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Manila + Scuba diving
I going to the Philippines arriving Feb. 21 for 1 week, never been before,
want to spend 2 days in Manila then get some Scuba diving done. Some Q's - What problem might I encounter looking for accom so close to Chinese New Year? - I'm thinking of Puerto Galera for the diving, good/bad choice? - Should I book some place ahead of time or just arrive (in Puerto Galera) .... ideas? - Recommendations for a good diving outfit? I have AOW but am a beginner I guess my biggest question is how much I should worry about organizing the diving part of this ahead of time. Thanks for any info. -F -- |
#2
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Manila + Scuba diving
Frank,
You should have no problem booking an accom so close to the Chinese New Year...Select a hotel that offers airport pickup...Exiting the airport and getting to your hotel will be the largest hassle you'll have... Puerto Galera has the finest diving...You do not need to book ahead of time...From most hotels in Manila you can get to Puerto Galera via the SIKAT...Bus to Batangas then ferry to Puerto Galera... I've dived (some 6 years ago) with Asia Divers and stayed at El Galleon...Nice place... http://www.asiadivers.com/ is their website... I also dove with Whitetip Divers at Anilao...They too are a good outfit... http://www.dive-centers.net/dive_cen...ip_divers.html If you cannot get to Puerto Galera due to your schedule, dive in Subic Bay... Have a good trip... Patrob in "Frank" wrote in message ... I going to the Philippines arriving Feb. 21 for 1 week, never been before, want to spend 2 days in Manila then get some Scuba diving done. Some Q's - What problem might I encounter looking for accom so close to Chinese New Year? - I'm thinking of Puerto Galera for the diving, good/bad choice? - Should I book some place ahead of time or just arrive (in Puerto Galera) ... ideas? - Recommendations for a good diving outfit? I have AOW but am a beginner I guess my biggest question is how much I should worry about organizing the diving part of this ahead of time. Thanks for any info. -F -- |
#3
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Manila + Scuba diving
"Frank" wrote in message ... I going to the Philippines arriving Feb. 21 for 1 week, never been before, want to spend 2 days in Manila then get some Scuba diving done. Some Q's - What problem might I encounter looking for accom so close to Chinese New Year? - I'm thinking of Puerto Galera for the diving, good/bad choice? - Should I book some place ahead of time or just arrive (in Puerto Galera) ... ideas? - Recommendations for a good diving outfit? I have AOW but am a beginner I guess my biggest question is how much I should worry about organizing the diving part of this ahead of time. Thanks for any info. -F The diving in Puerta Galera is crap. Palawan (?) is supposed to be better. Here's my Puerta Galera story: Show up at the dive shop with a bad hangover, 8:00 am. I am the only customer. Hop on board the canoe with outboard with the Philipino dive master and boat driver. Dive master speaks almost no English. We go a few kms offshore to find undamaged reef. Too deep for the canoe to anchor, so no anchor rope. We roll overboard, go down to 10 foot, he signals hover. I think WTF are we doing a deco stop on the way down - I later work out that he was verifying I had the technical skills to hover at 3m in a 1m swell by meter alone. Bang, straight down to 120 feet. I think holy **** this gives me 2 minutes bottom time. The dive master is off looking for some coral that hasn't been destroyed, it takes another 5 minutes to find anything at all, and up we go. Now I work out about the deco stop. We have to hover for 10 or 15 minutes to avoid the bends. Then there is this huge explosion noise, which I immediately recognised as fishermen lobbing home made hand grenades into the water (if this qualifies as "fishing"). ****ing depth charged - we can't go up and tell them we are here, and we can't go down. Fortunately I know that sound travels very well underwater, and correctly surmised they were a kilometer or more away, so I knew the bangs weren't going to kill me. Anyway, we eventually go up. And float around the South China Sea in our BCDs until the dive boat finds us. Because its a canoe, the only way on baord is hauling yourself over the edge, and I was so keen to do this that I did it with my tank still on, and fractured a rib on the edge. This caused me intense discomfort for the 6 weeks it took to heal. Puerta Gallera had a vibrant night life back then, and I had a great time there, but I must say the diving was (and presumably still is) crap. |
#4
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Manila + Scuba diving
Sounds like you went diving in Anilao...People say the diving there is
great...I did not think so... Patrobin "Peter Webb" wrote in message ... "Frank" wrote in message ... I going to the Philippines arriving Feb. 21 for 1 week, never been before, want to spend 2 days in Manila then get some Scuba diving done. Some Q's - What problem might I encounter looking for accom so close to Chinese New Year? - I'm thinking of Puerto Galera for the diving, good/bad choice? - Should I book some place ahead of time or just arrive (in Puerto Galera) ... ideas? - Recommendations for a good diving outfit? I have AOW but am a beginner I guess my biggest question is how much I should worry about organizing the diving part of this ahead of time. Thanks for any info. -F The diving in Puerta Galera is crap. Palawan (?) is supposed to be better. Here's my Puerta Galera story: Show up at the dive shop with a bad hangover, 8:00 am. I am the only customer. Hop on board the canoe with outboard with the Philipino dive master and boat driver. Dive master speaks almost no English. We go a few kms offshore to find undamaged reef. Too deep for the canoe to anchor, so no anchor rope. We roll overboard, go down to 10 foot, he signals hover. I think WTF are we doing a deco stop on the way down - I later work out that he was verifying I had the technical skills to hover at 3m in a 1m swell by meter alone. Bang, straight down to 120 feet. I think holy **** this gives me 2 minutes bottom time. The dive master is off looking for some coral that hasn't been destroyed, it takes another 5 minutes to find anything at all, and up we go. Now I work out about the deco stop. We have to hover for 10 or 15 minutes to avoid the bends. Then there is this huge explosion noise, which I immediately recognised as fishermen lobbing home made hand grenades into the water (if this qualifies as "fishing"). ****ing depth charged - we can't go up and tell them we are here, and we can't go down. Fortunately I know that sound travels very well underwater, and correctly surmised they were a kilometer or more away, so I knew the bangs weren't going to kill me. Anyway, we eventually go up. And float around the South China Sea in our BCDs until the dive boat finds us. Because its a canoe, the only way on baord is hauling yourself over the edge, and I was so keen to do this that I did it with my tank still on, and fractured a rib on the edge. This caused me intense discomfort for the 6 weeks it took to heal. Puerta Gallera had a vibrant night life back then, and I had a great time there, but I must say the diving was (and presumably still is) crap. |
#5
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Manila + Scuba diving
Hello Frank
The Philippines population is 90% catholic and most are not much interested in Chinese new year. I have never dived but I have heard that there is good diving at Moalboal on the island of Cebu and an Malapascua Island just off the northern tip of Cebu. Here are a couple of websites to help with info on those places. http://www.malapascua.de/ http://www.moalboal.org.uk/moalboal/ Regards: Jim Sibbick --------------------- 138 free Philippines videos, 303 Philippines pictures, 378 useful Philippines links and my blog can all be accessed from my website http://www.bigjimsphilippinesexperience.com "Frank" wrote in message ... I going to the Philippines arriving Feb. 21 for 1 week, never been before, want to spend 2 days in Manila then get some Scuba diving done. Some Q's - What problem might I encounter looking for accom so close to Chinese New Year? - I'm thinking of Puerto Galera for the diving, good/bad choice? - Should I book some place ahead of time or just arrive (in Puerto Galera) ... ideas? - Recommendations for a good diving outfit? I have AOW but am a beginner I guess my biggest question is how much I should worry about organizing the diving part of this ahead of time. Thanks for any info. -F -- |
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