A Philippines Travel Must Do - Diving


The Philippines has sensational spots for the hardcore diver, which, if you like making a journal of your adventures, make for great travel writing for your personal blog.

Here are the more popular locations for diving in the Philippines

BORACAY

Many diving schools on Boracay cater to the beginner and the experienced diver alike. Most provide courses tailored to the time limits of your visit. Numerous dive shops offer PADI instruction and fun dives, including equipment rental; here are just a few:

Crocodile Island

Lying to the south-east of Boracay Island, Crocodile Island is a popular venue for divers. It offers a small wall which has a lot of channels to explore, and a cave overflowing with wrasse. The reef top is at around 10m, and the wall drops off to around 24m. There is a good variety of hard and soft corals here, which attracts lots of reef fish, though not many pelagics.

Laurel Island

Laurel Island's south side drops off into the channel between Caticlan and Boracay, and the current rushing through here can be extremely strong. The flipside is that this same current provides the nutrients that feed the prolific corals encrusting the colourful walls. There is an 8m-long cave at the tip of the island that is liberally covered with yellow and orange polyps and is well worth a swim through.

Yapak Wall

Known also as Diniwid Point or Big Blue, this is the most popular and impressive dive site on the island. Located off the rocky north coast of Boracay, it is unfortunately rather deep (you come onto the wall at about 30m, unless you miss it completely-check your depth to avoid a one-way trip to the bottom). The weather is often rough and the current strong, but the marine life is really incredible. Stunning gorgonians and soft corals carpet the wall, and the passing parade of pelagics can be quite remarkable. Mantas, hammerhead, white-tip and black-tip sharks, tuna, wahoo, jacks and barracuda are all frequent visitors to Yapak. Obviously, this is not for the inexperienced diver.

The Bat Caves

This is a string of caves that lead to a huge cavern inhabited by fruit bats, and it's a good choice for more adventurous and well-qualified divers. There's marine life in the tunnel walls too, with the sea-snakes making a stronger impression on many than the bats do! You do need to be comfortable diving in an enclosed space though, and have plenty of confidence in your equipment.

Friday's Rock

This dive takes you to several coral gardens towards the westernmost point of the island where there is an underwater mountain also known as Sunken Island. Local dive guides have established a number of fish feeding stations here which are worth a look as they attract quite a lot of fish, but beware of the current.

Cathedral Cave

To the north of Boracay, across an often-bumpy passage, is Carabao Island, home to one of the area's better dives, the Cathedral Cave (28m). Shafts of light penetrate the ceiling, creating a stunning light show and highlighting the groupers and soldierfishes which are prevalent here. There are some big fish around, and clams too.

CEBU


Mactan Island

The diving around Mactan Island-the popular tourist destination close to Cebu City - has suffered considerably over the years from the effects of widespread pollution and dynamite fishing. A stupendous wall drops off to very deep water a few metres out from the shoreline, but in many places it is not even worth the effort to explore because of the damage that has been done.

Some of the best sites include the House Reef at Kon Tiki, which has been carefully protected and nurtured over the years by the folks at Kon Tiki Resort. The wall is encrusted with hard and soft corals with some impressive gorgonians between 10-20m. The Marigondon Cave is another worthwhile dive, but it is a little deeper than most recreational dives as the entrance is around 42m, with the ceiling at 35m. At the end of the cave, there is a small crevice filled with hundreds of flashlight fish. The luminous patch under their eyes seem to flash on and off as they twist and turn in the dark, and to divers peering in through the narrow opening, they look like dozens of eyes flickering in the dark. It all makes for quite a trip.

Cabilao Island

Cabilao Island-situated in the Cebu Strait, 2.5 hours south of Cebu by banca - is actually closer to the coast of Bohol. Cabilao is renowned for the hammerhead sharks which shoal around the clear waters of the island in about 40m of water from December to June. In addition, there are several coral dives just off the coast from the lighthouse which are very impressive in their own right. The reef is cracked in many places, and there are several impressive overhangs along the walls. Large pelagics are very common at Cabilao, and if you're really lucky you can find yourself swimming with a passing school of dolphins.

As logistics have improved tremendously over the past few years, the word has got out that the excellent dives around Calibao are well worth travelling for. Its more than likely that you'll meet 15 or 20 other boats full of divers also enjoying the exceptional diving here and the other popular Visayan sites such as Apo and Balicasag Islands.

Moalboal

About a third of the way up the west coast of Cebu is the sleepy little market town of Moalboal. About 5km outside the town, down a dusty track, is a place named Panagsama Beach. This was one of the first places scuba diving caught on in the Philippines, and in the early 1980s, was one of the most popular and highly regarded diving destinations in Asia, and dive resorts sprang up all along the adjacent coast.

