Puerto Galera or Malapascua in mid October?

[mkzwo]

Hey,

I'm currently planing a diving trip to the Philippines in mid october.
My choices would be Puerto Galera or Malapascua, but i have a couple of questions and hope some of you guys here have experience and can make my decision easier

First of all which is better in terms of weather around that time of the year?
Second which is more interesting for somebody who has not been to Philippines yet?
Third which is more suitable for traveling with wife and small kid?

Thanks in advance for all your advice and Kind Regards,

mkzwo

 

[Mike Veitch]

i would say Malapascua has the better weather, the Visayan region is typically hit less by the big storms.
Try Evolution Diving in Malapascua, Matt, one of the owners, also has a small child there so they can keep each other company..

 

[mikeng]

i agree with mike malapascua would probably have better weather than PG. we dont get hit alot with typhoons here. in oct we generally have sunny weather but nothing is for certain due to global warming..

 

[Centrals]

Malapascua is much better than PG in diving or perhaps weather wise. BUT for a family with kid, I am not too sure.
Most of the dive sites around PG are very near except Verde Island. Usually you are back at the resort within an hr after one dive. You can then spend your surface interval with your family, pondering your next dive/move. There are a bit of shopping and even sight seeing if desired. More restaurants to choose from. Some of the resorts(eg. Big Apple) have rooms/apartment with cooking facility which is quite handy for small family.
But for Malapascua, it is different story. Nearly all the interesting sites are miles away and most of the time you are gone for two dives and this take TIME. There is nothing to do in Malapascua except sun worshipping but the beach is indeed VERY CLEAN unlike those in PG.
The only beach that is suitable to lie down in PG is Big La Laguna but it is very small. La Laguna Beach Resort and Dive Centre which share the same stretch of beach would get my vote.
Malapascua offers the best land-based diving in the country BUT......nothing is perfect!!!

 

[ushipb00]

I have stayed at both locations. I didn't see children at either location, but I would have to say Malapascua would be a better choice. Its really is a better "family vacation" spot in my opinion. You won't be disappointed with either place when it comes to the diving. I feel Malapascua would be much safer for children because its a very small island and the people are very nice. In Puerto Gallera you have pushy sales people and no real beach to speak of. The only issue I had in Malapascua is the there is no desalinization plant on the island so, they have only have salt water showers, and all the water is bottled. Lastly. pick up all the cash you need at the ATM in Cebu City before you head up to Malapascua. There are no ATMs on the island. and I didn't see any at Maya (the last stop before heading to Malapascua).

 

[eagerbeaver]

Hi Guys,

I'm happy to see some good recommendations for Malapascua here...and have to agree with them Thanks guys!

Weather-wise you probably wouldn't notice a great diffefrence between PG and here; but certainly for me Malapascua is 100x more child friendly, whether you are talking about the day time or the night time. After 4 years in PG I cannot imagine living there and having the great time I have with my 3yr old here - the beach is amazing, the water very clean and the atmosphere just generally perfect for playtime.

Regarding time to the divesites, Centrals is half right, some of the key divesite in Malapascua are a bit further away - but there is also some fantastic macro diving within 5 or 10 minutes of the beach, just like in PG. It really depends on how you want to plan and conduct your day.

Let me know if you have any more specific questions and I'll be happy to help.

Thanks,

Matt.