Nature has blessed the Philippines with natural resources that made it Asia’s foremost diving destination with 7,107 tropical islands and islets set in deep blue waters that contain some of the richest marine-life systems on earth. It is the second largest archipelago in the world with rugged coastline extending to about 35,000km of numerous natural harbours and white sandy beaches plus about 34,000km of coral reefs.
Philippines is one of the cheapest place in the world to learn diving – training is available by instructors from most of the world’s leading training agencies but PADI is the most common. At Coco Beach Island Resort, we have Professional Divers to let you explore the Diving Capital of the Philippines - Puerto Galera.
DIVE SITES AROUND PUERTO GALERA
Coral Gardens
10m/30’
Considered the best snorkeling in the area and a great dive for novices and photographers, it can also be an exhilarating drift dive from Manila Channel to Batangas Channel. Coral strewn terrain shelves out from the beach to 9m/27’ where large coral heads can be found on a sandy bottom. Some of the crevices are used for shelter by young whitetip reef sharks.
Pink Wall
12m/40’
An overhang which, when dived on the correct tide, is perfect for novices and photographers. Surface conditions can be a little rough. Good night dive.
The Hill
12m/40’
A good dive for novices as long as it is slack water. Good corals and sponges abound, with small reef fish teeming around them.
Batangas Channel
15m/50’
A good drift dive on the right tide this dive site has many unusual sponge and coral formations and is a good place to find some more unusual creatures such as blue-ribbon eels and stonefish.
Wreck Point
15m/50’
Excellent corals lead down from the large wreck that is actually positioned on the rocks at the surface. Very nice hard corals and all the expected fish make this a good dive for novices and photographers.
The Washing Machine, Verde Island
15m/50’
A high-voltage dive made over a series of seven shallow gullies with the current taking your bubbles in all directions, and throwing you around. Requires a good guide and some experience of current diving. Made at slack tide it is an easy dive.
Manila Channel
18m/60’
An abundance of stony hard coral can be found at this dive site. The reef starts in 1m/3’ of water and extends out until two small walls are encountered, which drop down to 18m/60’. Several medium sized groupers live here but are difficult to spot since they are well camouflaged and retreat to their holes when divers appear.
Monkey Beach
18m/60’
A coral slope down to 18m/60’ makes an easy dive, good for novices. Small coral heads have crinoids, nudibranchs and plenty of small reef fish.
Sabang Junk
18m/60’
An old wooden fishing junk sunk off the front of Sabang beach in 1993. A resident school of very friendly batfish and large surgeonfish make this a popular dive. Surrounded by sand, the wreck has attracted many eels, large lionfish, damsels, trumpets, and the occasional stonefish. Flounders and stargazers inhabit the sand and excellent place to study the many gobie & shrimp relationships.
Hole In The Wall
18m/60'
Situated on Escarceo Point, this dive is typically performed as an 18m/60’ profile. Allowing for currents you drop into 9m/30’ of well-lit water, with fields of table corals as good as anywhere in the world. You descend in several stepped drop-offs, each about 3m/9’ and reach The Hole at about 13m/45’. The Hole is about 1½m/5’ wide covered with multi-colored sponges and crinoids and leads to the Canyons.
St. Christopher
24m/80’ (multilevel)
A retired 20m live-a-board dive boat sunk off the end of the El Galleon Pier in 1995, this is good start to begin exploring the reef fronting Small Lalaguna Beach. After some time enjoying some large snapper that live on the wreck, the current will propel you up to another wreck, The Speedboat, in 12m/40’. This little wreck is a real favourite since giant frogfish reside here, watching large numbers of Sergeant-Majors defend their purple eggs from opportunistic butterflyfish and wrasses.
To learn more... See our Coco Divers Site! |
