The Old Diver: Philippines Diving, All Inclusive, No Apologies - Part 1
Honestly, there are two things that divers absolutely love to do and that's traveling and of course, diving. Almost always, those two things go hand in hand. That's a combination that makes diving so rewarding. This trip to the Philippines in June 2016 was no different. Fun traveling and great diving!
Rocky Point West - Dumaguete
I'm an old diver. How old? Well, let's just say I'm older than most but still younger than a few. In any event, I've outlived my fascination with rustic or austere living. Especially on that 'once in a lifetime' dive trip. So on this trip, we pulled out all the stops and went in style.
While most divers, me included, are fine with a local hotel, Bed and Breakfast, or downscale resort at their favorite and very familiar Caribbean dive locations, when you're far from home, in a third-world country like the Philippines, it's very much worth the extra money to feel comfortable and have no worries. So that's what we did. This is a series of posts where I'm going to tell you all about our trip, the hacks we learned, local things to see, and of course all about the diving.
Travel hack #1: As great as diving is, we all know it's more fun with friends. On a long trip like this, I recommend you find a group trip, maybe through your local dive shop, or planned with a group of dive buddies. The long hours of flying will seem shorter, the layovers will be fun and the evenings will be filled with new adventure.
We took this trip with Columbus Scuba, Inc. Honestly, if you live in the Columbus Ohio area, this is the place to get to know. You'll be hard pressed to find a better dive shop anywhere. I've done all my training with CSI and I am still part of the staff.
Travel Hack #2: If you've never traveled oversees before, then you're going to want to bring snacks with you for the trip. Invest in a quality stainless steel water bottle and fill it up AFTER you pass through airport security and bring it with you on the plane. This is especially important once you arrive at your resort in the Philippines because none of the resorts sell water. While plastic pollution is a huge problem in the Philippines, the resorts along the coast have all adopted a 'no plastic' policy. Your water bottle will be a close friend while you're there. And the straws are paper.
What You Might Expect to Pay
Two weeks of scuba diving in the Philippines! Man, this was a trip I just couldn't pass up. The first week at the Atlantis Resort in Puerto Galera then we transferred to the Atlantis Resort in Dumaguete for the second week. I'm not a rich guy, and this all inclusive trip was not cheap, but it was worth every penny.
The trip cost us roughly $10k; $3600 per diver for the resort and diving, $1,100 per person for the airfare, and one night in Tokyo on the return trip. Once you add in tips for the resort staff and a few souvenirs, you're at $10k.
In my opinion this is a good representative price you might expect to pay for a trip like this. Two weeks of diving in beautiful South Pacific waters, all the diving included, all the meals included, air fare, tips, souvenirs, and an exciting eco tour each week (more on that in later posts) for $5,000 per diver. Remember, you're paying for the comfort and leisure of not having to worry about a damn thing during your trip and I mean it, not one damn thing.
A small team of Atlantis Resort representatives met us at the airport in Manila. They handled collecting our luggage and getting our group loaded on a private bus that took us to our hotel. The next morning, they were waiting on us in the lobby to get us started on our trip to Sabang Village. They were with us the entire trip from Manila to the resort. I never carried a bag or had any confusion about whether I was going in the right direction. Once we arrived at the resort, all I had to do was point out my luggage and tag my dive bag. The suitcase with my clothes was taken to my room and my dive gear was unpacked into my personal dive locker and waiting for me a couple hours later when we did our first dive. Total Service! Save or even borrow the money, take the trip. You'll never regret a minute.
The Voyage to Paradise
Two words - American Airlines. Best price, great planes, great service, great food. On the trip over, we flew from Columbus-Dallas, Dallas-Tokyo, Tokyo-Manilla. Make sure to sample anything local you can when you can. In Tokyo, during our layover, we made sure to sample the Octopus Balls at an airport cafe. Absolutely delicious in case you're wondering. So, 17 flying hours and 6 layover hours later we were checking into a hotel room in Manila. The Ambassador Hotel...not much to say about this hotel except it had a bed that was better than the floor, I think, I didn't try the floor. Anyway, I was so tired that it honestly didn't matter. We were in bed quickly because the morning would bring the true beginning of our Filipino odyssey.
The next morning, our group loaded up into six large vans and headed out in true caravan fashion on the two hour drive to a little dock South of Batangas. What a cool trip. Driving through Manila in daylight was amazing. If you've never been to a third world country, it will only take minutes before you become very thankful for the United States. You probably aren't surprised to hear the driving was amazingly bad. You see photos on the internet of 4 and 5 people on a motorcycle and think, really? Well, I'm hear to tell you, really!
