Interested in diving Sombrero Island I think?

[rjjj111]

that realy sounds great.

any companies you can suggest to use?

got any URLs?

thanks.

 

[bill22]

i would like to see some big animals and great corals if i could.

How long is your trip planned for? A few more specifics would help

For sharks and manta's I'd say Malapascua. I've dived Malapascua and the diving was great there

I haven't made it to Southern Leyte yet but a group of PPD'ers who dived it last year reported that they saw some of the most pristine reefs they had seen anywhere in the Philippines Southern Leyte as has been mentioned is also one of the places you can dive with whale sharks.


As far as urls... I get most of mine from google

Here are a couple to get you started....
Malapascua Island Resort - Philippines Hippocampus Beach Resort
Peter's Dive Resort Philippines: Scuba Diving in Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte

I'd say you have enough to start your research. When you decide how long your trip will be, and narrow down where you want to go I'm sure we could make some recommendations for individual dive shops. As has already been suggested, you can also do a search here on scubaboard for recent trip reports as well.

I always have a good time when I travel to the Philippines... I'm sure you will too

 

[World Wide Diver]

@Shugar

sogod bay has pristine coral growth...

Have you photos of said pristine coral?

Though this is a wider discussion, my friends and contacts have never mentioned this area.

I have photos and and dive records of pristine coral and maybe we can all collaborate to make a record of these few remaining places in the PI's.

I just think you/I/we all need to be careful when describing areas like this without evidence - especially when overseas visitors are spending a lot of money to visit the PI's in search of 'pristine coral'.

Yours

WWD

 

[chip104]

@Shugar



Have you photos of said pristine coral?

Though this is a wider discussion, my friends and contacts have never mentioned this area.

I have photos and and dive records of pristine coral and maybe we can all collaborate to make a record of these few remaining places in the PI's.

I just think you/I/we all need to be careful when describing areas like this without evidence - especially when overseas visitors are spending a lot of money to visit the PI's in search of 'pristine coral'.

Yours

WWD

This is interesting. Just wondering how you would define pristine? I find the term to be very subjective, including when considering that such a low percentage of the world’s coral reefs remain in a “healthy” condition.

Sogod Bay definitely has some really good looking coral growth. Another place I have dove where the corals were just as beautiful was Verde Island. I’ve heard that Gen San has some beautiful coral growth as well but have yet to go. All of the dive spots I have visited in the PI had some good coral growth and bad. However, I will back up Shugar and say that Sogod Bay has some very nice pristine coral growth compared to the other sites I have dove.

You have a really extensive dive history that is something to be proud of. Can you give us some examples of dive sites that impressed you to the point of calling them pristine?

Here are some threads with pictures of previous trips that other forum members have taken to Sogod Bay, it’s in Southern Leyte:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/philippine-paradise-divers/266335-sogod-theyre-back.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/un...2872-sogod-southern-leyte-feb-22-25-08-a.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ph...222711-sogod-southern-leyte-picturelogue.html

 

[jigo]

i've been to sogod and i think the coral growth there is AWESOME (how's that chipster?) and pretty impressive to qualify as pristine in some areas like Napantaw, voltaire's rock and max climax. black coral bushes over six feet high (i stood up to measure them) and barrel sponges that are even bigger would qualify for me.
the first time i read about sogod was here in scubaboard and i think it was mentioned by non-pinoys before the PPD decided to do its first DOR there. when i went after the PPD, the resort said we were only the second pinoy group to be there. maybe that's why your contacts havent told you about sogod? just because you havent heard about it doesnt mean its no good. nobody has a monopoly over such info.
since when do posts in scubaboard have to be scientifically quantified? since when do pictures have to support every opinion made here? most of us here just take the word of the posters based on the history of their posts. on how reliable they've been in the past. maybe that's one reason your post count usually appears in your stats on the board. to show how often you contribute positively to the board.
i have pictures of the coral growth in sogod as well as this new site in samal island that had HUGE gorgonians that would qualify as pristine to me. but i cant be bothered to look for them now. most guys here would take my word for it though.

 

[bill22]

Thanks Jigo for the info on Sogod. It's been on my list for the last year. Your words good enough for me (you too Chip and Jag )

I don't think WWD meant to insult anyone. The written word can be difficult to communicate with sometimes (afterall 70% of communication is non-verbal ) It can be easy to come across harsher than you intend. Not everyone posts a lot on the internet

Collectively of course this group has dived pretty much everywhere in the Philippines and has 1000's of dives there. Pooling of information is one of the great things about online forums and PPD in particular

 

[chip104]

Don't worry Bill, I'm not insulted, just genuinely curious about WWD's perception as he has dove many places in the world. Picking his brain as they say.

Maybe I came off a bit harsh... I can get pretty wound up sometimes. hehe

 

[clgsamson]

i've been to sogod and i think the coral growth there is AWESOME (how's that chipster?) and pretty impressive to qualify as pristine in some areas like Napantaw, voltaire's rock and max climax. black coral bushes over six feet high (i stood up to measure them) and barrel sponges that are even bigger would qualify for me.
the first time i read about sogod was here in scubaboard and i think it was mentioned by non-pinoys before the PPD decided to do its first DOR there. when i went after the PPD, the resort said we were only the second pinoy group to be there. maybe that's why your contacts havent told you about sogod? just because you havent heard about it doesnt mean its no good. nobody has a monopoly over such info.
since when do posts in scubaboard have to be scientifically quantified? since when do pictures have to support every opinion made here? most of us here just take the word of the posters based on the history of their posts. on how reliable they've been in the past. maybe that's one reason your post count usually appears in your stats on the board. to show how often you contribute positively to the board.
i have pictures of the coral growth in sogod as well as this new site in samal island that had HUGE gorgonians that would qualify as pristine to me. but i cant be bothered to look for them now. most guys here would take my word for it though.

I believe you, Master but I think my pristine coral patch is better than yours, I got one in my aquarium, I sawed off a nice napantaw soft coral!

Everything in the internet is true

Edit: Chip, go sip your red wine

 

[chip104]

oh, and jigo - good use on awesome. now join the group!

 

[annasea]

i've been to sogod and i think the coral growth there is AWESOME (how's that chipster?) and pretty impressive to qualify as pristine in some areas like Napantaw, voltaire's rock and max climax. black coral bushes over six feet high (i stood up to measure them) and barrel sponges that are even bigger would qualify for me. <snip>

Please clarify the first part of your post... are Napantaw, Voltaire's Rock and Max Climax dive sites within Sogod Bay? Or are there sites within Sogod Bay that compare to these 3 places? (Sorry if this doesn't come across clear...)

The reason I ask is I'm still putting together my PI itinerary, and am now considering spending a week in Sogod Bay by cutting down my stay in Siquijor and cutting out Davao altogether. Just waiting to receive an email reply from the dive op in Sogod Bay before I make my decision.

Thx!