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Diving, News and Events

How to be a Scuba Diver on Lockdown? PADI eLearning!

Posted on April 12, 2020May 21, 2020 by blogeditor

12
Apr

With many of you at home around the world, we thought we’d share a little scuba diving love with you and some ideas on how you can still be a diver and how you can even develop your skills, and make the most of some great savings while we are all waiting to be able to travel again!

Become an Even Better Diver

Have you always thought about taking your next level of PADI Course or wanted to take a specialty but never found the time or don’t want to spend your time in the Philippines studying? Well, there is no time like the present to get started and get the theory out of the way without even leaving home. If you are looking for something to do on lockdown then this could be the solution! PADI eLearning takes care of the knowledge development component of your PADI course and by taking it at home, you can work through it at your own pace and PADI are now offering an awesome 25% discount on all eLearning Courses!

Here are some of our favourites:

Advanced Open Water: If you are a PADI Open Water Diver, we recommend taking the Advanced course. The PADI Advanced is the next core course for you and it will certify you to dive to 30 meters – which means even more of Puerto Galera’s awesome dive sites to explore! You’ll also learn how to navigate underwater as well as looking at other new and exciting types of diving!

PADI Advanced eLearning — Develop your dive skills and get certified to dive to 30meters

2. Rescue Diver: This is probably the most rewarding course you’ll ever take and you’ll build your confidence in the process. You’ll be learning lifesaving skills and techniques as well as learning how to prevent accidents from occurring in the first place. If you are thinking about becoming a PADI Divemaster or Instructor in the future then the Rescue Diver Course is essential.

3. Divemaster: Yes!! You can now start your journey to becoming a PADI Professional at home! If you are thinking of the diving industry as a future career path, get started now! The PADI Divemaster certification is your first Pro certification and your first step towards becoming a PADI Instructor!

Divemaster eLearning — Take your first step towards becoming a PADI Pro and start the PADI Divemaster Course with eLearning

4. Digital Underwater Photography Specialty: Okay, so you can’t go underwater right now, but the skills and techniques you learn in the PADI Digital Underwater Photography specialty can be practiced at home – which means hours of entertainment with your camera when you can’t go out!

5. Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox): It seems so unfair when you have plenty of air left and your computer tells you that you need to shallow up. Have you ever wished you could stay deeper for longer? Diving with Enriched Air (Nitrox) increases your allowable bottom time meaning you can admire the depths of your favourite dive sites in Puerto Galera for even longer!

Enriched Air eLearning — Dive deeper for longer with the PADI Enriched Air Nitrox eLearning Course

Don’t want to study alone? Buy a PADI gift pass for your buddy and study together! Do you have non-diving friends that want to get certified? The PADI Open Water Course is available online too and is now reduced from AU $220.00 to AU $165.00. There is no better time to convert your non-diving friends into diving buddies than now!

If you’re planning to sign up for eLearning and want any help, advice or to make a reservation, contact us on our online contact form here or send us an email at: admin@asiadivers.com

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Diving

Advantages of Blackwater Diving in The Philippines

Posted on April 10, 2020April 8, 2020 by Asia Divers

10
Apr

As you scroll down The Atlantic’s result of the 2018 Underwater Photographer of the Year Contest, there is a blackwater photo by Songda Cai of a transparent, bioluminescent conger eel coiling like a spring, darting its eyes upon a lone crustacean.

Some people may think that an underwater robot took this amazing photo at mysterious depths where divers can’t ever possibly go. But this photo was taken manually by a person. Underwater photographers such as Songda Cai can achieve this effect while blackwater diving in the Philippines.

What is Blackwater Diving?

Blackwater diving is similar to night diving. The only difference is that blackwater diving takes place over deep-sea channels or far from the coast, while night diving takes place on shallower water near coral reefs.

In the vast dark void, you can come across many beautiful sightings, often to many beginners’ surprise. As you dive in blackwater, you get to witness a daily vertical migration where pelagic planktons and larvae rise to shallower depths to feed on surface algae. This attracts larger creatures such as tunas, swordfish, cephalopods, and even whales.

What’s even more exciting is that the extremely limited amount of light allows you to spot a few bioluminescent creatures that are only detectable in the dark. This would give you plenty of challenges for underwater photography.

Where are some of the best spots for blackwater diving in the Philippines?

If you ask any seasoned blackwater diver, two locations in the Philippines come to mind: Anilao and Romblon. In these places, you get to see rare pelagic seahorses. Seahorses typically stay within the reef boundaries, but not these ones!

Asia Divers is quite close to another location offering an equally spectacular collection of nocturnal marine animals – The Verde Island Passage. Here you get to see the bioluminescent comb jellyfish, colonies of pyrosomes, and blanket octopuses. You don’t get to see these in the reefs directly in front of Asia Divers and El Galleon Dive Resort!

