Pandan island/ sabang beach trip...Help!

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mimoun

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Hi
Am looking into our first dive vacation in the philippines so really need some help. We can only go in october but have around 21 days to enjoy it. Seriously looking at Sabang beach as have found a lot of good info on this site about it (thanks), but now have found out about a possible side trip to Pandan island. Looked it up in the lonely planet and the resort web site and sounds like a great place to chill out and do some great diving especially if we can get out to Apo reef. Can anyone pass on some first hand knowledge about this....is it worth a week. Also what would you recommend as the best way to get there. We are probably flying into manila..i am thinking of heading to Pandan first to relax and then on to Puerto Galera/ Sabang for a bit more "noise"
Will the resort arrange all transport to the island from Manila or would it be better to get to Puerto galera and then make our way to Pandan. Not really excited by long road trips unless there is something to see on the way.
Any one stayed at the resort....any tips on things to take , what the accomodation is really like food etc would be a great help.

Is it possible to get to Apo reef in October...would you reccomend day trip or overnight. Whats it really like?????
Also anything else to do while down that way???
Sorry for the zillion questions.
Hope someone can pass on their wisdom
Really really excited about getting there
Thanks in advance
susan ( better half of mimoun)
 
Sabang is the best bang for your dollar. I recommend a place like Sabang Inn (www.sabang-inn.com) for folks going there for the first time. It is quiet, away from the "night life" noise and they provide awesome dive guides and instructors. If you need more info just send me an email and I can help you further. Be safe.
 
Talk to these people for Pandan Island:
http://www.asiaventureservices.com/ecotour.html

It's run by some french guys, was there close to 15 years ago, it was pretty quiet. The resort faces a bit more south east (based on the white sand beach, rest of terrain is limestone/rocky), so its back is to the sunset - which means scrambling over exposed rock at low tide for a clearer view, unless they have built a path and viewdeck since then. I didn't dive then, but snorkling seemed ok at the time. They had a catamaran for rent, I would think ocean kayaks by now also.

Across Pandan island is another island, made the mistake of swimming across the channel between Pandan and this other island in the late afternoon. Turned out there was a current that carried me towards Sablayan, so it was a very earnest swim back to Pandan at twilight.

Pandan Island is also a jump-off place to Apo Reef. There is short banca ride from Sablayan to the island. I got to Sabang by Batangas ferry to Puerto Galera, then a banca ride to Abra de ilog. From Abra de ilog, it was maybe 2-4 hours by bumpy, dusty jeepney (traveled in the summer, obviously). Your best route is to find a flight to San Jose and move north to Sablayan.

You might also like to consider wreck diving in Coron, we recently stayed at SeaDive resort in Coron town. SeaDive's AC room was quite roomy, great view of the town and Coron Island, room is well maintained and with own bathroom and hot/cold water. The only complaint is AC rooms are on the 3rd floor up a steep flight of stairs, but there is a roof deck on the 2nd floor and hammocks if you wanna laze around - which we didnt, so much diving to do! Downstairs is the open air dining room, and they have their own dive shop and a funky wreck-decor bar - the Helldiver - for post dive relaxation (drinks or pool table). Coron is not a party town, thank goodness! - unlike Puerto G (was that the Treehouse) - the bar at the point of the cliff can still party in the low season, thanks to its larger resident expat-pinay population.

Back to Coron - Seadive's German dive instructor Gerd and dive master Nonoy were very seasoned, professional, helpful and knew what and where the marine critters were per wreck/reef. The resort dive outfit took very excellent care of us (and our gear), no need to bring your gear:
http://seadiveresort.com.ph/home.html
Maribel <seadive@seadiveresort.com.ph>

Diving P 1800.00 2 dives, lunch & drinks on board, full equipment,
Accomodation de luxe P 700.00 / night for 2 person, non-aircon P 400.00 / 2 person.
Kayak rental P 250.00 /day, sit on top type, we only have doubles.
P 150.00 shuttle airport transfer up to our place.

Keep us posted of your adventure.
Cherrie
 
weremermaid:
Talk to these people for Pandan Island:
http://www.asiaventureservices.com/ecotour.html

It's run by some french guys, was there close to 15 years ago, it was pretty quiet. The resort faces a bit more south east (based on the white sand beach, rest of terrain is limestone/rocky), so its back is to the sunset - which means scrambling over exposed rock at low tide for a clearer view, unless they have built a path and viewdeck since then. I didn't dive then, but snorkling seemed ok at the time. They had a catamaran for rent, I would think ocean kayaks by now also.

Across Pandan island is another island, made the mistake of swimming across the channel between Pandan and this other island in the late afternoon. Turned out there was a current that carried me towards Sablayan, so it was a very earnest swim back to Pandan at twilight.

Pandan Island is also a jump-off place to Apo Reef. There is short banca ride from Sablayan to the island. I got to Sabang by Batangas ferry to Puerto Galera, then a banca ride to Abra de ilog. From Abra de ilog, it was maybe 2-4 hours by bumpy, dusty jeepney (traveled in the summer, obviously). Your best route is to find a flight to San Jose and move north to Sablayan.

You might also like to consider wreck diving in Coron, we recently stayed at SeaDive resort in Coron town. SeaDive's AC room was quite roomy, great view of the town and Coron Island, room is well maintained and with own bathroom and hot/cold water. The only complaint is AC rooms are on the 3rd floor up a steep flight of stairs, but there is a roof deck on the 2nd floor and hammocks if you wanna laze around - which we didnt, so much diving to do! Downstairs is the open air dining room, and they have their own dive shop and a funky wreck-decor bar - the Helldiver - for post dive relaxation (drinks or pool table). Coron is not a party town, thank goodness! - unlike Puerto G (was that the Treehouse) - the bar at the point of the cliff can still party in the low season, thanks to its larger resident expat-pinay population.

Back to Coron - Seadive's German dive instructor Gerd and dive master Nonoy were very seasoned, professional, helpful and knew what and where the marine critters were per wreck/reef. The resort dive outfit took very excellent care of us (and our gear), no need to bring your gear:
http://seadiveresort.com.ph/home.html
Maribel <seadive@seadiveresort.com.ph>

Diving P 1800.00 2 dives, lunch & drinks on board, full equipment,
Accomodation de luxe P 700.00 / night for 2 person, non-aircon P 400.00 / 2 person.
Kayak rental P 250.00 /day, sit on top type, we only have doubles.
P 150.00 shuttle airport transfer up to our place.

Keep us posted of your adventure.
Cherrie

Hi Thanks for the info.....there are so many places i would like to visit 3 weeks just isnt enough..we will have to make several trips i think!!!
Coron sounds great also...will look into it more. But i think i have my heart set on pandan island and Apo reef if possible..hopefully it isnt out of season and we can get a boat there. My husband is french and another friend who is probably coming with us only speaks french (little english) and as yet he doesnt dive...we have persuaded him to learn so we really need somewhere that speaks french and from what i can gather they do on Pandan. There is also a place in Sabang i think its south sea divers..dont know yet if its better to go to sabang first..decisions decisions!!!
Anyway will keep searching all the great info on the philippines and if anyone else has been to pandan?Apo reef recently i would appreciate some feedback.
Thanks again
s
 
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