Anilao AND PG???

[diverjen]

Hi all,

Still searching around for our next trip. Would love to branch out from the Caribbean if possible.

Thinking a a shorter Philippines trip might be doable. We are intermediate beginners with 69 dives all with easy conditions in the Caribbean or local pond.

We love shallow, warm, good viz, and really want healthy soft and hard coral. Small Fish variety and density and macro come a very close second. We also really like to dive 3-4 times per day. Nitrox is a plus, too. Bonaire is our favorite so far if that helps. We don't care much for nightlife or parties but could go either way on food being on/off resort. Hubby has a beginning photography setup he will be taking.

We are thinking of staying drive/ferry distance to Manilla to cut down costs and travel hassle as we are thinking about 10-14 nights would be our trip length. Tubbataha seems out of reach financially for this trip.

i have read a lot on the forums and my takeaway has been that PG has better variety and the reefs are slightly better, but that Anilao is the hands down better of the two for macro. For Anilao, Crystal Bay looks good, for PG I haven't waded through everything yet but something similar to CB would be good. How far out do you need to book these resorts?

Would you recommend 5-6 nights at each, or just do 10 nights at one or the other? Are both within our skill level?

Also we are thinking about going in April or May 2015. These seem like shoulder season but safe times to go to this region from what I have read. Thoughts on this time frame?


thank you for your guidance and suggestions.....

 

[Tippytoes12]

Hi there

We haven't been to this part of the Philippines , but have been to the Visayas a few times. The diving is wonderful , just as you described it. The local guides we met throughout have been superb spotters and so kind and friendly. I'm sure you will love it. Two five night stops , especially if the resorts are reasonably near is fine, seven would be better but five is fine. Our last trip was in June , the water will be at its warmest about May and the visibility should be at its best too. With just under 100 dives these areas should be fine for your experience. You can always ask for a private guide if the groups are not working for you....I am.sure they will though.

Have a great trip

 

[diverjen]

Thanks tippy toes! Where did you go specifically and how time and money extensive was it to get there? If we have to travel farther a 9-10 night stop at one location might be possible.

We are looking at booking air and are basically trying to decide how long we can afford to stay and dive. Traveling multiple places seems stressful to me but I could be talked in to two stops if they were worth the hassle/ expense for our needs. Don't want waste too much time or money out of the water, lol.

 

[frank707]

You have no problems at both locations , i've been to Crystal blue a couple of times and when theres a current they mostly move location.
If you like reefs go to sombrero , anthias everywhere !
I use Diver Dream and Sabang Inn in PG . The dive op is very good the rooms a little less than CB. There are three dives scheduled every day and arrangemants can be made for nightdives.
Have fun.
ps don't forget nightdives in Aniao the pier and secret bay are top !
Frank

 

[diverjen]

Thanks frank for the info! I am leaning towards just doing one place as that seems simpler, but am still on teh fence. Two more questions:

Which of the two (Anilao v PG) has better reef?
How hard/time consuming/expensive is it to get from one to the other?

 

[Centrals]

Split the time between Anilao and PG evenly. You can't ask more for two completely different places(above and below water). 10-14 days in one place is far too long especially Anilao where you basically dive, eat and sleep from the same resort.

Getting there:
1. Private boat directly from resort to resort. This is probably the most expensive way. ~US$100.00.
2. Private car(van) + public boat(P300.00/US$7.00). Slightly cheaper.
3. Public boat + jeepeny. This is the cheapest way but you will need to change the jeepney couple of times!! Not too easy if you have bulky luggage. ~2hrs and ~P450.00(US$10.00).
Weather can be unpredictable so I suggest that you should go to PG first becasue of the ferry crossing.

Some of the dive sites(Canyons, Kilimar Drift etc) in PG are fairly challenging so please tell them in advance. And the knowledgeable local dm will take care of that. Verde Island(special trip) is a must but only suitable for experienced diver.

 

[diverjen]

Thanks Centrals for the feedback. I am googling and scouring the boards but also just need to get your kind of real world experience and advice.

Will the better reef sites from PG be out of our experience level??? That would be our main reason for including PG with Anilao.

Trying to estimate cost and time to transfer from Anilao to PG or vice versa for options 1,2,or 3. I am leaning towards 10 days at one place. 9 days of dive, eat, sleep sounds pretty awesome to me, lol....

 

[Centrals]

"Diversify" is the word. There is nothing wrong to spend all your time in either Anilao and PG. But a bit of spice won't hurt!
Most of the dive sites in PG are NOT difficult at all and only couple of them you really need to pay attention. And when the conditions are right every diver wants to go back to Canyons again and again!!!

Scubaboard Invasion 2016 also pick PG.
BTW, if you are interested in history than the defence in Manila during WWII would be good enough for off-gassing!!!

 

[diverjen]

Thanks again Centrals!

Can anyone else chime in about the quality and difficulty of the reef dives in PG v. Anilao?

Does anyone one have a ball park on the transit costs between the two?

thanks guys, hoping to book air very soon and can figure out more specifics later!

We are basically trying to decide how many nights we should plan in the Philippines. If we are doing two locations I think we should try for 14 as we will probably lose a day or two to exhaustion from traveling and getting from place to place. If we decide on one place I think 11-12 sounds like a good fit.

---------- Post added August 4th, 2014 at 11:33 AM ----------

Found an article on this very subject:

Philippines SD Aug 13 - Gill Mcdonald

Do you guys concur?

Would love to hear of resources such as this, too!

Still wondering about price and time to get from PG to Anilao.... But am starting to really want to do both now, lol!

 

[drbill]

I did 10 days in Anilao at Club Ocellaris and 8 days in Sabang/Puerto Galera with Action Divers plus a few more in Manila to offgas. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend the time since it was a work trip for me. I enjoyed the diving in both locations. You can get a fast baot from Anilao to P.G. which cuts your travel time significantly although they aren't cheap.