Dive Holiday in El Nido Palawan

[scubajo007]

Hello All,

Im thinking of going to El Nido for a dive holiday aroundJune. Im looking for a good reputable dive resort which can sort outaccommodations, transportation from Puerto Princesa, have nitrox etc. and whereI can do the full night diver course. I prefer to do single or sometimes twotank dives for most of the time, not full day trips day after day. Anotherthing is I prefer to be a name rather than just a number, if you know what Imean. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations? Hope you can help.

 

[Centrals]

There are a few exclusive resorts on the outer islands. Those in El Nido are pretty basic. I stayed at the one which was just below the cliff. The town was very dusty, roads were not paved, on my last visit yrs ago. Power came around in the evening.
I flew into El Nido from Manila.
It is a long bus ride from Puerto Princesa, flight is probably not yet available.

 

[scubajo007]

Thank's
Can you give me the name of the resort where you stayed in case you would recommend it, or would you say it's better to choose one of the more exclusive resorts, I would like one with both accommodation and a dive shop. Im thinking of flying to Puerto Princesa and maybe get a taxi from there instead of a normal bus and not flying direct from Manila to El Nido as I have seen somewhere that only 10 kgs of baggage is allowed on the plane. Now we are with it, is the diving good in El Nido.

 

[Centrals]

These are my distance memory of El Nido and Puerto Princesa:
El Nido
The town was very quiet and not interesting. Everything was within walking distance but not with an heavy bag. The place that I stayed below the cliff was mentioned in LP Travel Guide(1993). Those dive operators operated 10yrs ago might not be around now.
Puerto Princesa
The most un-polluted town/city in the whole country. It is long long drive to El Nido. I won't be at all surprised that a round trip on rental car would be in excess of few hundred dollars.

Finally, I did not find the diving very inspiring. There are much better places in other parts of the country. There is no way that I would recommand El Nido to anyone based on diving alone.

 

[scubajo007]

Thank's
It looks like I should be heading somewhere else on the Philippines when I go there in June, what's your favorite places, I have been in Dauin/Apo Island, Moalboal and Malapasqua a couple of times so Im was looking for some new places, any suggestions.

 

[Joe Cool]

Have you considered Coron and its WW2 wrecks? Coron is very accessible from Busuanga. And, Busuanga is very accessible by plane from Manila. Busuanga/Coron is located on the NE tip of Palawan.

 

[Centrals]

The wrecks in Coron are great. Do not try to make the same day connection to your flight home. There is a thing call typhoon in the country.
I rate Southern Leyte higher than Bohol but the latter is pretty easy to get to.
Bohol: Flight to Tagbilaran and then 30mins to Alona Beach. Anda is much further away.
Southern Leyte(Sogod Bay): Flight to Tacloban and 3hrs by car.
If you have time, you can combine Bohol and Southern Leyte. Take the ferry from Ubay in Northern Bohol to Massin and then an 1hr ride to Sogod Bay.

 

[scubajo007]

Thanks both,
Well both Leyte and Coron, as well as Alona Beach are places I would like tovisit at some stage. If we stay with Coron for the time bieng, any recommendationsfor resorts which can accommodate airport pick-up, Nitrox, accommodations etc. and have some "personality" i.e. I’m a name not a number.

 

[Centrals]

If we stay with Coron for the time bieng, any recommendationsfor resorts which can accommodate airport pick-up, Nitrox, accommodations etc. and have some "personality" i.e. I’m a name not a number.

Dived the wrecks on several occasions from liveaboard and only once with Discovery Divers. Had stayed one night in town when the flight to Manila was cancelled. The pirmitive airport(no radar etc) was an hr away but there was jeepney waiting on both ends ie. Coron and it's airport. Has the airport been up-graded or relocated? I have no idea.
Some of the wrecks eg Akitsushima and Irako are relatively deep. You should also enquire the possibility of diving Kyokuzan Maru which is in Northern Coron. Another relative deep wreck.

 

[divetheplanet]

There are many choices for accommodations in Coron. It all depends on your budget and required amenities. I get the best customer feed back regarding Coron Ecolodge. Princess of Coron is nice as well, but a little more expensive. Backpacker rooms are 400ish per night. I can't think of any aircon rooms for less than 1500 per night.

Airport transfers are easy. There are several vans that wait outside the airport. They will carry you and your baggage to town for 150 pesos per person. The drivers usually group people to similar destinations. The ride should take 30-40 minutes.

I recommend that you google "dive shop coron" and send an email all the shops. You should be able to get a feel for how the shop will treat you based on the response you get, or sometimes don't get.