Anilao/Puerto Galera Trip Report

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wahlaoeh

Contributor
Messages
299
Reaction score
9
Location
Singapore
# of dives
1000 - 2499
Anilao/Puerto Galera Trip Report – Apr 27th to May 03rd

Getting there (Ex SIN to Anilao):
Everything went smoothly & accordingly to plan: 3 & ½ hrs flight out from Singapore to Manila, pick-up as soon as we arrived by Kiko (Scuba1.net) & another 3 hrs land transfers to Anilao (inclusive dinner on the way).

Anilao- Aquaventures Reef Club
Accommodation: Basic but nice & clean. Aircon with hot shower. Clean towels & warm blankets were also provided.

Staff: Very friendly, helpful & accommodating

Food: Very delicious & YUMMY…. different varieties each meal consisting of 4-5 dishes (1 veg + 1 soup + 2-3 meat) & desert. The ice-blended mango juice was lovely too….possibly the best diving food that I’ve eaten. :biggrin2:

Diving/ Sea Condition (Anilao):
We did a total of 9 dives: Kirby’s Rock, Batok, Saddle Rock, Twin Rock(Nite) , Mainit, Daryl Rock, Arthur’s Rock, Cathedral Rock, Koala(Nite).

The dives were all pretty easy with back-roll entry from the typical Filipinos boat, banca. Most sites have good visibility of 15-20m, with beautiful & unspoiled coral reefs- colorful feather stars were everywhere making the whole place look like an underwater garden. The ave. water temperature was 27°C & at certain dives, we encountered some thermo clines & I’m freezing in my 0.5mm wetsuit….BURR….RR….

Anilao is definitely a macro haven for photographers….we saw close to 20 different types of nudibranchs, anemone shrimps, moray eels, crabs, gobies, blennies, lionfishes, scorpionfishes, sea snakes & many other colourful marine fishes in just two days of diving.

Getting there (Anilao to Puerto Galera):
We took 45 mins to get to the pier from Anilao but the public ferry was fully booked due to long weekend holiday so we took the private ferry instead. The ferry ride took about an hour.

Puerto Galera- Triton Resort
Accommodation: Basic & clean with air-con/fan. Towels were provided on request & the blanket was of very thin material. Taking a shower after dive was a major issue because of the low shower water pressure. :icon16:

Staff: Non-existence?? Was only there to hand out & collect the room keys.

Food: There are many cafes/restaurants along the beach in Puerto Galera. We tried out few restaurants & the food were all pretty good but the service was very slow, always got to wait an hour for our meal.

Diving/ Sea Condition (Puerto Galera):
We did a total of 6 dives: Monkey Wreck, Sabang Wreck(Afternoon & Nite), Batangas Channel, Dry Dock, Lalaguna. Accordingly to our DM, these are not the best dive sites in Puerto Galera.
We didn’t go to the better dive sites because of the “wrong” wind directions & strong currents expected over there.

We dived using Won Dive Center. The banca that we used was smaller & we were always in awkward positions for our back-roll entries but luckily we have very helpful DMs & boatmen who were there to make sure that we were OK. The surface currents were quite strong in some dive sites but not much current underwater. Visibility wasn’t very good, averaging around 8-12m & the water temperature was around 27°C. The coral reefs were not as healthy & colourful as in Anilao.
We saw few new species of nudibranchs, two frogfishes, moray eels, lionfishes, crabs & shrimps & many more..


Overall, I’ve REALLY enjoyed the 7 days break from work. Special thanks to the wonderful friends that has made this a memorable trip for me: Aili, Joanne, Steffen, Kiko, Patrick Cormwell (for his arrangements), Jay, JP, Patrick, Norman, Rea & all the amazing people from the Philippines ….till then, let’s continue to blow more happy bubbles…

PM if u need more information about the place or alternatively just get in touch with Kiko from scuba1.net (www.scuba1.net) for arrangements.

My pixs link:
http://sg.homeunix.com/jovin/Anilao-Puerto-Galera-Apr05

jovin-
 
Oops...so sorry, I think Jovin meant JP & not PJ! Anyway, totally agree with Jovin, food was fantastic, crew were wonderful...thank you guys, for making our trip so memorable!
 
Nice report on Anilao/Puerto Gallera. Great pics too...especially the variety of morays you saw. Really neat to see a zebra moray I bet!!!

What type of camera are you shooting with?
 