What are the advantages of blackwater diving?

Photo by Beth Watson

1. You can test your courage of facing the unknown

Remember your first-night diving experience? We can imagine that it felt exhilarating; the feeling of conquering the underwater world at night adds to your personal list of things people wouldn’t do, but you can.

But blackwater diving is a completely different thing altogether. The reefs and colorful corals provide ample reference points for you, even as you navigate in the near dark. When you dive in blackwater for the first time, you will have an eerie feeling of sensory deprivation since you can’t find a reference point anywhere around you.

You’ll instantly feel the need to trust your dive group more than ever as they are one of the few reference lights that are comforting your eyes. Another source of light comes from a modified rope with a buoy that also attracts tiny organisms to swim towards it.

After a while, you will feel that comfort begins to settle into your mind as you feel safe even in such an environment. The transformation from fear to acceptance is something that is quite familiar to divers.

2. You’ll find sea creatures you’ve never seen before

Even if you cross paths with only familiar animals in the blackwater, you’ll notice something different about them.

Under a new light, their behavior will be unlike anything you’d expect. For instance, you might see cuttlefish taking advantage of their dark environment to rapidly change their pigments – making multicolored moving ribbon patterns across their body.

Pelagic squids seem to fly over you like in outer space and bioluminescent zooplankton becomes prey to fluorescent eels and sea snakes. Some vulnerable larval lobsters are translucent while bright-colored pufferfish and boxfish contrast against the pitch-black background.

3. You get to test your underwater photography skills

All these sea creatures look amazing and you definitely want to take photos to preserve them forever on film.

The challenges of underwater photography in blackwater are twofold. Firstly, you need to maintain neutral buoyancy while slowly approaching your subjects, being careful not to stir or push them away from you. Secondly, you need to know the precise camera settings for blackwater photography.

Underwater photographer Mike Bartick has a few suggestions to share. He advises higher ISO values (360-600 for DSLR), higher F-stops (f/18 – f/25), and a middle-low shutter speed of 1/200 sec.

“I prefer higher ISO so that I can push my F-stop higher while using a lower strobe power. This allows my strobes to recycle faster for repeat exposures. If the subject is shiny, quickly increase your F-stop to reduce over-exposures. If the subject is a little further away, open your F-stop” – Mike Bartick.

For more insight related to underwater photography, visit his website at saltwaterphoto.com.

A few things to remember for safe blackwater diving

Remember to stay close to your group and follow your dive instructor. Pay attention to hand signals and how to deliver them with a flashlight. It’s best not to use a diver propulsion vehicle as the engine noise may scare away animals or disturb feeding behavior. Likewise, don’t bring any food to feed the animals.

Dive with Asia Divers

If you’re interested in blackwater diving with us, check out our dedicated blackwater diving page. Make sure that you’ve received basic formal training before taking our PADI specialty courses, which includes night diving and underwater photography.

Diving, News and Events

Thresher Shark Diving in Puerto Galera

Posted on March 28, 2020 by blogeditor

28
Mar

Did you know that we see thresher sharks in Puerto Galera? How much do you know about threshers sharks and do you know why a sighting of a thresher shark is so special?

Of course, diving with thresher sharks is on most divers’ bucket lists but we guarantee you’ll have an even better underwater experience if you know a little bit about these amazing sharks before you dive with them – read on to find out more!

How to Identify a Thresher Shark?

Thresher sharks are also known as fox sharks and they are easily recognizable by their long and highly distinctive thresher-like tails which can be just as long as the shark’s body. Thresher sharks also have unusually large eyes in order to help them to see in deep water where less light is available. When in shallow water however, their eyes become sensitive from too much light which is why they usually remain deep and are rarely seen by divers on a regular basis. The sightings we have of thresher sharks, at recreational diving depths, at Puerto Galera’s dive sites are very unusual and this is why a sighting is very special!

Thresher sharks can grow up to 6 meters long, including their tails and they feed on a diet of schooling fish and squid. Their long tails are not just for decoration – the sharks use them to stun their prey. Thresher sharks circle smaller fish and ‘herd’ them with their tails into a tight, ball formation, which they will then attack with a powerful swipe of their tail – stunning some of the fish which the shark will then feed on.

Thresher Sharks and Depth

Thresher sharks are generally a deeper dwelling species of shark that spend most of their time below 40 meters. So why then, do they come to the shallower water and dive sites around Puerto Galera? Because of the fish – and not to eat them! Thresher sharks carry parasites on their skin and around their eyes and gills. These parasites do not harm the thresher shark if they are kept in check, however, if they are not regularly cleaned away, the number of parasites will increase and the shark will become unhealthy. Thresher sharks rely on the small reef fish to help them out by ‘cleaning’ them. When the threshers come to the shallow water, the reef fish will feed on the parasites – a free meal for the reef fish in return for some personal grooming for the shark! Because the cleaning process is vital to the health of the sharks it is extremely important that divers do not interrupt this process (see below).

