Where to dive in the Phills?

[yuval]

I have heard so much abut the great diving in the Philippines.
There seems to be so many areas, I dont know where to start. I dont need to see everything, but i would like to stay in one place for the majority of the time.
I would like to go in Feb for about 3-5 months, all on a "budget" basis
Recommendations are solicited.

 

[Scott L]

Send PM to DevonDiver (moderator) who is an instructor out of Subic Bay. He will probaly chim in soon however...

 

[Karl_H]

Hi Yuval,

If you have 3-5 months you should be able to see most places here! Feb through to May is a good time of year too. Most people here have dived many Philippine location but all know their 'local sites' very well and would offer the best advice on how long to stay for and where to stay etc....

If you want a quick overview there is a Dive Guide to the Philippines book by Jack Jackson, published by Globetrotter. It's not an expensive one and gives you a good starting point on where to go and what the diving is like.

Although it's not exactly on the 'budget travel' you mention it would be well worth including a liveaboard trip while you're here to Apo Reef or Tubahatta.

Hope that helps!

Karl

 

[CODMAN]

Hi Yu,
as you said there are many many many great diving areas in the Philippines! And lots to do-visit that is non-diving. Diving/ living in the ^hilippines is cheap if you are carefull. And in 3-5 months, you can probably travel quite a bit and get to see a lot of the better places for diving/ visiting. or if you are comfortable in a certain area, hang there and live the vibe a bit!

Here are some of the major dive destinations in the Philippines, in no particular order.

- Puerto galera
- Anilao
- Subic
- Coron
- Malapascua
- Molboal
- Dumaguete
- Bohol/ Alona beach/ Balicasag
- Southern Leute

There are others I'm forgetting I'm sure, but these are some of the main diving attractions. Each area has it's specialty and if you are looking for a specific thing, you should mention it (ex: looking for diving with sharks). Also mention what you are looking for in a destination (ex: beach, cheap accomodations, etc...). This will all help the PPDers inform you correctly. Hel them help you; you'll be amazed how much trouble they'll go to to give good info!

Cheers!

 

[yuval]

..................... Also mention what you are looking for in a destination (ex: beach, cheap accomodations, etc...). This will all help the PPDers inform you correctly. Hel them help you; you'll be amazed how much trouble they'll go to to give good info!

Cheers!

Thanks!!

Its difficult to say what I like most, and with the time I have I do expect to see quite a bit. But I want to make at least one spot my "main stay" of at least two months, maybe more. I also hope to find a job as an Instructor or divemaster / guide while I am there (if this is feasable).
Inexpensive (cheap) accommodations and living expenses are a must, but I think other than the mega-resorts this should not be much of an issue, RIGHT? I also want nice beaches and good vibes.. Yes, sharks would be nice, but I also like small stuff. I think most important though is clear, warm water and a variety of sites?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[CODMAN]

Yu, in this case I would highly suggest Puerto galera (other might suggest otherwise). It has excellent and very varied diving, and is one of the most (if not the most) busy diving destinations of the Philippines. It has many many dive operations (more than I could count while there), some of which hire foreigners as freelancers. You best bet would be as an instructor, since the local DMs are hard to beat. It certainly won,t be easy finding a job, but this being a dive "mecca" your chances would be better there. Then again, you might luck out with a job anywhere; you never know...

Accomodations become very cheap if you leave the tourist area, but then you need to figure transportation to the dive shop (which are on the beach).

Diving in PG is very varied. They pretty much have it all: Pelagics, Muck, Macro, Wrecks, Drifts, Rec, Tech... And Dive instruction all the way up the ladder! It also has night life, if you're into that. They have 40-50 sites if I recall, none of them boring. I spent 5 weeks there in 2008, dove 75 times, and never got tired of the sites!

It's not your only choice... But certainly is a good one! Hopefully others will be able to paint you a picture of some of the other options open to you.

Cheers!

Thanks!!

