shugar
Contributor
First the Bad News:
1) viz wasn't great... lots of particles in the water...
2) didn't have external strobe, only had to rely on internal flash and support light... only F3 would approve of this...
3) photog (me) is nowhere near "good" so the images aren't going to be spectacular...
now that that's out of the way... the good news:
GENSAN ROCKS!
I'll be posting a more detailed and decent trip report from the office (why waste my time and electricity here at home???) but for now i'll put in a couple of pics to whet your appetites.
OVERALL:
The diving is primarily wall-based and begins anywhere from right at the bottom of the resort's steps to about a 5 minute pump boat ride away. They are mostly drift dives basing on where the current wants to take you.
major highlights: LOTS of fish... and I mean Mainit or Beatriz type quantities BUT they're not teenie anthias and stuff... schooling bannerfish, other baitfish, schools of this-and-that... lots of reef fish... LOTS of coral growth... fans and other soft corals sticking out of walls... tables and tables of corals... gardens and gardens of different corals both soft and hard...
and the fish can get BIG... I saw a school of good-sized bumphead parrotfish, good-sized midnight snappers, 2 turtles, a huge-mother of a titan trigger, even the moorish idols seem plump!
I did 5 dives there including a night dive... saw my first live (in the ocean-for-real) lobsters in Gensan... saw some critters i hadn't seen before...
Paul (partridge here on SB) proudly says that he's basically seen in Gensan everything there is to see in Tubbataha: whalesharks, mantas, even a dugong... sadly, i was not as lucky
where I stayed: South Point Divers - Paul's place. A family property that they have developed into a dive resort and weekend (or daytrip) getaway for the locals. Last year you could see the potential... they were starting to build things...
Now it's amazing: comfy rooms (yes, caloy, there's aircon
), simple yet nice detailing and finish, a GREAT staff, the food is very good... and near-future plans are even more exciting: a training pool, a kiddie pool, more cottages, a platform from which people can base themselves off when snorkeling the great coral gardens just at the foot of the cliff... and did i mention the view? WOW.
I had something at the resort i had NEVER experienced before... real simple, and an amazing touch: a little bowl of hot soup greets you at the rinsing area after every dive... actually, anytime anyone comes out of the water the kitchen staff are bringing out the bowls... such a simple thing... but amazing after a fantastic dive. for that and that alone, Paul and South Point are :god:
Had a total blast... wish the guys hadn't had sogod pre-booked... i hear weather there wasn't all that... I have a tan
stories aside... here are a couple of pics i've had a little time to clean up...
more to come :biggrin:
Jag
1) viz wasn't great... lots of particles in the water...
2) didn't have external strobe, only had to rely on internal flash and support light... only F3 would approve of this...
3) photog (me) is nowhere near "good" so the images aren't going to be spectacular...
now that that's out of the way... the good news:
GENSAN ROCKS!
I'll be posting a more detailed and decent trip report from the office (why waste my time and electricity here at home???) but for now i'll put in a couple of pics to whet your appetites.
OVERALL:
The diving is primarily wall-based and begins anywhere from right at the bottom of the resort's steps to about a 5 minute pump boat ride away. They are mostly drift dives basing on where the current wants to take you.
major highlights: LOTS of fish... and I mean Mainit or Beatriz type quantities BUT they're not teenie anthias and stuff... schooling bannerfish, other baitfish, schools of this-and-that... lots of reef fish... LOTS of coral growth... fans and other soft corals sticking out of walls... tables and tables of corals... gardens and gardens of different corals both soft and hard...
and the fish can get BIG... I saw a school of good-sized bumphead parrotfish, good-sized midnight snappers, 2 turtles, a huge-mother of a titan trigger, even the moorish idols seem plump!
I did 5 dives there including a night dive... saw my first live (in the ocean-for-real) lobsters in Gensan... saw some critters i hadn't seen before...
Paul (partridge here on SB) proudly says that he's basically seen in Gensan everything there is to see in Tubbataha: whalesharks, mantas, even a dugong... sadly, i was not as lucky
where I stayed: South Point Divers - Paul's place. A family property that they have developed into a dive resort and weekend (or daytrip) getaway for the locals. Last year you could see the potential... they were starting to build things...
Now it's amazing: comfy rooms (yes, caloy, there's aircon
), simple yet nice detailing and finish, a GREAT staff, the food is very good... and near-future plans are even more exciting: a training pool, a kiddie pool, more cottages, a platform from which people can base themselves off when snorkeling the great coral gardens just at the foot of the cliff... and did i mention the view? WOW.I had something at the resort i had NEVER experienced before... real simple, and an amazing touch: a little bowl of hot soup greets you at the rinsing area after every dive... actually, anytime anyone comes out of the water the kitchen staff are bringing out the bowls... such a simple thing... but amazing after a fantastic dive. for that and that alone, Paul and South Point are :god:
Had a total blast... wish the guys hadn't had sogod pre-booked... i hear weather there wasn't all that... I have a tan
stories aside... here are a couple of pics i've had a little time to clean up...
more to come :biggrin:
Jag