Hi,
Great trip report. After viewing your pics, it seems that you are really fond of macro photography. Though your DM at Anilao did'nt bring you where the action is. And that is the Mainit Reef, Bahurang Bahura and Layag Layag. these is where the big fishes and great Reefs are.
Also in Puerto , there are still a lot of greater dive sites you missed. The best I think is the Canyons and Fishbowl. Triton Lodge has their own Dive center. i usually go there . They have a great dive boat wide and fast. and DM that would really give you the best sites.only if you are qualified. Maybe on your next trip. " For me Puerto is better,if you tried the sites that I have mentioned. "Just my comment, I hope you won't get offended."
 
JonnieB:
Nice report on Anilao/Puerto Gallera. Great pics too...especially the variety of morays you saw. Really neat to see a zebra moray I bet!!!

What type of camera are you shooting with?


Thanks....ya...the zebra moray eel was my 1st =)

I am using a Nikon CP5200 digital camera....there are so many things to take but most pixs taken on the sandy patch or directly under the sunlight came out over-exposed (greenish), even using the YS30 strobe that I borrowed from a friend =(
 
gaudencio:
Hi,
Great trip report. After viewing your pics, it seems that you are really fond of macro photography. Though your DM at Anilao did'nt bring you where the action is. And that is the Mainit Reef, Bahurang Bahura and Layag Layag. these is where the big fishes and great Reefs are.
Also in Puerto , there are still a lot of greater dive sites you missed. The best I think is the Canyons and Fishbowl. Triton Lodge has their own Dive center. i usually go there . They have a great dive boat wide and fast. and DM that would really give you the best sites.only if you are qualified. Maybe on your next trip. " For me Puerto is better,if you tried the sites that I have mentioned. "Just my comment, I hope you won't get offended."

Thanks, gaudencio...
Yep, i am really fond of macro photography, esp nudibranchs...With 3 out of 4 of us taking pixs, we specifically requested our DM to bring us to dive sites where the macro stuff were.....really love anilao for that.....just didn't get a chance to see the boxer crabs...

As for the big stuff action, maybe next year I'll do tubattaha or apo reef :jaws:
 
I’m Kiko, the divemaster that took Jovin and her group for 4 days of diving in Anilao and Puerto Galera. I really got offended by your comments! I don’t know…maybe you’re a better diver than me, but there’s a difference between a diver and a divemaster. First of all, I took the group diving in Mainit for more than 60 minutes, and also at Layag-layag to bahura. They enjoyed anilao dive sites better than Puerto Galera because they loved macro stuff. The group was very experience in diving, and was capable of handling strong and wild currents. I could have took them were the action is like Canyons, Fishbowl, San Agapito, Washing Machine and Shark Cave, but they would have not enjoyed it because they like taking macro instead of big fishes. I normally based my dive sites on what the guests wants and what they are looking for. The other factor was the surface condition of the water. It was windy that weekend and the water was choppy and did not warrant the safety of the divers. Scuba1.net always put emphasis on safety.

You have no right to question, evaluate and make public comments on how I conduct my diving activities as a DM. My DM skills speaks for itself. Read the report carefully, before making comments so as to avoid offending others in the future! I would have appreciate it, if you kept your big mouth shut because you where not there in the first place and have evaluated the scenario.

Kiko Quinto, PADI Divemaster
Email: kiko@scuba1.net
Website: www.scuba1.net

gaudencio:
Hi,
Great trip report. After viewing your pics, it seems that you are really fond of macro photography. Though your DM at Anilao did'nt bring you where the action is. And that is the Mainit Reef, Bahurang Bahura and Layag Layag. these is where the big fishes and great Reefs are.
Also in Puerto , there are still a lot of greater dive sites you missed. The best I think is the Canyons and Fishbowl. Triton Lodge has their own Dive center. i usually go there . They have a great dive boat wide and fast. and DM that would really give you the best sites.only if you are qualified. Maybe on your next trip. " For me Puerto is better,if you tried the sites that I have mentioned. "Just my comment, I hope you won't get offended."
 
Hi gaudencio.

who in heaven's name are you anyway? were you there? did you know anything about what the divers were after?