The Filipinos have incorporated all manner of public transportation. At some point during your stay in the Philippines, make sure to take a ride on a local public taxi, the Jeepney. You simply can't visit the Philippines and not ride one of these wonderfully uniquely Filipino travel options.
Jeepney - Manila
The countryside is just as you've probably imagined; mountainous and tropical. Mt. Banahaw is visible to the East most of the way between Manila and Batangas. If you have time, there is great hiking on this active volcano. The small villages we drove through along the way to Batangas were bustling with traffic and smiling faces.
Mount Banahaw - an active volcano along the road to Batanga - wikipedia
Everywhere I pointed my camera I was greeted with smiles and waves. For a people who mostly live at a level of poverty we can hardly imagine, they are warm and friendly with big toothy smiles and a joyful laugh. We Americans really are quite spoiled. The simple things we take for granted are all luxuries in a place like this.
Smiling faces everywhere, even in the back of a dump truck - Manila
We arrived at a small public dock South of Batangas where we boarded two large Filipino Bancas. These are also uniquely Filipino. A long narrow hull with a rising bow and outriggers on both sides. Bancas of the size we boarded are typically covered to protect passengers from the sun. They are open, sleek, and truly fun to ride.
Our Banca - Batangas
The day was warm and sunny and the sea was smooth as we pulled away from the dock for our one and a half hour boat ride along the Batanga-Sabang nautical highway to Sabang Village. The trip was uneventful but the scenery was magnificent. I had hoped to see dolphins on the trip across, but that was not to be....this time.
The crossing from Batangas to Sabang
Sabang is a small village on the Northern point of the Puerto Galera peninsula that juts from the North end of Mindoro Island. At the base of the peninsula is the city of Puerto Galera.
Google Trip map. Lower left insert is an enlargement of the Puerto Galera peninsula.
Atlantis Resort is just a 3 minute walk along a beach sidewalk from the dock in Sabang Harbor. The second you step off the Banca you realize you're not in Kansas anymore. You're immediately immersed in the native culture. When you think about it, it's like rolling off the boat into the water. Suddenly your surrounded by new and wonderful experiences.
The dock was filled with local merchants. Some selling souvenirs, others cooking and selling local food on home-made grills and fire pits. Anything from seafood to pig's feet. Don't walk past these culinary wonders either. Food in exotic travel locations is one of the attractions. Sampling native food is worth the risk, even if you find it revolting and you can't eat it, try it. The discovery is part of the unique wonder of traveling. Think about the looks on your friend's faces back home when you tell them about eating grilled octopus. It's pretty damn good too.
"Main Street" in Sabang Village
The entrance to the harbor dock feeds directly into the village's main street. Wherever in the world you go to dive, make sure you take time to visit the local villages around you. There are every bit as many discoveries awaiting you above the water as there are under.
We walked the harbor sidewalk and through Sabang village several times while we were there and found a handy little convenience store in the village to buy snacks. Always try as much local as possible whenever you travel.
Floating in the middle of the small harbor were two bars. One had a water slide and diving area. Several of our group took advantage of these two floating oases during afternoon surface intervals and after-dinner excursions. And when you're in the South Pacific you never know what really cool critter will be sharing the water with you. On one occasion, members of our group were visited by a friendly Sea Snake and a Blue Spotted Ray while swimming from one of these bars. Of course that didn't 'dampen' the event any, it only added to the excitement.
Floating bars in Sabang Harbor at Sunset
We were greeted with open arms and huge smiles as we walked into the completely open air resort. Everything is open except the guest rooms which were cozy and comfortable. The reception area, the dive shop, and the dining area were all open. There is one small air conditioned room for underwater camera equipment, but that's it. It's wonderfully comfortable and relaxed.
The resort was waiting for us. We were all seated in the dining area where we enjoyed fresh fruit and juice. The resort manager introduced the smiling staff by name and provided a short orientation about the resort areas. It was only a matter of a day or so before the staff learned our names and we learned theirs. All adding to the comfort and familiarity at the resort.
The resort spa attendants were present and made their way around the table giving short and much appreciated neck and scalp massages during our orientation. A marketing ploy I know, but welcome and wonderful nonetheless. Needless to say, many of our group took full advantage of the services provided at the resort spa, including me.
Dining area, Atlantis Resort - Puerto Galera
In short order, we were fed, massaged, and oriented. I felt the fatigue of the trip melt away, replaced with a calm excitement in expectation of the week ahead. After all, it was just after noon, we had just arrived, and we were diving in an hour - rapture.