Subic Dive operators and general questions

[zippercmos]

Hi all. Newbie diver here. I will be in Manila Friday night and have all of Saturday in which I thought I might dive Subic bay.
1. How do I get from Manila to Subic on time for the first dives of the day? And can I make this a day trip?
2. Does anyone have any Reliable dive operators suggestions?

 

[Angel_diver_biker]

Sorry you are a new diver? Then go to Anilao or Puerto galera, Subic is more for wreck than reef dive... In case then Boardwalk dive center, ask for George, one of Subic diving reference...

 

[Centrals]

Another one is Johan Dive Centre on Baloy Beach.
There are at least 2-3 other operators around Subic and Baloy(eg. Blue Rock).

Anilao and Subic is about 3 hrs away from Manila so you have to travel very early if you do not want to miss the morning dive.
BTW, unless you are taking public transport, private transfer to both Anilao and Subic Bay should set you back around US$180.00(return)!!!

 

[eagerbeaver]

Have a chat with Andy Davis here on the board...he's a Subic man and will be happy to give you the best advice or even take you out maybe...

 

[Ed Palma]

Have a chat with Andy Davis here on the board...he's a Subic man and will be happy to give you the best advice or even take you out maybe...

He goes by the handle of "Devon Diver." I took my wreck and nitrox courses with him in Subic some time back, and can say that he comes highly recommended

 

[DevonDiver]

Hi Zippercmos:

Getting to Subic:

Public Transport. Buses leave the Victory Liner station in Pasay from early am. Catch the 4 or 5am bus to get to Subic in time for diving. Cost is approx 230php You'll arrive around 8.30-9.30am in Olongapo bus station. Quick trike trip from there (about 150php).

Private Car. Can private hire/charter a taxi. Either negotiate with taxi in Manila, or drop me a pm for a reliable driver. Cost is about $100 each way. It's expensive, but they have to pay tolls along the expressway. Trip takes 2-3 hours (depending on Manila traffic) so you need to leave early.

Subic Diving: I can arrange 3 dive trips with guide for 3500php. Kit hire 750php per day, if reqd. Either with myself or another very experience instructor here. Not sure of my weekend schedule at the moment, am in the middle of tec course this week. Dives are mostly wrecks, but shallow and calm for beginners. There's also several decent reefs and artificial reefs that are cool for photo etc. Vis is really nice at the moment. 12m+ on USS NY on Sunday. 16m+ on LST. San Quentin and Barges like crystal. If interested, let me know your preferences and comfort zone - we always tailor the dive schedule for customers.

 

[Ed Palma]

Wow... 12m viz on USS NY. That sounds mighty cool!

 

[DevonDiver]

Now that the good weather is upon us, the NY 'can' have some good viz - but it's very dependant on the prevailing tide. Last sunday we did a late dive (4pm) on the NY and had great viz... the tide was incoming, so the bay was full of fresh ocean water and the Olongapo river is being 'held back' by the water entering the bay. Could see the whole of the aft turret from the bottom of the shot line...and could look along the prop shaft and see the whole propeller. Amazing.

The day after we dove the NY at 11am.. outgoing tide... and the viz was atrocious... 10m on the top, but ~1m only on the bottom. Outgoing tide drags all the silty water out of the river right over the wreck.

Subic high tide is currently at 2.41am and 6.48pm. Low tide is 11am and 10.10pm. That causes problems because the NY is normally the deepest dive of the day, so gets visited in the mid-am when tide is falling. The tide pattern shifts over the space of a month, so it's not always an issue.

The answer is obviously to dive the wreck when tide is rising - but that means either diving a reverse schedule (deepest dive later/last) or squeezing all the dives into the afternoon only. Or using some nitrox and doing a whole bunch of deeper dives so that you can drop onto the NY in the afternoon as a shallower dive in the series. i.e. LST on 32% (far enough from the river to ensure good viz 24/7), NY on 32% and then a shallower last dive and/or night dive on Lighthouse or Castle.

 

[paolov]

tides in the philippines is diurnal. every december, is when the country experiences the lowest tide levels. it is a time most coastal dwellers repair or do work on piers, jettys, etc.

there are also periods when the tide just shifts a mere 0.5 meters for a period of time , so that translates to less currents compared to tide shifts of over a meter in a matter of hours.

 

[DevonDiver]

Specifically to the USS NY though... the tidal flow dictates whether the wreck is sitting in brackish river discharge or fresher ocean water. It's pretty much a micro-scale estuarine dive.

Occasionally (after heavy rains) there can even be a distinct halocline sitting in the first couple of meters.

Other than the sites in the immediate vicinity of the Olongapo river exit, the tide causes little noticeable impact on Subic Bay diving.