Bahurang bahura does not exist as far as most (in fact any Anilao diver) divers know. If you meant Bagong Bahura, it is well beyond the recreactional dive limit at 150 fsw. If you meant Bahura (naturally for the big stuff), I don't think that they were exactly interested in that, as it has been mentioned very clearly, and EVEN BY YOU, that the interest was macro photography.

you contradict yourself in your comment. You said in the 1st paragraph, that "it seems that you are really fond of macro photography" (copy and paste). While in the same paragraph you say: "Mainit Reef, Bahurang Bahura and Layag Layag. these is where the big fishes and great Reefs are" I must therefore ask you, if these divers are interested in macro photography, what interest would it have them to go and see the "BIG FISH" at the said dive sites???

You obviously would have intended to take them to Canyons and the Fish Bowl, according to your second paragraph. Canyons would be fine if the interest were "big fish", but as you said, they are macro photographers.

What is your certification level, Mr. Gaudencio (Mr. happily hiding behind the anonymity of the internet)? The depths of the Fish Bowl at Puerto Galera ranges between 40m(130ft) and 60m(200ft). NO MATTER WHAT AGENCY YOU BELONG TO, THIS DEPTH IS BEYOND THAT OF THE ACCEPTABLE LIMIT FOR RECREATIONAL DIVERS. It would be nice to know what agency you are from, with what certification level, and who your instructor was or is.

I think that it must be noted that the safety of all the divers should always be of the utmost importance. Assuming the group had gone to the Fish Bowl, what fun would be had for any photographer (I am a photographer by the way) to have 10 minutes bottom time for picture taking, especially at the maximum limits of most commercially available camera housings.

I think that maybe, before you start lambasting the dive professionals, that you analyze your own diving habits. I also think that you should take a good long hard look at what you write, because you are very clearly contradicting yourself. Kinda stupid actually to clearly mention that the interest is in macro and try to promote big stuff....uhh...hello??? what planet are you on buddy?

Yeah sure, Puerto might be better with the sites you mentioned...but are they really? Canyons has great big fish, and Fish Bowl is beyond the limits of recreational diving. So, what would a macro photographer do there? Please...really...if you can give me an answer, I would be extremely grateful...because I can't think of one.

I don't know about you, but I don't relish the thought of ever getting bent. Much less having someone (or an entire travelling group) get bent. Yeah.. a DM who would take you to the "best" places...if you're qualified. No recreational diver is qualified to go to the Fish Bowl. Are you a technical diver? I am. Your profile doesn't say anything. What are you hiding?

Dude, before you speak, know what you are talking about. Your self-contradiction is humiliating. Your profile says that you are:

Birthday:
February 12, 1961
Biography:
filipino
Count Down Event:
Puerto Galera
Certification Agency(s):
PADI - Professional Association of Diving Instructors
Location:
manila
Dive History:
From Luzon to Davao. 40m. my longest 65 min. I started out as a spearfishierman and a hanimex only photgrapher. But now i am only a fun diver. and a sport fisherman.
Interests:
diving,bodybuilding
Occupation:
businessman
Logged Dives:
500 - 1000
Dive Classification:
Just An "Average" Diver
Count Down Month:
May
Count Down Day:
03
Count Down Year:
2005
Count Down Hour:
03
Count Down Minute:
00
Count Down Second:
04
Count Down AM/PM:
PM
Count Down Time Zone:
PST

Let's look clearly at the dive classification. You are "Just an average diver". Well guess what. I did Dive Master work for this group while in PG. And I am very insulted by your comments. How dare you insinuate that I would not know how to conduct my activities, especially as you are not even a professional yourself? How dare you attempt to attract divers to depths beyond the accepted limits of recreational diving?

Want to know something about Triton? I get better service in Anilao. I told my divers, never again in Triton. Why? Well, I guess I have higher standards than you. Geez....I am definitely insulted by all your insinuations. Have some respect for people. And perhaps have even more respect for the decisions made by professionals, especially when safety is concerned. Worse even, you have no idea what the conditions were like when we were diving. What right do you have to make any judgement on the professional decisions that were made?

Hmm...I wonder, did your dive master ever take you to the "good" places in Anilao? I don't know...what is your idea of good? It just might be very different from everyone else....maybe you like doing spearfishing? I hope that your dive master has told you that it is illegal to spearfish in some places....like Anilao, and PG.

Dude...I totally agree with Kiko....read the review buddy...Oh, and by the way, I've seen better BIG stuff in Anilao than in Galera.... I guess your going to all the wrong places.
 
I think you guys should all sit down with an ice cold bottle(s) of San Mig.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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