Scuba Vacation Philippines

[bashaw]

My wife and I have a agreement I take her somewhere warm with a beach every other vacation and we go safari the next time. It's my wife's turn, I like too Scuba Dive on theses vacations. We're thinking about the Philippines, have any of my fellow Hunteing/Diving people on this sight been there and scuba dived?

 

[Brent in Az]

I'm not a diver, but know someone with a dive shop there.
Talk to Justin, the owner of Critter Republic dive center in Dauin, on the island of Negros Oriental. Dive shop and the Sierra Resort.
You would have to fly to Cebu, and take the ferry or puddle jumper plane ride over to Dumaguete. Dauin is a short drive away.
There is also diving and Whale shark watching over in Oslob. Not far from Cebu.

 

[Brod]

I'll second the Dauin area. I've spent 30+ nights at the Atlantis Dive Resort over the years. I'm not a diver but that's where I take my clients who are. They have all loved it. Great food, service, and there's a lot of other activities in the Dauin/Dumaguete area.

As far as route, I do not go through Cebu. If leaving from the West coast I'll take a direct flight from SFO, LAX, or Vancouver to Manila on Philippine Airlines and connect to Dumaguete. If leaving from O'Hare, I take Cathay Pacific to Manila via Hong Kong then connect to Dumaguete on PAL or Cebu Airlines.

 

[Uintaelkhunter]

There are lots of good diving in the Philippines. If you want to do a live aboard I would suggest going to the Tubbataha reef as it is one of the best dive sites in the world.
If you like ship Wrecks and WW2 history Coron is great.
For turtles and whale sharks Apo Island. And as mentioned Cebu area or the small central islands of the Philippines is good like Dumaguete, Dauin, Oslob, Bohal. They all have a lot of dive shops and areas. A little more remote to get to but great is Palawan and el Nido. If you want more than just diving like island hoping and beach’s.
I’ve been there a lot. Lived as a expat and worked in the Philippines for two years also my wife is Filipina so we vacation there as well as much as we can.

 

[fourfive8]

^^All good info. Generally, most areas in the Philippines are not standard tourist destinations and that is what makes it unique, un-developed and why I like it. It’s a large, spread out country of over 7000 islands and 100 mil people. Be prepared for a different culture and maintain an open mind. Friendly people who on average are very poor and prefer simple, basic lives. Unlimited beaches. For the most interesting diving…. need to find reef areas with dive support facilities as has been suggested. Even if no scuba plans, take a simple mask and some swimming shoes for reef/rock protection. Then you can snorkel or shallow dive w/o scuba anywhere. As per normal, I did not see but a handful of non-local expats among a large number of locals on Mindanao and the three cities I just got back from - Gensan, Davao and Digos. Most so called “resorts” are primarily used by locals.

I got back a couple weeks ago and still not over the jet lag From the US, IMO, a more difficult trip than going to Africa. The longest leg can be about 15 hours LAX to MNL or about an hour less than the ATL to JNB leg. It’s all the connections by different airlines that can sneak up, bite and cause stress and travel snarls. Plan enough connection time especially in places like LAX and MNL. Renting a car or getting around is relatively easy but driving there requires mental preparation… but at least its on the right side No matter what our State Department says about traveler safety, I have never felt uneasy there. I have been all over Mindanao- one of their listed “ high risk” areas. I recommend 2-3 weeks in Philippines for those looking for a less structured and less stressful vacation. Nothing wrong with an ice cold San Miguel in frozen mug for relaxing on a hot, humid day in the Philippines.

Of course known destinations like Puerto Princesa on Palawan and Dumaguete on Negros will have more non-locals and tourists.

 

[Brent in Az]

Dumaguete has been a magnet for expats, ever since Forbes listed it as a top 10 retirement destination

 

[Sideshow]

Went just before Covid hit. Was lucky to get back. Anyway top place. We did Tao boat from Coron to Palawan 3 nights. Awesome. No diving but all the snorkelling you can shake a stick at. You’re off the main tourist track as well. We stayed a few days in Coron first. At some house boats. Run by an Italian guy. Which is on the tribal land so you get first crack at the lakes. Also get to stay for sunset with the turtles. I’ll see if I can dig up the place.

 

[Sideshow]

This place. https://www.paolynhouseboatscoronisland.com/
And this was the trip. You have to stick it with some backpackers but it’s worth it. https://www.taophilippines.com/

 

[fourfive8]

Couple of things I forgot to mention. Since the Philippines is near equatorial its climate is similar year around. There may be a so-called monsoon season but heavy, flooding rains can happen anytime as can Typhoons that primarily affect the northern half of the country. Also lots of festivals with Christmas season beginning early and running well past New Year’s

 

[Brent in Az]

The Philippines has been in a drought for a couple months and hot.

 

[bashaw]

Thanks to all who have responded, I've got more info here than on a Scuba forum.

 

[bashaw]

I've already made my mind up to spend part of my trip at Coron for the Ship wrecks it's the 2nd half I haven't decided on yet

 

[fourfive8]

Good to hear you are going! Their economy was really hit hard by covid and still not fully recovered. The language is primarily Tagalog in the north and B(V)isaya in the south. But there are many, many dialects. Most speak at least broken English and their official government paperwork & documentation is in English. My wife and daughter speak Tagalog, B(V)isaya and at least two mountain dialects.

The current exchange rate is pretty good at something like 58 PHP per USD. I order some PHP currency before going and have the bank ship direct to my house.

Have a good trip!

Here's a local promo video for the 2019 Gensan Tuna Festival- shows the flavor of their nature and culture. Turn the volume up because it's a typical youtube video with weak volume.

