The Old Diver: Philippines Diving Part 2 - Puerto Galera, June 2016
Sabang Harbor, Puerto Galera
When last I left you, I was sitting content in the dining area of Atlantis Dive Resort, Puerto Galera: refreshed and calm after 18 hours of travel and a night in Manila. I have just finished eating fresh fruit, drinking fresh made juice, getting a sample scalp massage from a spa girl, and listening to the orientation from the resort manager. We made it - Atlantis Dive Resort, Puerto Galera, Sabang harbor, Philippines.
Atlantis Dive Resort Dining Area - Puerto Galera
It was Sunday, May 29, 2016, just after noon. In about an hour I would roll off the dive skiff for the first time in South Pacific waters. I could hardly wait to begin my pacific underwater odyssey. I had heard so much about south pacific waters and the beauty and diversity that awaited me. Honestly, I had no idea, no way to understand what I would be seeing.
First, let me say that Atlantis Dive Resort, Puerto Galera is a wonderful, comfortable full service dive resort. The staff was exceptional, the food was exceptional, our room was exceptional, and the diving was amazing. They also operate a livaboard that embarks from there and their resort in Dumaguete to remoter waters around and West of the Philippines. We were fortunate to be able to board her for a tour while we were in Dumaguete. More on the boat in a later post.
We were there Sunday afternoon through the following Saturday. With the exception of a Tuesday excursion to the Verde Island Marine Sanctuary, there were five scheduled dives each day; two in the morning, two in the afternoon, and one each night. Our group of 30+ from Columbus Scuba, Inc. was divided into 5 boats of six divers. Each boat assigned a dedicated Dive Master and boat crew, so we got to know the guys well.
Larry Magsino was our Dive Master and he was wonderful. If you get to Atlantis Resort, Puerto Galera, and you can dive his boat, take full advantage of it. A wonderful guy and a terrific dive leader. I enjoyed his company while I was there and am now very proud to call him friend.
Most dive site maps for the Puerto Galera/Sabang waters list 'around' two dozen dive sites. This was our map >>>>
I did 21 dives over this week and we dove most of them. Not shown on this map is Verde Island (mentioned earlier) which is about an hour boat ride to the Northeast.
We did two dives that Sunday afternoon. The first was the compulsory 'check-out' dive. This is the dive where our beloved Larry sized us up and evaluated our skills. He could relax during this week at least, he had drawn a group of instructors, divemasters, and very experienced divers. All he had to do was point out the cool stuff, he didn't have to worry that we could handle the diving.
The first dive was Dungeon Beach Wall. Great easy dive to get our feet wet. The site is on the East side of the peninsula. You drop in very close to the shore over thick coral and the wall drops off about 100 yards from the beach. It's not a huge drop, just a hundred feet. Like all the sites around Puerto Galera, it was beautiful and alive (see the video of the dive below).
Video of Dungeon Beach Wall.
The second dive was a night dive on Fantasea Reef just out in Sabang Harbor. I'm not a huge night dive person, I just get frustrated with not being able to see outside the light. But, like all night dives, it was just fun to slowly glide over the reef searching for those unique creatures you only see at night. Unfortunately, we didn't really find any. A few crabs, a Lion Fish or two and a hungry Moray. None of which I captured on film with enough quality to show off here.
We headed back in to a great dinner of Filipino chicken with stir fry and a couple cold beers. Finally, a hot shower, a firm bed and a much needed night's sleep.
The next day dawned warm and beautifully tropical. I was up early for a nice 4 mile run into the hills South of Sabang. Running into the jungle up the steep winding road that connects the village of Sabang with the town of Puerto Galera as the sun rises to wash the broad jungle leaves with golden light is a magical experience. If you're not a runner, I still encourage you to be up early and take in a sunrise along the beach or up in the jungle around the village. A nice steady walk is a great way to get the heart pumping and the body ready for a day of diving adventure.
We started bright and early with a nice wreck just on the outside of Sabang Bay,
The Alma Jane - June 2016
The Alma Jane; a small Filipino freighter scuttled to create marine habitat. Not an old wreck but still doing it's job admirably. The Alma Jane sits upright on a sandy bottom right at 104 feet. A nice dive with lots of life beginning to call her home.
We were back to the resort after each dive as none of the dive sites are more than 15 minutes from Sabang. This was really nice, as we were always greeted at the dive shop with fresh fruit and goodies while the dive shop crew hooked up new tanks and loaded our kits back into the boat. I have to admit, it was honestly tough getting used to this valet diving thing. It took me a couple of days to shake the guilt of lounging around between dives while these friendly people did so much work to make me happy and satisfied. Make sure you tip these guys well at the end of the week. They really earn it.
Dive two was back to the East side of the peninsula and a site called Sinandigan Wall. Much like Dungeon Beach Wall, a nice wall dive just off the rocky East shore. Many many Nudibranch to see here. Visibility wasn't too great here, only about 60+ feet HA!
Sinandigan Wall - June 2016
After lunch, we were off to the West side of the peninsula for my first muck dive. Giant Clams was the name of this dive site and the name fits. You roll off the boat into about 15 feet of water immediately over a bed of giant clams. Now I had never seen one so I don't know giant from giant, but these were all three to four feet long and we were told weighed a couple hundred pounds. Beautiful vibrant colors.
We swam over the clams and into deeper water, the coral giving way to a sandy barren bottom. At first glance, it doesn't look like much, but it's full of tiny fascinating creatures. Nudibranchs, seahorse, pipe fish, devil fish, octopus, and cuttlefish just to name a few. We were lucky to find a beautiful flying gurnard and a flamboyant cuttlefish.
Check out the compilation video of our dives this day below.
Day 2 Compilation
After a great day of diving, the most exciting was still to come. It's funny how just two minutes can define a whole day, especially a day like this one. During the night dive on this day, we came across the fascinating and deadly Blue Ringed Octopus (BRO).
Blue Ring Octopus - June 2016
I managed to get some great video of this little guy. He was not scared of us in the least. In fact, you'll see in the video that he just kept coming toward us. He was definitely agitated by our invasion of his privacy as he made every attempt to warn us to leave him alone, and we did. A couple of minutes of great video and we left him in peace. Here's the clip of this little guy below.
Video of Blue Ring Octopus, Sabang Harbor - June 2016
So our first full day complete and what a day it was. Back to the resort for a belly full of great food and some laughing, great dive stories of the day, and plenty of beer to wash down the fun around the pool. I slept soundly and dreamt of my little BRO from the night dive.
This next day would see us diving at a place famous for its marine biodiversity. The Verde Island Marine Sanctuary is said to be the most diverse marine ecosystem on the planet. I would be there in the morning and you'll see it in my next post. Until then I wish you smooth sailing and warm, clear waters to dive in.