Anilao Trip Review Oct 2014

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NYCDiveGuy

Registered
Messages
32
Reaction score
3
Location
Jersey City, NJ
# of dives
500 - 999
Hi everyone,

I know there are a lot of questions on Anilao so i figured i'd contribute A report detailing mytrip from last month.

Overall the diving was really nice - not like Lembeh or Dumaguete - but still very enjoyable. I did have some hiccups but they were worked out. What i really liked about Anilao is that there is a good combination of muck and reef diving. The conditions were good and visibility generally ranged from 30-50ft. One day we have excellent visibility on Sombrero Island +70ft

I stayed at Acacia Dive Resort. The resort is touted to be the best in Anilao - my dive guide mentioned it was one of the most luxurious resorts in the area. At first impression I
would agree. The grounds are nice, the staff extremely friendly, and the
food both good and plentiful.

the transfer to Anilao from MNL was easy - the driver met us outside of NAIA terminal and quickly transported us to the resort in about 2 hours.

The rooms are small, basic, but adequate. The AC works! My room was a
small twin room with 2 beds divided by a night table. there was also a
small desk, closet, and en-suite bathroom. Wifi works in common areas but
spotty. There resort uses a wifi hotspot that only allows a certain number of devices to connect - you may have to ask staff to disconnect their device so you can get access!

The dive facility was very good and staff always available to help. There
are 4-5 camera desks out in the open in the dive area. I booked 8 nights
with 5 days of diving 3 dives a day through a dive travel agency in USA.
Additional day dives were $40/person and night dives were $45/per person
with a surcharge for only 1 diver. The prices seemed steep to me for
Philippines but slightly less than Lembeh. My dive buddy and I had 1 dive
guide and boat for the 2 of us the entire trip.

My biggest issue was with the way diving is arranged with freelance dive
guides and boats. When you book a package, the dive resort then contacts
dive guides/boats and negotiate a rate to accommodate the package. They
may negotiate a much better rate than what you are paying per dive. I
traveled to Anilao to see critters - this was my sole purpose as I love
muck diving! Unfortunately though, when i met my guide he quickly
informed us that he is not a good critter finder. My dive buddy and I were
hoping he was just joking - sadly he was not. The first 3 days with our
original guide were decent, but we were underwhelmed with the diving.

On our 4th day we arranged a private dive trip to verde island with an
independent dive guide Dennis though his website Anilao Critters. The
diving was great and we asked him to take us to a muck site for our last
dive. During this dive alone, Dennis showed us small, obscure creatures
that our previous guide would never have found. I immediately asked if he
was available for the rest of the week. When i returned to resort i
informed front desk that i wanted to change guides as the previous guide
was nice but not good at finding critters and Dennis was fantastic. The
front desk agreed but insisted that he was "more professional"
and insisted on a $5/dive/person surcharge to book. I tried to fight but
the resort wouldn't budge. I also didn't want to book independently as i
already had a package booked through them and didn't want to lose out on
pre-paid diving. As a freelancer, Dennis stayed out of the negotiations as
to not upset either party. I visited his website and noticed his direct
fees are only about $35/dive/person….$10/dive cheaper than the $45 we each
needed to pay to dive with him.

In the end it was worth paying the premium mid-trip as Dennis really turned
the trip around showing us some great rare critters including the bumble
bee shrimp, simplex shrimp, boxer crab, nudibranchs the size of rice grains
etc… Dennis is an enthusiastic and passionate diver. He get just as
excited as his guests when he finds special critters. He is also a photographer and will provide tips to photographers and share photos of everything he shows you post dive. I highly recommend him for anyone traveling to Anilao.

In the end I could not help and feel as if i paid too much money to stay at
Acacia. As i don't have any comparison in the area, I can't judge what
other resorts provide and if the value is there. I've stayed at Atlanis in
Dumagete in past and feel that thought the price is similar, Atlantis
provides a much better experience overall which translates into overall
value given the quality of food, rooms, service, and dive operations.

My recommendation - Acacia is ok but expensive. Just book with Dennis
directly! Also, if your trip is limited to Anilao and you have time, i highly recommend a day trip to Verde Island for some big fish current diving ($185/person for a private 3 dive trip).
 
Thanks for the review and recommendations! We are headed to Club O next April and then to PG. We picked this trip to be a mix of macro and reef diving and your review reassures me that it was a good choice. It's also our first time diving outside the Caribbean. I know Club O will be much more basic than acacia, but I did like that they offer a reasonable 4 dive/day package. I hope we get a good guide! We are definitely hoping to make it to Verde from PG and Sombrero from Anilao. Once again thanks for the review!
 

On our 4th day we arranged a private dive trip to verde island with an
independent dive guide Dennis though his website Anilao Critters. The
diving was great and we asked him to take us to a muck site for our last
dive. During this dive alone, Dennis showed us small, obscure creatures
that our previous guide would never have found. I immediately asked if he
was available for the rest of the week. When i returned to resort i
informed front desk that i wanted to change guides as the previous guide
was nice but not good at finding critters and Dennis was fantastic. The
front desk agreed but insisted that he was "more professional"
and insisted on a $5/dive/person surcharge to book. I tried to fight but
the resort wouldn't budge. I also didn't want to book independently as i
already had a package booked through them and didn't want to lose out on
pre-paid diving. As a freelancer, Dennis stayed out of the negotiations as
to not upset either party. I visited his website and noticed his direct
fees are only about $35/dive/person….$10/dive cheaper than the $45 we each
needed to pay to dive with him.

