Diving in El Nido - 2nd week of May 2013

[right_on]

Hi there!

My wife and I will be in Manila 2nd week of May. We are going to have a few days to dive and we are thinking of going to El Nido or Boracay. Both of us dive, I am Rescue and she is OW. Not planning to do any deep dives just stay shallows hard bottom at 60ft max. Just some fun dive, corals, turles and other marine life. I'm not into wrecks, but won't mind checking it out. I heard not too many good things with Boracay and diving but night life is good I heard, So that's the last option since this is a diving trip, until my wife reads my mind. Then it becomes a regular vacation trip. So what's the weather like in May in El Nido or Boracay? I haven't been home (Manila) in over almost 20 years. So any help would be good. Dive shops recommendations and stuff. We're most likely going to hire a private DM to guide us around. Thanks!

 

[pughio83]

Weather should be good in both areas, with high season in march to end of April. Hot and sunny with poss odd rain shower. However it is the ppines and have been there in April and had 2 weeks of cloud!

Don't underestimate Boracay. It does sport amazing beaches and fantastic nightlife, great restaurants and waterspouts. But it has ok diving as well, mainly for macro. Crocodile island has amazing amounts of soft corals and lots of critters around. I have seen 13 frogfish on a night dive before, and have seen Pygmy seahorses, bobbit worms, ornate and various robust ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimps , grey reef sharks and eagle rays at yapak, and the camia wreck has quite a lot of marine life as well. Pls if u go Boracay you could try do a 2 day dive safari to panagatan with chance of seeing hammerheads, mantas etc.. Recommend calypso diving resort on Boracay.

If you want the best diving in the ppines then neither el nido or Boracay is the way to go, despite ten being beautiful and romantic. Choose malapascua, southen Leyte, Cebu, apo etc....

 

[Centrals]

As far as I know there are two types of accommodation at El Nido on both ends of the spectum and nothing in between.
The resorts on the islands are expensive while those in town are for budget conscientious. Unless there has been any development, the power came in between 5 and 12pm in the town.
AS someone had already said there are better places for diving in the country.

 

[nathm055]

El Nido is lovely. There are probably better places to dive (aren't there always?), but if you do go there I do not think you'll be disappointed. Just got back and had a great time, saw many species, including a scorpionfish, turtles, juvy batfish, barracuda, rays, nice corals. It wasn't, like, a thousand rays swimming over my head blow-you-out-of-the-water, but I definitely don't think you'll be disappointed in any way.

 

[Mucksavage]

Ronny in Submariner in El Nido can certainly look after you there. Depending how much time you want to spend travelling you might want to consider some other spots also - Malapascua for sure and Dumaguete / Dauin are short flights and additional road trips from Manila. With Malapascua though, the favourite dive with the Thresher Sharks is a 'deep' dive and does need AOW or Deep Adventure dive training.