Best single land based operation for 14 days dive trip

[astralmind]

After a bit of research, it looks like the Philipines might make the most sense for us budget wise for our next trip.

We live in Canada and as such have limited experiences diving in the Pacific. Well.. limited is even pushing it - we've only been to North Sulawesi and dove the area for 16 days (it was insanely amazing). We are now closing in 200 logged dives.

On my basic research I found out that Puerto Galera seems to be The place for land based - single location diving but was wondering what the experts had in mind.

In the end it seems like any budget location comes up to around 4000$ CAD all in for 2 weeks, 40 dives (pushing it) for the cheaper stays (Out of the blue and Scandi came up as the best option)..

I also had a look at Borneo for Sipadan but reviews were fairly discouraging re: food in general and massive tourist crowd in most area + very limited time (1 day ?) spent in Sipadan due to permits. Prices were more or less the same as PG. Going back to North Sulawesi would similar in price as well but the Philipines require much less flight hoping!

Any tips would be extremely welcomed..

THanks!

 

[dirtfarmer]

You can easily combine some time in Anilao with PG. If you liked the critter diving in NS then Anilao is right up your alley.
Did you dive Lembeh in NS?

 

[astralmind]

We absolutely loved the critters in Bangka and the sheer bio diversity. I'm not talented by any means but managed to snap some print worthy shots there.

My wife and I have a fixation on anything cephalopode related, cuttlefish being #1.

We haven't had the opportunity to dive any sites renewed for larger fishes but are not necessarily chasing that as an objective. Photography wise irs much easier to get by on micro subjects.. Well macro photos.

We spent the vast majority of that trip diving around the tiny island of Bangka where we stayed but did go for a day trip in Lembeh, 3 excellent dives altough I did not regret spendong most of my time in Bangka.

Any recommendations on where to dive and stay in either places?

Edit: To clarify a bit, I absolutely no preference towards PG, it's just the name that came up the most often in top 10s and things like that. As you can tell when we went to NS, we chose to stick to Bangka as opposed to Lembeh or Bunaken, a much less known location with limited amenities and nothing to do besides diving and that totally suited us - we are after the awesome dives, don't care for anything else within a reasonable budget (and a private bathroom is kind of nice to have )

 

[Trailboss123]

Looks like you and I have been doing the same research recently. I have concluded that Puerto Galera is for me and if budget and value conscious, you might want to consider: Blue Ribbon Divers Resort, Puerto Galera

 

[astralmind]

Looks like you and I have been doing the same research recently. I have concluded that Puerto Galera is for me and if budget and value conscious, you might want to consider: Blue Ribbon Divers Resort, Puerto Galera

hmm nice find thanks! Are the prices for the rooms quoted per person or for the room itself ? If for the room than the price per person is really agressive as their per dive is as well. Food seems well priced too.. very interesting.

Was looking at Buceo Anilao which looks outstanding but the price difference versus Blue Ribbon is also an extra 25%..

 

[Tippytoes12]

I would also definitely recommend Anilao , beautiful area with clear water and hundreds of nusis....but also lots more. I'm sure that there are better value places than Buceo , even though I love it there.

Didn't dive PG , sorry , but it's meant to be fabulous. But being so near Manila you will maximize your diving time.

 

[Centrals]

1. Anilao + PG.
PAL fly non stop from Vancouver to Manila. The flight arrives early in the morning and you have plenty of time to make it to either places by public transport(dirt cheap) on the same day.
2. Dumaguete + Sipalay
Domestic flight to Dumaguete is not expensive
3. Malapascua + Southern Leyte
Domestic flight to either Tacloban or Cebu City

 

[drbill]

I dove both Anilao and Puerto Galera a few years ago... 60 dives total. Loved them both. I stayed at Club Ocellaris in Anilao. A bit pricey but a great operation that focused almost entirely on diving with a little food and sleep thrown in. Used Action Divers in P. G. (Sabang Beach) and they were great and had an excellent budget deal back then ($95/ day for three dives, hotel and breakfast).

 

[Trailboss123]

hmm nice find thanks! Are the prices for the rooms quoted per person or for the room itself ? If for the room than the price per person is really agressive as their per dive is as well. Food seems well priced too.. very interesting.

Was looking at Buceo Anilao which looks outstanding but the price difference versus Blue Ribbon is also an extra 25%..

This is from Blue Ribbon via e-mail exchange. The room price is not per person. It is for the room and you can have 2 people in the room. I converted the prices into US dollars. The quote was is local pesos.