In the end it was worth paying the premium mid-trip as Dennis really turned
the trip around showing us some great rare critters including the bumble
bee shrimp, simplex shrimp, boxer crab, nudibranchs the size of rice grains
etc… Dennis is an enthusiastic and passionate diver. He get just as
excited as his guests when he finds special critters. He is also a photographer and will provide tips to photographers and share photos of everything he shows you post dive. I highly recommend him for anyone traveling to Anilao.

.....

My recommendation - Acacia is ok but expensive. Just book with Dennis
directly! Also, if your trip is limited to Anilao and you have time, i highly recommend a day trip to Verde Island for some big fish current diving ($185/person for a private 3 dive trip).

I cannot agree more, I've hired Dennis Corpuz twice for arranging everything in Anilao, not only the diving but also the transfers to Maniila and the hotel reservations.
He's great and passionate about macro and photography, he's been scheduling our dives acrding to y critter wishlist and sometimes spent 2 or 3 dives hunting for a specific nudibranch.

In a way he's responsible for 50% of my Anilao photo gallery. :)
 
I know Club O will be much more basic than acacia, but I did like that they offer a reasonable 4 dive/day package. I hope we get a good guide! We are definitely hoping to make it to Verde from PG and Sombrero from Anilao. Once again thanks for the review!

I don't think there is a "bad" guide at Club O! I had a great time there two years ago. It is pretty intense diving with dives often lasting more than two hours giving you 8 hours or more a day in the water! The only other thing we had time for was food and sleep! Of course the other divers there made the time even more enjoyable and the staff was great. Hope you two have a great time.
 
Hi ,
I also dove with Dennis Corpuz last January in Anilao , and it was a fantastic time .
I dove 5 days with Dennis Corpuz and 5 days with his borter Obet , and , if possible, his brother Obet Corpuz is even better critter hunter !!!!
both very helpful with underwater photographer , in my case very helpful with triggered snoot lightning ...
( if you like , here are my Anilao pictures : https://www.flickr.com/photos/paolobl65/sets/72157639626194274/ )
And his brother Ronnie Corpuz organized all the trip ( transfer / resort / diving ) in perfect way .

bye
Paolo
 
I cannot agree more, I've hired Dennis Corpuz twice for arranging everything in Anilao, not only the diving but also the transfers to Maniila and the hotel reservations.
He's great and passionate about macro and photography, he's been scheduling our dives acrding to y critter wishlist and sometimes spent 2 or 3 dives hunting for a specific nudibranch.

In a way he's responsible for 50% of my Anilao photo gallery. :)

Where did you stay when diving with Dennis Corpuz in Anilao?
 
Thanks for the review.
Yes Obet and Dennis are good :)
As for the pricing in the Philippines, I don't see any point into booking diving (and even accomodation) from oversea. You will always find a way out locally :)
 
Where did you stay when diving with Dennis Corpuz in Anilao?
Well that's for me the major problem in Anilao : lodging. I am accompanied by my non diving wife hence I tend to be looking for nice comfy accoms with at least a pool.
My first stay was in Aiyanar which we disliked because we the guests were completely overlooked, the staff was busier at pampering the owners family who were staying there as a group and giving us bad food. At this level of pricing (200USD per night) this is simply unforgiveable, for this reason I would never recommend this accomodation.
On the second stay we went to Eagle Point. This is quite middle range and to be honest disappoints as it is quite charmless, it is much less expensive than Aiyanar too.

If I were to go back to Anilao I would probably try Acacia, although it is often completely booked and despite comments above, or the new Chevrerie resort which looks to me what Aiyanar will never be in terms of flair, and which is in the upmarket range too, or the Buceo Anilao resort which is probably the best located resort in Anilao, right on secret garden divespot.

Now if you're rather looking for diving, and not really picky as I am on accoms, there are cheap options like Aquaventure from where Dennis can operate. The problem with free lance dive guides is that they are affiliated to certain resorts which let them operate, others won't allow this. As mentioned above Dennis' brother also runs a freelance guiding op, with the combination of both, it should broaden the lodging opportunities.
 
If I were to go back to Anilao I would probably try Acacia, although it is often completely booked and despite comments above, or the new Chevrerie resort which looks to me what Aiyanar will never be in terms of flair, and which is in the upmarket range too, or the Buceo Anilao resort which is probably the best located resort in Anilao, right on secret garden divespot.

I'll be staying at Buceo in January, and will report back. The upmarket resorts are all to rich for my blood, and Buceo seems to be priced right. The downscale resorts seem way to worn, and I'm not quite a backpacker anymore.
I'm looking forward to diving Anilao for the first time, and my appetite is quite whetted as I'm enjoying some great dives in Lembeh currently.
 
I'm looking forward to diving Anilao for the first time, and my appetite is quite whetted as I'm enjoying some great dives in Lembeh currently.
You won't be disappointed, believe me.
Try a night dive at Anilao Pier, insist that they dive it because it can be a long way almost the opposite of Buceo place (probably 30mn boatride) but it's really worth it IMO.
 
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