Diving in and around Phillapeans.

Hi,

What a busy group this is!

I am in the really unfortunate position of having to attend a close
friends wedding in Boracy (Phillapeans) at the end of March. Needless
to say, as a BSAC Dive Leader I am going to totally abuse the
situation.

Can anyone provide advice about diving in the Phillapeans?

Do I need a medical, if so how up to date (I'm 28, still within my
5yr BSAC medical)?

What sort of diving can I expect?

Any MUST DIVE sites?

Any recomended operators?

Any problems with recognition of BSAC qualifications?

Any other hints and tips, greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,

Ray.

> Can anyone provide advice about diving in the Phillapeans?

I dived the Philippines about 3 years ago. We flew from Heathrow to Manila
with Gulf for 3 weeks at xmas for £600 each. We stayed for 3 nights in
Manila to sight see.

We took a bus from Manila to Batangas (about a tenner return) and then a
ferry to Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro (ferry included with the
bus). We then took a Banka to Sabang Beach (hotel provided) where we stayed
for 3 weeks at the Atlantis Hotel (http://www.atlantishotel.com/). The
hotel is about $60/night/room. We made about 30 dives from Atlantis.

The dives are all scenic boat dives and the best dives are shallow (10-20m).
Air temperature is about 15-30C. Water is about 25-27C. 3mm shortie was
all I used. Viz was 30m+. We made a few 60m+ dives, but there really not
worth it as the life is better shallower.

Recerational dives were about $20 (cylinder+weight only) and tech dives
(classed as anything over 40m) about $45 (twin-set & side mount + EANx).

It was nice to go once, I wouldn't go to Mindoro again. Atlantis hotel is
excellent. Atlantis dive center is very professioanlly run.

I think further south there are some good Japanese wrecks, and that this may
make it worth going back to the Philippines for.

> Do I need a medical, if so how up to date (I'm 28, still within my
> 5yr BSAC medical)?

We didn't. We did need to show our certs.

> What sort of diving can I expect?

Depends where you go. I've never been to Boracy.

> Any problems with recognition of BSAC qualifications?

Not with Atlantis.

> Any other hints and tips, greatly appreciated.

Food & Drink in Manila is expensive (beer about £2/bottle at hotels). On
Mindoro food & drink is cheap (about 50p/bottle).

Skip Manila, it's just not very nice.

Cheers
Matt.

On Tue, 6 Jan 2004 15:35:14 -0000, "Imorital" <me@privacy.net> wrote:

>> Can anyone provide advice about diving in the Phillapeans?
>
>I dived the Philippines about 3 years ago. We flew from Heathrow to Manila
>with Gulf for 3 weeks at xmas for £600 each. We stayed for 3 nights in
>Manila to sight see.
>
>We took a bus from Manila to Batangas (about a tenner return) and then a
>ferry to Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro (ferry included with the
>bus). We then took a Banka to Sabang Beach (hotel provided) where we stayed
>for 3 weeks at the Atlantis Hotel (http://www.atlantishotel.com/). The
>hotel is about $60/night/room. We made about 30 dives from Atlantis.
>
>The dives are all scenic boat dives and the best dives are shallow (10-20m).
>Air temperature is about 15-30C. Water is about 25-27C. 3mm shortie was
>all I used. Viz was 30m+. We made a few 60m+ dives, but there really not
>worth it as the life is better shallower.
>
>Recerational dives were about $20 (cylinder+weight only) and tech dives
>(classed as anything over 40m) about $45 (twin-set & side mount + EANx).
>
>It was nice to go once, I wouldn't go to Mindoro again. Atlantis hotel is
>excellent. Atlantis dive center is very professioanlly run.
>
>I think further south there are some good Japanese wrecks, and that this may
>make it worth going back to the Philippines for.
>
>> Do I need a medical, if so how up to date (I'm 28, still within my
>> 5yr BSAC medical)?
>
>We didn't. We did need to show our certs.
>
>> What sort of diving can I expect?
>
>Depends where you go. I've never been to Boracy.
>
>> Any problems with recognition of BSAC qualifications?
>
>Not with Atlantis.
>
>> Any other hints and tips, greatly appreciated.
>
>Food & Drink in Manila is expensive (beer about £2/bottle at hotels). On
>Mindoro food & drink is cheap (about 50p/bottle).
>
>Skip Manila, it's just not very nice.
>
>Cheers
>Matt.

Matt,

Many thanks for the info. Will be staying in Manilla with friend and
his fiancee, before heading off to Boracy (route undecided as yet).

I'm not into deep diving, although qualifed to 50m. Prefer longer,
safer dives to the other kind, unless there is something really
special to see. I have an open-ended ticket so may well check out the
dive center you recomended.

Anyone out there with extra info specific to Boracy or other
Phillapen islands?

Thanks again,

Ray.

On Tue, 06 Jan 2004 15:35:14 +0000, Imorital wrote:

> I think further south there are some good Japanese wrecks, and that this
> may make it worth going back to the Philippines for.

I think they're at Coron (sp?). One of the guys in Vanuatu had worked out
there as a DM. He said it's pretty good and the nice thing about them is
that they're all pretty shallow (<35m), so you get lots of bottom time and
multiple dives aren't a problem.

It's on my list.

Jason

--
See http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ to view UK dive spaces or add your own.

>
> Anyone out there with extra info specific to Boracy or other
> Phillapen islands?
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Ray.

See my report on the UKRS site concerning diving in the Philippines.

Cliff.

"Nutter" <Nutter@MyHouse.com> wrote in message
news:uenlvvcpknl4jcudo6uet5mpjvsgad455a@4ax.com...

> Anyone out there with extra info specific to Boracy or other
> Phillapen islands?

I dived off Boracay about 11 or 12 years ago. Lovely laid-back little
island. The outfit I used was called Philippine Waters Diving, run by a Scot
called Huntly who was originally from Perth, if I recall correctly. Dunno if
it's still there...

Most of the diving is 20-30m reef diving from small outrigger boats. Lots of
the coral has been damaged by dynamite fishing in the past, although it's
not too bad around Boracay.

I dived with Discovery Divers on the 6 or 8 Japanese ships in Coron
see http://www.ddivers.com/ in 2001. I recommend them.