Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
DIVING IN PUERTO GALERA
The beauty of scuba diving around Puerto Galera is the number and variety of dive sites that
can be reached by boat in a matter of minutes. These offer something for everyone, from
exhilarating dives in raging currents to gentle drifts along sheltered coral reefs.
A good dive for novices is
Shark's Cave
, a drift dive along a reef that takes you past a cave
where you might get a close-up of sleeping whitetip sharks.
Fish Bowl
, a blue-water descent
to the top of a reef where sweetlips and rainbow runners are common, is another popular
spot.
Sabang Point
, just off Sabang Beach, makes a good night dive, while
Monkey Wreck
,
only five minutes from Sabang, is a local cargo boat that sank in 18m of water in 1993, and
now plays host to large schools of batfish and snappers. Finally, don't miss the
St Christopher
,
a retired diving boat that was deliberately sunk and is a refuge for the extraordinary frogfish,
an ugly character with large fins and a flabby, drooping face.
More challenging dives include
Canyons
, which has a healthy reef split into three slab-like
sections (hence the name) and some fierce currents that mean it's usually for advanced divers
only. What makes it special is that it's the best place in the area to encounter large pelagics
such as sharks and barracuda. Occasionally manta rays, eagle rays and hammerheads pass
through. For a real thrill there's not much to beat the
Washing Machine
, a notorious dive
near Verde Island, where currents are so strong and the topography so tricky that divers report
being thrown around underwater and disoriented.
DIVE OPERATORS
There are dozens of dive operators in Sabang, Small La Laguna and Big La Laguna, and a
smattering in White Beach and the beaches nearby. Rates are around P1700-1800 for a dive
with full equipment, or P1250 if you bring your own wet suit and buoyancy control device,
but the more dives you do, the cheaper it gets. Reckon on around P14,000 for a 1-2 day PADI
course. Established firms include:
Action Divers
Next to
Deep Blue Sea Inn
on Small La
Laguna
T
043 287 3320,
W
actiondivers.com.
Asia Divers
Next door to
El Galleon
, Small La Laguna
T
043 287 3205,
W
asiadivers.com.
Badladz Adventure Divers
In the hotel of the same
name at Muelle pier
T
0927 268 9095,
W
badladz.com
/diving.
Frontier Scuba
Near
Angelyn Beach Resort
in Sabang
T
043 287 3077,
W
frontierscuba.com.
By bus
One Calapan-bound jeepney also leaves from Sabang
each morning.
Tourist information
There's a small tourist o
ce (daily
7.30am-5pm;
T
043 287 3051) at Muelle pier.
TOURS
The following operators can arrange trips (see box opposite), though most hotels can also organize these for you. Expect to
pay between P1000 and P2000 depending on the destination.
GPLP Tours
Sabang, on the main road to Poblacion
T
0927
326 0535,
E
adventures172001@yahoo.com. Runs island-
hopping day-trips, with lunch (daily 10am-4pm; P1000,
minimum 8 people), plus inland trips (P1200) to the
Tamaraw Falls, the Hanging Bridge and Mangyan villages,
with optional jungle river kayaking (an additional P800).
Islands Destination Travel & Tours
Poblacion
T
043
287 3145,
W
islandsdestinationtravelandtours.weebly.com.
Arranges dive and snorkelling trips, Mangyan cultural tours
and beach-hopping.
GETTING AROUND
By tricycle
Tricycles are always available and the most
convenient way to zip between the various beaches in
Galera, though they are notorious for ripping off tourists.
Locals pay around P30/person (P50 at night) between
Muelle pier/Poblacion and Sabang for example, but as a
foreigner you'll be asked for at least P200/tricycle (getting
them down to P100 is quite an achievement). To White
Beach, Aninuan and Talipanan reckon on at least P160 (or
P40/person if you can share with four people).
By bangka
Bangkas regularly ply between Sabang and
White Beach (40min); for around P1500 the boat will wait
for you (one way will cost P1000-plus). You can arrange
bangkas between just about any beach; rates will depend
on how long you need the boat for and your haggling skills.
Small pumpboats travel between Sabang and Big/Small
La Laguna beaches for around P200 (P400 at night).