 

[Sideshow]

@bashaw see if you can stay at the house boat above. Book the bigger rooms. There on pontoons the bigger one is by itself so no neighbours there excursions are closer than coming from Coron as there in the Nat park. Here’s a screenshot from a video my wife took of the turtles at sunset we had the beach just to us and 20 odd turtles. Anyone staying outside the Nat park had to leave before sunset. Good place to get over any Jet lag before you dive. Take mozzie spray though.
Good luck and enjoy. Oh thank you is Sal-a-mat-ph-O

 

[fourfive8]

Yep
salamat= thank you
po= pronoun sir
mam= pronoun mam
mayong buntag= Good morning
delet= no

Use Spanish numbers- Tagalog has a lot of odd Spanish words mixed in because of colonization pre-98. Not so much in Bisaya

If youngster reaches for your hand it is sign of respect for elders. Give them your hand and they will place it on their forehead

 

[fourfive8]

I keep remembering little things of interest to be on look out for if never been to Philippines. Many flights from US to Manila are majority Filipinos. Upon landing don't be surprised if spontaneous applause breaks out- I think it's a small, traditional thing among Filipinos . If on Philippine Airlines, the flight crews are usually very good- courtesy is a part of the Philippine culture. The word "mabuhay" is used by the flight PAL crews, it's a generic greeting with similar meaning to aloha.

Depending upon availability and season, the fruit and vegetable menu is usually large and varied. The hot humid climate makes my body crave more fruits like water melon, mango, rambutan, pomelo, pineapple, etc. Roadside vendors are everywhere selling seasonal foods and various barbecue, usually chicken . Pork adobo is the national dish of the Philippines I think. Local eateries that server breakfasts usually have eggs. But don't expect "American" style.... Common Filipino breakfast is cup of white rice and a hardboiled or hard cooked egg. Also don't expect western style coffee. You might occasionally find filter coffee. Just like Africa, coffee in Philippine is usually 2in1 or 3in1 instant "stick" coffee. You'll have to hunt for decent filter coffee. Small, fresh bibingka cakes wrapped in banana leaf are excellent and recommended!!! First thing in the morning- some roadside vendors specialize in bibingka. Also, fresh coconut "water/milk" is an excellent, refreshing drink. I would avoid dried fish Not that it's bad for you but few outsiders can get past the smell. Once in a while you can find tuna steak at an eatery but relative value dictates most of it gets exported. If you find it, fresh grilled tuna steak is hard to beat grilled as is any by-catch like marlin.

Old Jeepneys for mass transit are very cool but somewhat small inside and not comfortable. Same for the common, modern version based on the old Jeepney design. Large modern buses and regular passenger vans are much better. Even tricycles aren't bad for shorter trips around town, if they are allowed. Some jurisdictions are restrictive on types of vehicles. Small motorcycles are everywhere.

But, no matter what... it is different. Expect different. The general population is very poor. Expect quite a lot of litter in certain areas. One bad habit to be aware of is many like to burn trash, brush and leaves at night to keep their areas tidy...... but......the inversion sets in about sundown and the smoke laced with whatever settles in... it can be unsettling and needless to say, unhealthy.

Just a few things to expect and understand. No matter, enjoy the travel and unique experience, I'll guarantee it will be different, hopefully in a good way!

 

[fourfive8]

I have it on respected authority that Coron/Northern Palawan, where you are starting, is an excellent choice. Also from that part of Philippines just a short hop over to Borneo to visit the orangs, the only true “orange men” I’m aware of.

For perspective… From Palawan to the SW are the Spratlys. That’s where a lot of the current China-Philippine stand off is going on.

 

[bashaw]

I have it on respected authority that Coron/Northern Palawan, where you are starting, is an excellent choice. Also from that part of Philippines just a short hop over to Borneo to visit the orangs, the only true “orange men” I’m aware of.

For perspective… From Palawan to the SW are the Spratlys. That’s where a lot of the current China-Philippine stand off is going on.

Whats the story on no hot water at a lot of accommodations? I assuming the water is naturally warm.

 

[fourfive8]

Whats the story on no hot water at a lot of accommodations? I assuming the water is naturally warm.

Different huh, but normal. A few do though. Some small hotels built in last 10 years or so and most upscale ones have at least on-demand electric hot water in the shower. Yet many do not. It’s a matter of cost. The general population even most small business owners like those who have sari-sari stores or tire repair businesses are very poor by our standards, Same reason for the inadequate interior lighting that is common with many rooms having only a single, low wattage bulb, Most there grow up taking cold water baths in tubs outdoors or in what we call a bathroom (there called a CR) with simple sink, hose with sprayer and a bucket to flush commode- all in one room with no partition and no hot water. Many commodes don’t have tanks. Use the commode, fill the bucket, dump water directly into pot to siphon flush. It all takes getting use to as an outsider. . But short answer is: it’s a cost and simple maintenance thing. On the positive side- many hotels are perfectly adequate, clean with some having simple food service and only charge 15-20 USD a night plus many have 24 hour “security”. Wage rates are very low- so you’ll notice lots of filled jobs… it’s a labor intensive kind of system. As an example —- Most of the well dressed, well manicured and trained employees that trip over themselves to assist customers in all the mall stores make extremely low wages.

My house there does have a regular shower with an electric on-demand hot water unit but all other water in the house is regular cold only.

 

[fourfive8]

I’ve stayed in many different small hotels there. Most of the cold water would not be called cold but still is a little too cool for me to shower in, even in the cities. In the mountain areas much of the domestic water is sourced directly from spring water and is very cold!