General advice on Philippines in December

Hi!
This is my first posting to ScubaBoard. I have been trying to study up but all of the information on the Philippines is a little overwhelming! We are planning a trip with 4 intermediate divers in late December. None of us have visited the Philippines before, so we would love any thoughts about narrowing our search.

1) Where is the best "first trip" diving where we can see a good range of what the Philippines has to offer? (We have dove in Thailand, Sipadan, Honduras, Belize, Bonaire, Cozumel, Hawaii, and French Polynesia in the past)

2) Night life is a high priority...we all really enjoy going out for drinks, food, and culture as well as diving (not clubs, just good local food, music, and fun).

3) We are on a modest budget, so don't want to go to a resort, but prefer mid-range accomodations (just a private bath, and A/C if needed).

Any advice you could provide would be very helpful!! Thanks in advance!

puerto galera sounds just right for you. lots of options on dining, diving and accommodations.
other options are cebu and bohol.

having done Puerto Galera for all-of-the-above i'd highly recommend it...

great diving

the point bar rocks

great food at el galleon, tokos and le bistrot

great diving

Jag

I agree with Jigs. Search for Bohol and/or Puerto Galera. How long is your trip? Maybe you can hit up both since the ambience is different.

If you're looking for really great beach night life, another place is Boracay.

I agree with all the above. Puerto Galera has the most varied diveing you can find in one stop. Rec., tech., deep, nature, drift, wreck, etc.. Lodging is also inexpensive. I dove through Action divers in 2005 and arranged accomodations through them. Dive Puerto Galera, Dive Philippines, Dive Action Divers there are many other dive opperations in Puerto Galera and just as many places to stay. Puerto Galera, Philippines. Beach Resorts, Hotels and Scuba Diving Travel Guide and Directory. You can rent a van to take your 4 divers to Batangas Pier then take a boat,(banka) to Sabang Beach. Little LaLaguna Beach is a short walk away. Sabang is more for the night-life, and Little LaLaguna is quieter, Big LaLaguna is even quieter, and has a better beach, but is a little bit further walk.
Make sure you go to Verde Is. and do the passage, (over 600 spc. of nudibranchs). There is also the 'Washing Machine', a site worthy of it's name, or so I'm told.
You can't go wrong diving in the Philippines.

WARNING: DIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES IS THE MOST ADDICTIVE FORM OF DIVING!