Where to go with mixed-experience budget divers

[Tailwinds]

Hi all,

Three of us are looking for a fun spot to dive for the second half of May. One has never dove and will need an OW class, one has OW and wants AOW, and I have AOW and just want to dive. In all we will have perhaps 10-11 days for a round trip from Tokyo. With a budget, sans airfare, of $800-900 USD pp. We're down with the hostel/dorm/backpacking world, and we'll all be renting.

In looking around on these forums I've seen a bunch of names pop up - Coron, Sabang, Subic, Moalboal, Malapascua, Anilao, Alona, Davao - and tried to read up on most of them. Some of them are famous for one thing, like Coron or Subic and wrecks, but I wonder if they are one dimensional or if they have greater variety. For our newcomer, especially, I'd love to find a place that will get her enthralled with diving - good viz, colorful reefs, plentiful fish, etc - while having more challenging dives for the rest of us, especially wreck penetration. I'd rather stay at one locale, but if relocating can be done by ground without a day lost decompressing for a flight I'm in. Being able to spot some big wildlife (whale sharks, rays, etc) would be a bonus. Being in a locale with breathtaking scenery and some non-diving activities is a must, but we're not really interested in hanging out in a big town. (Utila and Dahab are my only experience, that kind of small-village backpacker friendly vibe would be great).

Everyone, can you share some wisdom? Coron sounds amazing for advanced divers but is it suitable for our newbie? Same with Subic. Will we feel like we have really "gotten away from it all" in Sabang, so close to Manila? Some threads strongly recommend a combo of Moalboal and Malapasuca, but would a thresher dive be to much for a newly cert'd OW?

Thanks much for feedback... it's always fun to read everyone's opinions.

- Eric

 

[eagerbeaver]

Hi Eric,

One of the reasons I chose Malapascua for my business location is its variety. The wrecks might not be as good as Coron and Subic, but we have some. The macro might not quite match Anilao and Dauin, but it's still pretty damn good. And, well, we have deep walls with some schools of fish and pelagics. So as far as I'm concerned Malapascua is the best all round location in the Philippines. but I'm sure some would argue that

I can't however promise you amazing viz, although in May is usually at it's best - a country wide thing - and there are not as many fish here as I would like...so 'plentiful fish' depends on your reference points!

There are all levels of sites here, other than wreck penetration. We generally don't offer that overhead environment dives like they do in Coron, but that's just me. However we do have PADI wreck spec class and a TDI Adv wreck class both running in the first week of May and that will mean lots of trips to the Dona Marilyn which is not visited all that much in general.

The thresher dive for open water who are newly certified is out, as its a 25m dive. We usually offered the AOW deep dive by itself for those people and then they learn something at the same time as getting to see the Threshers - we hope.

Malapascua would certainly fit the backpacker friendly vibe you mention, and it certainly isn't a city.

Let me know if you have other questions and I'm sure some more folks will be along soon with their recommendations.

Matt.

 

[Centrals]

US$900.00 for a 10 days diving trip including diving course is a bit tight. After paying the ow course for around US$300.00, your buddy would not have too much money left for fun dive.
Bohol, Puerto Galera and Moalboal are my suggestion and Moalboal perhaps the cheapest.
Nelson at Philippines Ocean Safari is a very experience instructor(my ow instructor). P800 for a fun dive is hard to beat. You can travel down from Cebu City by public transport which is a big plus, same for the other two places.

As I was typing this message in a internet cafe, the girl sitting next to me complained to her boy friend that she had everything taken from her dormitory at Tuna Joe in Puerto Galera. She paid US$7.00 for the bed.

 

[DevonDiver]

Subic bay is primarily focused on wreck diving. There are some decent reefs, but the marine life isn't as plentiful as you would find in Anilao, Cebu or Bohol etc. That said, the bay is very sheltered, with zero current and calm water, so it makes an excellent beginners' destination.

Most divers associate Subic Bay with the USS New York, which (whilst a hugely impressive shipwreck) lies opposite the river mouth and suffers from consistently low visibility. The sites further out into the bay, around the bay mouth and Grande Island, can have 30m visibility and contain all the best marine critters and fish that you expect in the region.

If you want more details on Subic, please feel free to browse my article (there's also details of Anilao diving there):

Wreck Dive Subic Bay

 

[slowhands]

I think Sabang might offer most of what you are looking for. Plenty of excellent Dive shops to train in, many good dive sites. A wreck or two planted, a cave to swim through (very short, but fun), larger fish at Canyons, Verde Island. Oh, and night time activities abound.

Subic is good for training (at Johann's) and has lots of wrecks but almost no fish except out near Grande Island. Johann's food is phenomenally good, European style and filipino specialties. Training is excellent, and his dive shop is very safety conscious. There are other resorts there too, for variety at night (Treasure Island, Blue Rock). At night try the strip in Barrio Bareto or the rowdier city of Subic up the road. Wild Orchid Resort offers Las Vegas glitz, out of place but if that's what you want, there it is.

