OP
Day 6 saw another shift in the weather- we are back to high winds and corresponding surface current and chop. Visibility in the 45 foot range but less algae bloom, which makes visibility much better. Dive one was at Coral Gardens, which was where we did our first dive of the trip. This was a completely different dive however. The current was going in the opposite direction and we had to improvise underwater and go with it. As a result, it turned into a bit of an unplanned muck dive in the sand for the most part—Upside is that we found some seahorses and I got some good pictures. Dive two had us stay out of the wind and current within the Sabang Bay. It was a very pleasant dive with two new Nudibranch finds.
Afternoon conditions were about the same in terms of wind. We did find a great dive spot that was basically current free and had 60 foot visibility though. We dropped in at West Escarceo and instead of going toward the point and Hole in the Wall, we went the other direction and had a nice 70 minute dive between 75 and 25 feet and found a couple of new nudibranchs and pretty Angelfish.
Decided to skip dive 4 today and get a little rest before the last push of diving through Saturday. We took a stroll into downtown Sabang to check things out and have dinner away from the resort and try something new. We ended up at the Atlantis Dive Resort and their Toko’s restaurant. Food was pretty good. Wife had a Greek salad and a plate of Spaghetti Aglio Olio. They had some Mexican on the menu and that sounded good, so I had the chicken burrito, which tasted more Asian than Mexican- but was good. Portions were pretty small.
We belong to a Pacific NW dive club of friends that is planning to stay there for a week in February 2021. We wanted to do this trip and get a feel for everything before committing to that trip. I love the diving and the whole vibe here and would like to come back—particularly with this group of friends. However, I am not so sure about coming in February when the water temps are likely to be in the lower to mid 70’s and the topside conditions less predictable. The reason for the February time frame is that it is being combined with a week in Raja Ampat and February is optimal for there. I also would be reluctant to not dive with Asia Divers. I love their whole setup and having the pier to board the boats is so convenient and the food at El Galleon is definitely better based on what we had and what we saw come out to the other tables. The resort itself, the accommodations, the pool and ambience is much more upscale than El Galleon though- and the commensurate price tag that goes with it. That trip is 1 week in Puerto Galera and 1 week in Dumaguete with Atlantis.
Decisions, decisions…
Weather permitting, we have a group of 10 that want to get out to Verde Island on Thursday. We'd love to get back out there one more time. Fingers crossed.
Afternoon conditions were about the same in terms of wind. We did find a great dive spot that was basically current free and had 60 foot visibility though. We dropped in at West Escarceo and instead of going toward the point and Hole in the Wall, we went the other direction and had a nice 70 minute dive between 75 and 25 feet and found a couple of new nudibranchs and pretty Angelfish.
Decided to skip dive 4 today and get a little rest before the last push of diving through Saturday. We took a stroll into downtown Sabang to check things out and have dinner away from the resort and try something new. We ended up at the Atlantis Dive Resort and their Toko’s restaurant. Food was pretty good. Wife had a Greek salad and a plate of Spaghetti Aglio Olio. They had some Mexican on the menu and that sounded good, so I had the chicken burrito, which tasted more Asian than Mexican- but was good. Portions were pretty small.
We belong to a Pacific NW dive club of friends that is planning to stay there for a week in February 2021. We wanted to do this trip and get a feel for everything before committing to that trip. I love the diving and the whole vibe here and would like to come back—particularly with this group of friends. However, I am not so sure about coming in February when the water temps are likely to be in the lower to mid 70’s and the topside conditions less predictable. The reason for the February time frame is that it is being combined with a week in Raja Ampat and February is optimal for there. I also would be reluctant to not dive with Asia Divers. I love their whole setup and having the pier to board the boats is so convenient and the food at El Galleon is definitely better based on what we had and what we saw come out to the other tables. The resort itself, the accommodations, the pool and ambience is much more upscale than El Galleon though- and the commensurate price tag that goes with it. That trip is 1 week in Puerto Galera and 1 week in Dumaguete with Atlantis.
Decisions, decisions…
Weather permitting, we have a group of 10 that want to get out to Verde Island on Thursday. We'd love to get back out there one more time. Fingers crossed.
