about 30% muck dives, some lovely reef dives around the island's shoreline and spectacular reef\wall divs at Verde Island. Verde is an upcharge and they need a minimum number of divers, but we were able to go each day that we wanted. We really enjoyed the dive lodge and Asia Divers offered very fine service, with knowledgeable and personable guides on every trip. Many dive sites are 10-12 minute boat ride, and even less for night dives.