One key reason for the area's popularity is that you can dive straight off Panagsama Beach. All you need to do is swim out a few metres and drop down onto a beautiful, sloping wall that descends to 35m. It's home to an extraordinary array of coral, anemones, sponges and a swarming host of brightly coloured reef fish.

PALAWAN

Coron Bay

Coron Bay is famous for its wreck diving. In 1944, Admiral "Bull" Halsey, heading north with his fleet and lacking decent charts of the area, ordered his aircraft aloft to scout the Galamian Group of islands. After comparing aerial photographs of Coron Bay, a sharp-eyed navigator noticed that some of the "islands" had changed position between scouting runs.

Realizing that these were in fact camouflaged vessels, Halsey immediately ordered an air strike. The US Navy aviators destroyed 24 Japanese ships. Today, 12 of these wrecks have been discovered in depths of 10-40m and are visited by the growing number of dive operators in and around the Coron Bay area. One drawback is that the visibility in the area can sometimes be quite poor, but this will hardly deter the chardcore wreck enthusiast.

Exploratory Wreck Diving

The wrecks are very impressive and each takes several dives to explore thoroughly. One trip to Coron Bay is seldom enough. Perhaps the most impressive site is theAkitisushima, a 200m flying boat tender, lying on its side in 26-38m of water. The flying boat has never been found, but the huge davit used to lower it into and raise it from the water remains, dug deep into the sand at 38m. Shoals of barracuda prowl around the periphery of the site and the wreck itself has a wide assortment of residents, ranging from lapu lapu and sweetlips to snapper and batfish.

Freshwater Lakes and Mammals

Other sites around Coron include Barracuda Lake, a freshwater lake with a halocline (a division between fresh water and salt water) at around 14m. Accessible only by hiking with all your gear for 5-10mins along a tricky limestone path, the lake is notable for the strange physical sensations it engenders in a diver. The fresh water at the top is much colder than the denser salt water below and there is any number of thermoclines encountered the deeper you go.

The source of the lake's name, a solitary, toothy barracuda, often arrives in the middle of a dive to greet divers and swim with them, seemingly keeping a watchful eye on its visitors. Crayfish, rabbitfish, garoupa and cattish are frequently encountered, presumably finding their way into this weird microcosm by being siphoned in from the surrounding ocean through cracks in the lake's wall.

Dugong (sea cows), although rare, can sometimes be found grazing on beds of sea grass, often in murky waters close to shore. The area around Club Paradise is reputed to be the most likely place for a diver to encounter these placid mammals, but they are found throughout the Calamian Group.

El Nido

Southwest from Coron on Palawan Island's northwest coast is El Nido - named after the swallow from whose nests the famous "bird's nest" soup is made. This is another of Palawan's premier dive destinations. The scenery of the limestone islands dotted around the surrounding Bacuit Bay is stunning, both above and beneath the water.

El Nido is protected from all but the worst of the seasonal storms and is blessed with clear, calm waters for most of the year. It is basically a year-round site. Beneath the surface, wonderful walls and coral gardens await discovery. Most divemasters have their own favourite sites but the following are just a few that every diver should visit.

Port Barton

Port Barton is further down the west coast of Palawan Island from El Nido. It is another up-and-coming destination with some excellent, easily accessible diving. Urs Buchler, a long-time German resident of Palawan, has run the El Busero dive resort in Port Barton since 1986. Buchler is a GMAS and ADS instructor and is arguably the most knowledgeable person on diving in this area. There are only two other resorts in the vicinity. In 1997, two more dive operators opened.

The diving around Port Barton comprises mostly coral reefs and sunken islands, or shoals. Pelagics are not as common. Maximum depths rarely exceed 40m and the diving is year round, with the best season being between March and August. Currents are usually slight or negligible at most of the sites.

PUERTO PRINCESA

Puerto Princesa is the jumping-off point for liveaboard vessels visiting Tubbataha Reef and other sites in the Sulu Sea. A selection of other less luxurious but practical vessels ply the Sulu Sea between February and June, ferrying budget-conscious divers out to the world-class diving a hundred or so miles away. The Trattoria Pensione and restaurant on Rizal Avenue is a good place to network and to pick up information on new resorts and dive sites and trips to Tubbataha and the Sulu Sea, and to reserve transportation north or south.

The best diving around Puerto Princesa is in Puerto Bay, south of the city. Most local dive shops can arrange day-trips for US$50-75, which include two dives and equipment hire. The bay's proximity to Puerto Princesa means that it is heavily fished and has been damaged in the past by dynamite and cyanide fishing, both of which are now illegal in the Philippines.

Puerto Princesa is the jumping-off point for liveaboard vessels visiting sites in the Sulu Sea. (Also see the Frontier Diving section.)

BOHOL

Around Bohol, the most popular diving destination is Panglao Island, over the causeway from the capital, Tagbilaran. Of the four beaches on Panglao (Alona, Mormao, Doljo and Gikini), Alona is the only one with a sizeable diving infrastructure.