I think Alona Beach would be a good pick too. Good diving, good training, some social life, no wrecks. I like to rent a motorcycle and run about the Panglao Island, to the market, cave, see the ostrich farm, and so on. If you have time, nearby Cabilao Isand is wonderful, try the Cabilao Beach Club for a professional dive shop, excellent accommodations and food, and a friendly small island to explore on a rented motorcycle. Quiet at night, although I once spent an evening doing karaoke til midnite with half the island it seemed. All 20 of them. I have seen a thresher shark there for about 15 seconds, he was moving, and pygmy seahorses, electric clams... it's fun.

I'd better stop, or I will be recommending Dauin and Moalboal and... so many good choices it's hard to pick.

 

[dubdiver]

a good budget option is dumaguete on negros island . a good budget place
to stay with cheap diving is harolds mansion . the diving in near by dauin and
apo island is very good. if you want a nice beach with decent diving you could
try sugar beach sipalay it is about 4 hours bus ride from dumaguete.

 

[Tailwinds]

Thanks for all the ideas! It's good when the worst challenge you face is deciding which of many great places to go.

I've read a few people recommend a Moalboal + Malapascua combo, and Matt says Malapascua alone has about all you could ask for. Besides Threshers, what is unique about each compared to the other that would make visiting them both better than one alone.

DevonDiver, I've read your article and many of your posts, thanks for putting so much time into these forums. Subic may have calm waters great for training, but will a beginner be able to enjoy any of the wrecks? Seems a shame to learn so close to something fabulous yet not be able to check it out. Perhaps we should start our trip elsewhere and, time permitting, swing by Subic for a day or three at the end.

One other thing that pops to mind is the timing of classes. On our short time frame it only makes sense to start OW and AOW immediately upon arrival, yet many dive shop advertise classes only once every week or two. Would it be a necessity to do the PADI e-learning before arrival, or even a full referral?

Anyone care to comment on Coron? I've heard first hand reports from a friend who loved it, but he's fully into wrecks and doesn't care much at all for reefs, so he couldn't even say if Coron had anything besides wrecks and it's famous lake. Like I mentioned at first, I'm trying to enthrall a newbie, so colorful shallow reefs with exotic tropical fish that make for ideal training waters would be a great win.

 

[Centrals]

Coron is great if you love wrecks. Pretty poor vis most of the time.
Healthy corals on few of them.
However, most the wrecks are actually much deeper than 18m(to the deck) eg. IJN Akitsushima and Irako Maru!!!!! It would be a shame NOT to dive them while you are out there. Your OW buddy has very limited selection.
With a tight budget your gang probably have to settle in Coron town which is quite a distance from the wrecks. Rather inconvient.

e-learning!!!! It is PADI, isn't it?

 

[CODMAN]

Tailwinds, in first place, just because you will have classes to complete, I would choose PG. You will definetly be able to find a dive operation giving the course at a reasonable price. All you need to do is walk around and ask a bit. You might even get a private instructor...

The diving in PG is very varied, and there is a penetrable wreck in 100' of water (Alma Jane). The corals are quite healthy, although not as luxuriant as some destinations (this for variable reasons, amongst which Typhoons, strong tidal currents, etc...). But there is a good mix of pelagic fish (sweetlips, trevally, whitetip sharks, etc...) and macro life (pretty much all the cool stuff).

Vis indeed can be on-off. When I was there there were torrential rains and the runoff created a 20 foot layer of low cis (4 ' max) at the surface. Below, there was between 50-100 foot vis. But this wasn't a problem for me as a lot of the cool stuff is macro and you can see it fine. Also, despite low vis and the corals, it will still blow the top off of anything you've seen in the US or Caribean...

After you've got your certs and a bit of diving done in PG, why not cross the channel to Anilao for a few days? From what I've read, the coral is more luxuriant there.

Just food for thought!

 

[DevonDiver]

DevonDiver, I've read your article and many of your posts, thanks for putting so much time into these forums. Subic may have calm waters great for training, but will a beginner be able to enjoy any of the wrecks?

Yeah, there's a good selection within OW (18m/60ft) range.

The San Quentin is max depth 16m, Landing Craft Tank is mostly above 18m and all the good bits of the El Capitan liberty ship are above 18m.

Then there is the 'barges'.. which is a great artificial reef, made from sunken WWII american pontoon docks. There's a good dozen reefs sites around the bay mouth that start at 6m and descend as slopes/walls down to 30m. All the best marine life is shallower.

The only major, frequently visited wrecks below 18m/60ft are the USS New York, LST and Japanese Patrol Boat.

I take OW divers around these also... normally combining it with a freebie Deep Adventure dive.


Seems a shame to learn so close to something fabulous yet not be able to check it out. Perhaps we should start our trip elsewhere and, time permitting, swing by Subic for a day or three at the end.[/QUOTE]