Our Bungalows go for $47 a night. All have air conditioning, a personal safe, a mini-bar, cable TV and a hot and cold shower and a balcony.
Our Terraced rooms are $42 a night. All have air conditioning, a personal safe, a mini-bar, cable TV and a hot and cold shower and a balcony, yet are smaller than the bungalows.
Our Poolside rooms are $40 a night. All have air conditioning, a personal safe, a mini-bar, cable TV and a hot and cold shower, yet do not have a balcony.
If you are diving with us though we give you a 10% discount on all our accommodation.
Please note we have limited poolside and terraced rooms.
Our dives are $24 each, yet if you take 6 dives we can give you a price of $22. Any subsequent dives continue at the same rate.
Our daily dive schedule is 10am, 12:30pm and 3pm, with a night dive on request at 6:00-6:30pm

Most of our dives are boat dive for about 5 to 10 minutes away from the resort.

Blue Ribbon Dive Resort

Small Lalaguna

Puerto Galera

Oriental Mindoro

5203

T. +63 43 287 3561

M. +63 917 893 2719

E. info@blueribbondivers.com

W. www.blueribbondivers.com

 

[astralmind]

Thanks, I've emailed them as well, hopefully they answer something similar!

Excellent prices, looks like you've really found the best deal in PG, at least based on my research as well.

That being said, the more I look into it, the more Anilao seems to be getting my attention. It is probably entirely random but most of the videos and pics I've seen from the actual divers sites were much more enticing in Alinao vs PG which is a very weak argument but still somewhat tricks me into favoring the location. The other item is transportation which is much less restrictive not have to cross the water to PG and no schedule restrictions based on flight times - coming from Montreal, Canada is one heck of a long way and the cheapest, simplest flight always seems to drop us off in Manilla at midnight-ish, not super convenient.

Martin from Buceo replied super fast with a personalized, honest email loaded with info but at then end of the day, being what seems to be a nicer place, it also is quite a bit more expensive (dives are the main factor, at 34$ US - 44$ CAD we're a long way from the avrg of 22$ US - 28$ CAD in PG and Anilao), assuming we go nuts and do dive up to 38 dives each, that's an insane 1200$ CAD more between the 2 of us, 600$+ each. Accomodations are also more expensive at 40$ US per night per person but in all fairness, theirs look much superior to either Blue Ribbon or Aquaventure so that's not shocking. The per dive price is really what kills it and I'm a bit puzzled as to why the prices are so different. I've read in many places that Alinao could get tricky with extras for boat and DM but haven't been quoted that so far (and could be shocked once on site...)

PlanetDive looked like a nice cheap option however their website is a pain and contacting them not exactly easy.

Aquaventure replied with the following which in the end is extremely similar to Blue Ribbon:

for a minimum of 2 diving guests.

14 Nights Accommodation = Php 18,550.00/person 375$ US!
Includes:
- A/C Accommodation (Twin /Triple or Quad Sharing)

- 14 Breakfast Meals

DAY DIVES:

Php 2,500/diver – for 2-3 divers per boat (2 straight boat dives) 25$ US per dive - any other hidden fees ?
ADDITIONAL CHARGES:
Php 200.00/day of diving/diver- Government Conservation Fee

Php 8,600.00 (optional) – round trip transportation Service (Manila Airports only); maximum of 6pax/van
Php 400/person (optional) - Lunch Buffet
Php 450/person (optional) - Dinner Buffet 17$ US per day for food

This is from Blue Ribbon via e-mail exchange. The room price is not per person. It is for the room and you can have 2 people in the room. I converted the prices into US dollars. The quote was is local pesos.

Our Bungalows go for $47 a night. All have air conditioning, a personal safe, a mini-bar, cable TV and a hot and cold shower and a balcony.
Our Terraced rooms are $42 a night. All have air conditioning, a personal safe, a mini-bar, cable TV and a hot and cold shower and a balcony, yet are smaller than the bungalows.
Our Poolside rooms are $40 a night. All have air conditioning, a personal safe, a mini-bar, cable TV and a hot and cold shower, yet do not have a balcony.
If you are diving with us though we give you a 10% discount on all our accommodation.
Please note we have limited poolside and terraced rooms.
Our dives are $24 each, yet if you take 6 dives we can give you a price of $22. Any subsequent dives continue at the same rate.
Our daily dive schedule is 10am, 12:30pm and 3pm, with a night dive on request at 6:00-6:30pm

Most of our dives are boat dive for about 5 to 10 minutes away from the resort.

Blue Ribbon Dive Resort

Small Lalaguna

Puerto Galera

Oriental Mindoro

5203

T. +63 43 287 3561

M. +63 917 893 2719

E. info@blueribbondivers.com

W. www.blueribbondivers.com