Gensan Trip Report

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shugar

Contributor
Messages
9,377
Reaction score
15
Location
Manila, Philippines
# of dives
100 - 199
First the Bad News:

1) viz wasn't great... lots of particles in the water...
2) didn't have external strobe, only had to rely on internal flash and support light... only F3 would approve of this...
3) photog (me) is nowhere near "good" so the images aren't going to be spectacular...

now that that's out of the way... the good news:

GENSAN ROCKS!

I'll be posting a more detailed and decent trip report from the office (why waste my time and electricity here at home???) but for now i'll put in a couple of pics to whet your appetites.

OVERALL:

The diving is primarily wall-based and begins anywhere from right at the bottom of the resort's steps to about a 5 minute pump boat ride away. They are mostly drift dives basing on where the current wants to take you.

major highlights: LOTS of fish... and I mean Mainit or Beatriz type quantities BUT they're not teenie anthias and stuff... schooling bannerfish, other baitfish, schools of this-and-that... lots of reef fish... LOTS of coral growth... fans and other soft corals sticking out of walls... tables and tables of corals... gardens and gardens of different corals both soft and hard...

and the fish can get BIG... I saw a school of good-sized bumphead parrotfish, good-sized midnight snappers, 2 turtles, a huge-mother of a titan trigger, even the moorish idols seem plump!

I did 5 dives there including a night dive... saw my first live (in the ocean-for-real) lobsters in Gensan... saw some critters i hadn't seen before...

Paul (partridge here on SB) proudly says that he's basically seen in Gensan everything there is to see in Tubbataha: whalesharks, mantas, even a dugong... sadly, i was not as lucky

where I stayed: South Point Divers - Paul's place. A family property that they have developed into a dive resort and weekend (or daytrip) getaway for the locals. Last year you could see the potential... they were starting to build things...

Now it's amazing: comfy rooms (yes, caloy, there's aircon :wink:), simple yet nice detailing and finish, a GREAT staff, the food is very good... and near-future plans are even more exciting: a training pool, a kiddie pool, more cottages, a platform from which people can base themselves off when snorkeling the great coral gardens just at the foot of the cliff... and did i mention the view? WOW.

I had something at the resort i had NEVER experienced before... real simple, and an amazing touch: a little bowl of hot soup greets you at the rinsing area after every dive... actually, anytime anyone comes out of the water the kitchen staff are bringing out the bowls... such a simple thing... but amazing after a fantastic dive. for that and that alone, Paul and South Point are :god:

Had a total blast... wish the guys hadn't had sogod pre-booked... i hear weather there wasn't all that... I have a tan :eyebrow:

stories aside... here are a couple of pics i've had a little time to clean up...
blacklionfish.jpg


electricblueanemone.jpg


more to come :biggrin:

Jag
 
Some resort shots:

the main deck
IMG_2721.jpg


the main deck
IMG_2722.jpg


the boat waiting for the divers
IMG_2726.jpg


view out my balcony in the morning
IMG_2850.jpg


the mountains across the bay
IMG_2852.jpg


the dive shop window is designed for guests to stick their name stickers on it... Paul has given the PPD it's own special corner... and i've already put my mark
IMG_2856.jpg


Jag
 
nice trip report and pics jag! moving up gensan in my list of places to dive now.
 
Nice trip report Jag...
 
I reckon Paul has the best patio view of any diveshop in the Philippines...and one of the best walls in front of it.

The boat does seem smaller than I remember...:D

Gensan and surrounding areas has lots of good stuff to offer, well worth the trip. Thanks for the report.
 
i can see a Gen San Dive-o-rama in the near future. *giggles*

now, who else have spare of those PPD stickers. i left ample of them in zee's flat back in sydney. :(
 
iris is out...

i've given the last of my stock to paul and cathy's share...

what are they doing in zee's place? sticking themselves? tsk tsk tsk... :no

Jag

PS
@doy: dude, call him up na!
@paul: coming, coming... patience...
 

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