Help with Planning Philippines Dive Trip Please!

Hi everyone!

Okay, so I'm trying to plan a short trip to the Philippines. Have read the PPD forum for days and am now more confused than ever! Help!

Two of us are looking to do a 4-5 day trip at the end of Feb. Photography focused as we have both upgraded our camera gear recently and want to play around with the new kit. So looking for somewhere with good guides, small groups, not rushed diving or perhaps a good house reef for shore dives on our own. Macro/big stuff/middle-sized stuff all good (in that order). Good viz would be great.

Also looking for a very nice resort to stay at cost not an issue. We like quiet places that we can just dive, eat and sleep at. Don't need a beach, just good diving, nice rooms and good food. "Interesting" nightlife is a definite minus!

Have built a short list of places that looks something like this:

1) Anilao for macro. Solana or Vivere Azure has anyone stayed at the latter?
2) Malapascua for threshers/mantas and bit of macro. Exotic
3) Dumaguete for general good reef stuff. Atlantis or Pura Vida (which?)

What would you recommend? Are these the nicest resorts in the regions I'm looking at?

Anilao sounds the easiest of getting to. But is the diving worth it or would you go to one of the other two places? Malapascua sounds good for the threshers but would we see one on such a short trip? Dumaguete (plus Apo) sounds like it has a wide range of diving, but the resort options don't seem as nice as the other places.

Here are places I've eliminated and the reasons why. Let me know if I'm wrong!

1) Palawan: Amanpulo/El Nido. Resorts look perfect but people don't seem to be raving about the diving there.
2) Puerta Galera. Sounds a bit busy in the evenings (we're looking for somewhere quiet) and can't find a great resort.

Let me know what you think. Thank you very much!

TTa, you don't seem very confused at all! In general, your info seems pretty good!

If I was heading over for a short trip 4-5 days, I'd want to make travelling as easy as possible (and short as possible). And since Macro seems your top priority, I would consider Anilao... I'v eheard only good things about it, and usually small groups (during the week at least). You'd probably like that... an alternative would be Puerto Galera in my oppinion because there is great Macro, but also some very cool pelagics (Jacks, Trevally, snappers, sweetlips, etc...)... Yes, Puerto Galera is more party oriented... But the general dive area is divided in 3 beaches: Sabang (where all the partying goes on), small lalaguna a 5 minute walk away from Sabang (much quieter) and Big Lalaguna a 10 minute walk away from Sabang (and quite peacefull). So you can basically dial in the amount of partying/ nightlife you are in contact with while still getting lots of varied diving done.

I'm sure there will be lots of other suggestions on the way soon. Hope this helps a bit!

1 and 3 are definitely good choices for you. But I would choose Anilao due to the short time of your trip. The diving in Anilao is worth it, especially with all the great macro to be found there.

Some Anilao Resorts based on your post:
* Solana - when price isn't an issue this is the one. As for their house reef, blacktips have been photographed mating in front of their resort. Their DMs are some of the best in Anilao.
* Planet Dive: their house reef is Twin Rocks (It has Macro/big stuff/middle-sized stuff). I love all the foliage that covers their resort - you really feel as though you're in a tropical paradise. Might be a bit more divers during weekends.
* Balai - next to Planet Dive. Jag can probably tell you more.
* Club Ocellaris - world renowned photographers and scientists use this resort.

The above resorts are quiet places that you can just dive, eat and sleep at. Just good diving, nice rooms and good food. Anilao is devoid of nightlife and as you said, you don't need a beach.

Thanks chip

@tta: wow - you know your stuff!

definitely for a 4-5 day trip it's anilao... since you won't need a night life or anything then the macro stuff there will keep you busy for weeks...

if cost is not an issue then definitely solana is your best bet - like what chip said, the spotters and guides are among the best in the region

i think they also run their own boats so it's not a problem if there's just a couple of you on-board (as opposed to most other resorts that freelance boats so divers split the charge)

balai is nice and laid back, excellent food... it's advantage is that it's a surface swim to twin rocks (excellent macro and a resident school of jacks) and to bebot's/ panny's point...

but since cost generally not an issue my vote would be to give adrien a call and book an amazing time in anilao...

Jag

Thank you everyone! Your replies have been really helpful. It's off to Anilao then!

I'm trying to book a room at Vivere Azure as the rooms look really nice. Best of all they use Dive Solana for diving so hopefully we'll get the fantastic guides that everyone has been mentioning. The odd thing is that I called Vivere Azure and though they took my booking they'll only open the resort if there are minimum of 12 people. Do any of you Manilla-ites want to come diving the last weekend in Feb/1st of March Fingers crossed that some extremely large family decides to holiday there that weekend.

Else we'll book rooms at Solana which also look nice. Any one prefer the seaview rooms or the king suite?

Any must dive sites in Anilao?

Thanks for this guys great info that I will keep. TTA hope you dont mind my butting in - I am also thinking of doing the Phillipines again as it was 10 years since I dived there. The night diving was unbelieveable when I was there and the best I have ever seen. I dived in Puerta Galera I think but it is a while ago.

I am not on an unlimited budget but would like a reasonable resort in Anilao for 7-10 days as macro is my thing as well.

reasonable you say?

to name a few in alphabetical order (and what I know): Aquaventure reef club, Balai Dive resort, Club Ocellaris, Crystal Blue resort, Planet Dive resort.

clgsamson:

reasonable you say?

to name a few in alphabetical order (and what I know): Aquaventure reef club, Balai Dive resort, Club Ocellaris, Crystal Blue resort, Planet Dive resort.

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot I will check them out.

Ardy

Definitely Club Ocellaris! I stayed there in June. Ask for Peri as your dive guide... knows photography, a walking encyclopedia when it comes to local diving. When I bought a book on Nudibranch Behavior last year, I was surprised to see Peri, Boy Venus, and Club Ocellaris on the acknowlegements page! Here's a link to their website: Club Ocellaris - Just another WordPress weblog

In three trips to the Philippines they rank as my #1 experience there

If you do wind up going to PG, the macro is pretty good - lots of nudis, ghost pipe fish, seahorses etc. Clam Beds in the channel is great for macro photography, nice shallow dive (<10m) so you get plenty of bottom time

And as someone mentioned, if you stay on Big Lalaguna, you'll avoid the nightlife