Puerta Galera for two gals - diving & accommodation recommendations

[jodylynn007]

Hello everyone, I have started reading through the threads in this area however there are not a lot of current replies on this topic so I am going to pose my question and I look forward to your responses.

I just recently returned from the SB Invasion in the Philippines and particularly loved Puerta Galera and especially the direct flight available from Vancouver to Manila.

A girlfriend and I (so two gals) have decided to make a return trip to the area next year, in either May or June, 2017. We would really like to hear of your personal recommendations for dive ops (small dive groups, I am a slow swimming photographer) and accommodations (A/C and two separate beds required) and if you have any specific referrals for transfer companies, etc. or heck, any advice or tips you'd like to pass along that you think may be helpful - places to eat perhaps, as I suspect we won't end up staying somewhere all inclusive.

Thank you very much!

 

[Doppler]

spent three weeks diving there in May... left just before you folks arrived.

The dive shop we used was Asia Tech. They were excellent. However, we paid for and got specific sites at specific times. Probably NOT what you are looking for. Places to stay and eat... much easier=

Papa Fred's Steakhouse, Puerto Galera - Restaurant Reviews, Phone Number & Photos - TripAdvisor

Calm, peaceful, worth a visit... Or two - The Verandah Restaurant, Puerto Galera Traveller Reviews - TripAdvisor

SPENDY and GREAT

Lalaguna Villas - Hotel Reviews, Deals - Puerto Galera, Philippines - TripAdvisor

CHEAP but OK

Lan-Sei Water Resort - Resort Reviews, Deals - Puerto Galera, Philippines - TripAdvisor

 

[Centrals]

Would you consider Anilao as an alternative? It is better than Dumaguete for the macro.

Places to stay and dive in PG.
Big La Laguna:
Very quiet place with a small beach but is the only place to lie down safely to worship the SUN!

(1) Campbell's Beach Resort. You can dive with either Scandi Divers or La Laguna Beach Club and Dive Centre(LBC). LBC has three dive boats and May/June is definitely low season so the boat probably go out with only two of U + dm.

If you like BBQ then you should try Capt'n Greggs in Sabang. The gin juice is nice!!!!

Sabang:
(1) Angelyn Beach Resort with is right next to Atlantis. Dive with South Sea Divers or Frontier.

 

[Wingy]

Solo female diver here - more than happy with the service and helpfulness of South Sea Divers...email them they will give you a hand with accomodation and transport too

 

[jodylynn007]

Would you consider Anilao as an alternative? It is better than Dumaguete for the macro.

Not really considering Anilao, as what I've read so far that unless you plan on coming with a group, plan on paying lots more for diving.

Also, I dove Dumaguete recently... we did PG and Dumaguete, and I liked PG much better as I enjoyed the colourful reefs (soft coral) - that was the best part for me. I do love the macro, but I don't like muck diving 24/7 that Dumaguete had to offer. In fact, I found it super frustrating that at 32 minutes into our dive we were already back under the boat after only spending 10 minutes at 90 ft at a pretty interesting artificial reef. 1st dive of the day and all of us on nitrox, we definitely had more bottom time to spare there.

 

[Centrals]

Anilao is NOT muck diving. The corals are also very colourful. And if you dive there during weekend then you have others to share the cost(boat and dm).

Anilao(week end) + PG

 

[Tippytoes12]

At Buceo Anilao you just pay a single price for the dive regardless of how many there are on the boat. Can confirm that Anilao was not just macro , the reefs were really nice too.

Have a great trip

 

[rob1967]

If you are a serious underwater photographer, then Anilao is hands-down the best place to dive in the Philippines. The corals are every bit as good as PG, but there is also much more macro, and unlike Dumaguete, not all of it is black sand/muck. Another big plus is that Anilao is the easiest/quickest place to get to if Manila airport is your port of entry. The only downside to Anilao is there is not much else to do except dive, but this is not an issue for the serious dive-addict. The issue of having to pay more if the boat is not full is not a big deal to me. I don't really mind paying a little more for a private boat and DM (the cost difference of 2 people on the boat vs. 4 is going to be pretty minor relative to what you might pay per dive in other countries). As pointed out above, several resorts such as Buceo have fixed price per dive. Also, on weekends it is not usually an issue as the resorts are busy enough. There is also the option of shore diving (many of the dive sites in Anilao can be done as a shore dive). If you are really keen to boat dive, and there is no one around to share boat costs with at your resort, you can also ask the resort to call around and match you up with a boat from a nearby resort.

 

[bill22]

I'm in Puerto Galera now for a month. I'm staying at Jack Daniels Apartments and diving with Frontier Scuba. Jack Daniel's Apartments, Sabang, Puerto Galera, Philippines Dive Frontier Scuba: Great dive resort packages to Puerto Galera, Philippines

There are lots of good dive ops here and everyone will have their favorites. My suggestion would be to email several and see what kind of package they can put together for you. They can usually assist with lodging also.

 

[jodylynn007]

Thanks everyone, yes I did send out several emails and received some good communication back from a couple of places. We were almost settled on El Galleon and Asia Divers, but an opportunity to attend a group photo workshop in Anilao (Slugfest 2017) came up and it turned out to work perfectly with our dates and plans so that is where we will be headed. Anilao is of great interest to me and the opportunity to join a group of large camera toting uw photographers like myself sounds like a great fun time, so looking forward to it!