Its difficult to say what I like most, and with the time I have I do expect to see quite a bit. But I want to make at least one spot my "main stay" of at least two months, maybe more. I also hope to find a job as an Instructor or divemaster / guide while I am there (if this is feasable).
Inexpensive (cheap) accommodations and living expenses are a must, but I think other than the mega-resorts this should not be much of an issue, RIGHT? I also want nice beaches and good vibes.. Yes, sharks would be nice, but I also like small stuff. I think most important though is clear, warm water and a variety of sites?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[schaffld]

Ditto to what Codman said... in both posts.

PG has been my regular haunt for about 8 years now. The variety of diving possibilities, proximity of divesites to the beach, and value for your money are what keep people coming back year after year. Instructors seeking work are also attracted to the area for the same reasons. Stay positive and be patient, and the opportunities for work will present themselves.

The nightlife is also a major selling point but it's not everybody's cup of tea... take it or leave it. :ssst:

For accomodations, I can suggest checking online for rooms that are within your budget to start off with for a week or two. Once there, ask around for furnished houses to rent which can bring costs down further still if you do decide to stay for several months.

Good luck in your efforts... I'll be in PG over Christmas and then back again for several months starting in May... I'll be doing my IDC in June so who knows, we might be competing for the same job some day... :azvatar:

 

[Rogersea]

Yuval,
There are a few issues concerning finding a job here in the RP especially for someone who is not Filipino, a few of them are:

1. Securing a work permit, pretty difficult to do so, many people disregard this requirement however they risk punitive action if discovered.

2. Many instructors in the islands, to be competitive it is best to have an edge such as being multilingual being able to teach in German, French or some other language in addition to english is good.

3. Most instructors/organizations are registered with PADI Asia/Pacific... So if you plan on buying materials here you will need to purchase your materials from a reseller and you can usually only purchase in complete student kits, and you end up paying the "Members Price" regardless of your current purchasing level or additional discounts with PADI.

4. In my opinion it is best to have your own teaching aids such as Manikins/videos etc etc....

I will be happy to discuss some of the other things you need to be aware of if your long stay is only possible if you have a source of income.. PM me or some other instructor on the board


I am not trying to be discouraging just letting you know some of the issues you need to be aware of.. you can pm me or some other instructor on the board...

Cheers,
Roger

 

[flowerpecker]

I just came back from a short trip - my first - to the Philippines. I dove for a week in Moalboal and a week in Dauin. In brief:

Moalboal - stayed at Tipolo Beach Resort and dove with Cebu Dive Center. The dive boat picked me up at the resort every morning/afternoon, and dropped me off there. Small operation with excellent service. I was their only diver (bad for them, good for me) the entire week so I had a lot of say in where and when we dove. Moalboal is all drift/wall dives - something I never get to do at home - and for that reason I really enjoyed it. If you're looking for more variety in a single area this is probably not the spot for you. I Didn't see anything big here, though the opportunities, especially at Pescador Island, were certainly there: huge schools of small fish, just waiting for sharks, jacks, etc! Some other divers saw whale sharks once or twice while I was there but I was not so fortunate. :depressed: Moalboal town is small and quiet - even the disco next door to my place was busy and loud on only one night of my week there. There are quite a few good little restaurants - all within walking distance - that aren't associated with resorts places, and nothing here was expensive.

Dauin - stayed at and dove with El Dorado. Excellent dive operation and classy place to stay. Had to dive with bigger groups here - most days five or six divers and once nine, but we often split up into smaller groups so it never felt crowded. Dive sites here were considerably more varied than Moalboal - some walls, lots of coral gardens, and the fish were generally larger and more numerous than Moalboal (better protection and less fishing in protected areas in Dauin). I was hoping for more in the way of muck diving in Dauin but was a bit disappointed in this regard. The DuCoMi pier is unavailable now and that apparently is the primary "muck diving" site in this area, at least based on what El Dorado offered for dive sites. Dauin was a bit more expensive than Moalboal and didn't have as much to offer in the way of off-resort food choices.

I really, really enjoyed my first trip to the Philippines and I think other posters on this forum are right: you can't go wrong diving in the Philippines.

Have a good trip wherever you go and thanks to all the PP Divers who post so frequently on this board!

 

[guamrider]

The DuCoMi pier is unavailable now and that apparently is the primary "muck diving" site in this area, at least based on what El Dorado offered for dive sites.

Do you know if this is permanent? I'm going there in April. Thanks, Pete