Dives around Panglao Island include Arco Point, near the Bohol Beach Club, which has a tunnel through the reef at a depth of 8-18m. A colony of sea snakes here can make life interesting. Other sites on the reefs on the north and west sides of the island have walls, drop-offs, coral gardens and impressive coral growth and marine life.

Balicasag Island - situated 20km from Alona beach-is one of the very best dives in the Visayas, and also one of the most popular. These days, it is normal to see over a dozen other dive boats originating from all across the Visayas, as well as liveaboard vessels that have increasingly taken to operating in the 'Visayan Safari Triangle'. Virtually anywhere you drop in is sure to be rewarding: the following are just a few of the more popular sites.

A black coral forest is one of the main attractions of Balicasag. This is especially true in this case as there is a rare outcropping of black coral-which normally grows at depths below 50m-at 30m. Moorish idols, batfish and other reef fish fin sedately through the forest, as can divers if they take care not to cause damage or create any disturbance.

Turtle Point is named after the turtles which shelter in the caves 18-20m down the wall. The wall itself is covered with feather stars and great numbers of tropical reef fish. The turtles are understandably shy and you have to be patient and perhaps a little lucky to see them. However, it's well worth the effort as some of them are huge. The dive itself is visually beautiful anyway, and so to discover turtles is an exciting bonus rather than essential to the enjoyment of diving at this site.

The Cathedral Wall is another excellent dive site with a profusion of cracks and crevices that require a flashlight to explore. Pelagics hang off the wall in the current, and clouds of reef fish dart in and out of the profuse hard and soft corals, and sponges.

Pamilican Island, about a one hour boat ride from Alona Beach, means 'resting place of the mantas' in the local dialect, and you may be lucky enough to see one. You will definitely get to see the impressive gorgonians, tunicates, sponges and anemones in the marine sanctuary on the northwest side of the island.

Bohol Diver's Lodge, Alona Divers, Sea Quest, Sea Explorers, Sharky's Divers, Atlantis and Genesis all visit the dive sites around Panglao as well as the other pearls of the Visayas close by, including Balicasag, Pamilican, Cabilao and Apo Island. Accommodation on Alona Beach is very reasonably priced, although relatively basic. The big developers liave so far left Alona alone, and because of this the area has a seductively rural appeal-but for how long? Go sooner rather than later.

The price of scuba and Nitrox courses, and of equipment rentals from the operators on Alona Beach are both fairly similar to the costs at Moalboal. To get to Panglao from Cebu, take a fast ferry to Tagbilaran-which runs quite frequently-then take a taxi or jeepney (much slower) to Alona Beach. As long as it's not high season, you can arrange accommodation when you get there.

SUBIC BAY

Definitely the best all-around diving along the coast, Subic also has the best infrastructure and facilities, with the major pull being the wrecks. The star attraction is the USS New York, a battleship scuttled during World War II, to keep her 17in main guns from falling into the hands of the Japanese. A rare, fine example of an 1899 dreadnought, she lies on her port side in 27m of water, cannons intact.

A standard dive starts at the stern with a swim around the propellers and up to the aft gun emplacements. You enter the wreck amidships for a check around the vast mess room, exit again, then re-enter the bow section for another spell. There's an abundance of marine life in and around the wreck, and this, combined with the clearly defined structure of the vessel, makes it a truly unforgettable diving experience.

The El Capitan is another great dive. This 130m-long, 3000-tonne freighter went down in the mouth of Ilanin Bay. In the dry season, visibility is good, and as the top of the wreck is just 12m below the surface it's an easy dive.

Although the wreck is not in great shape, this is compensated for by the incredible array of marine life, and a swim-through amid shafts of light beaming down through gaping holes in the side. The San Quentin is the oldest known wreck in Subic. This wooden gunboat was scuttled in the Spanish-American War in 1898 in a futile attempt to prevent the US Navy entering the channel between the Grande and Chiquita islands.

This is one of the more popular dives, though there's little left of the hull. The popularity is not because of visual impact, but more because of the wreck's historical past.

Because it's situated closer to the open sea, visibility is better than you would normally find on the wrecks in the inner harbour, and the fish tend to be bigger here also.

Among the many other wrecks worth seeing is the Oryoku Maru, the "Hell Ship" which sunk in an air attack with more than 1600 American POWs on board.

Subic also has some good coral dives. Grande Island, formerly an exclusive US military R&R resort, has some worthwhile wall diving, and Triboa Bay has a good coral garden at Nabasan Point.

The best time to dive in Subic is between February and June, which are the driest months in the year. In the wet months, rainfall causes run-off from the hills which will affect the visibility of the water.

There's plenty of accommodation of every price between Olongapo City and Barrio Barretto, a popular laid-back tourist retreat. Subic also has the oldest established recompression chamber in the Philippines, one of only three available to sport divers (Source: Philippine Department of Tourism).

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