Diving with Thresher Sharks

We hope that we will be seeing thresher sharks in the waters around Puerto Galera for many years to come so it important that they are not scared away by divers. If you see a thresher shark during your dive, please observe the following guidelines!

Stay calm and control your buoyancy. Try to avoid sudden movements.
Please do not ‘chase’ the sharks.
Please do not try to touch the sharks.
Please do not direct camera flashes or strobes into the thresher sharks eyes – they are extremely sensitive!
Please always respect our reefs and do not touch, kick or break and corals.
Leave the dive site as you found it. Please leave behind only bubbles and take away only photos.
For your own safety, always be aware of your no-decompression time and do not exceed the planned depth or time of your dive.

Diving in Puerto Galera

While thresher sharks are a definite highlight of diving in Puerto Galera they are not our only highlight! Our reefs are packed with some of the rarest and most unusual critters in the Coral Triangle – if you are a macro underwater photographer, then diving Puerto Galera is for you!

For those who want to learn to dive in Puerto Galera or take an advanced, tech diving or professional level course, we offer the full range of PADI scuba diving courses from beginner to Instructor!

Are you excited to come and join us for scuba diving in the Philippines? Our friendly team are as passionate about diving as you are and there’s nothing we love more than sharing our reefs and marine life with like-minded divers from around the world!

For more information or to make a reservation, fill in our online contact form or email us at: admin@asiadivers.com and we’ll get right back to you.

We look forward to scuba diving in the Philippines with you soon!

Diving, News and Events

Why Stay at a Scuba Diving Resort in Mindoro, Philippines?

Posted on March 20, 2020March 5, 2020 by Asia Divers

On the northern coast of Mindoro Island lies a piece of divers’ heaven called Puerto Galera. The midday sun shines at a gentle 31 degrees Celsius, the water is abundant in sea life, and the beach is spectacular with easy access to exciting historic rainforests.

Puerto Galera diving Philippines

Photo by Beth Watson

Staying at a diving resort in Mindoro’s Puerto Galera will be one of the best ideas you’ll ever have. At El Galleon Dive Resort, you are invited to enjoy your share of this beautiful tropical paradise.

Whether you are just out to try diving for the first time, a seasoned scuba diver, or even somebody who prefers to stay on land, El Galleon has activities for everyone.

The Convenient One-Stop Destination For Divers

Upon reaching Puerto Galera you will be struck with an incredible realization – you are standing at one of the most diverse marine ecosystems. Which means you get to see it all in one place – dolphins, sharks, sea turtles, lionfish, octopuses, manta rays, and macro life that you never even knew existed, all before your eyes. Check out more dive sites!

scuba diving philippines Asia Divers

Photo by Beth Watson

Visit the Boatyard

Love to discover bizarre-looking coastal species that are too shy to swim at the coral reef? Muck diving is available for you to enjoy at the Boatyard. Spot a few of our favorites: velvet ghost pipefish, seahorses, frogfish, and other creepy crawlers.

Jump in the Coral Cove

For divers of all levels, Coral Cove is the perfect ground to do multi-level diving. Here are the locals that you shouldn’t miss: pygmy seahorses, blue-spotted rays, cuttlefish, and the occasional thresher sharks for the lucky few!

Check out today’s scuba diving rates

These are just two out of a dozen sites that are right in front of the diving resort. More adventures await between Medio Island and Paniquian Island on the west-facing side of Puerto Galera’s peninsula.

Secret Reef

It may not be a secret anymore, but it holds a fair share of secrets. The underwater cliff and overhang open up into the open sea, but crawling and swimming closely by the sea wall are schools of batfish, emperors, snappers, and jacks. You may encounter a large lionfish and caves in which barramundi cod live.

Odies Ding Ding

Not to be missed for short-time diving, this shallow but gorgeous high sea wall is perfect for Nitrox diving. Eels and blue triggerfish reside in the holes within the wall, stingrays, tuna, and frogfish can be spotted if you stay long enough.

Enjoy a Meaningful and Educational Summer Vacation!

Our PADI Certified Dive Instructors who guide you through all the different dive sites at Puerto Galera are happy to share their knowledge with you. As long as you are eligible to take the PADI Dive Courses, we will teach you everything we know about diving and the brilliant sites around Mindoro.

Diving is one of the world’s most useful skills that can lead anyone to a decent career. Why not start young and train your child with the diving basics? Our PADI Bubblemaker is a perfect beginner course for children aged 8 years and above, at our resort’s training pool.

For serious adults, you could open up to more diving possibilities with the PADI Open Water Course. Or take diving education even further with the PADI Advanced Open Water courses which come in various branches of specialty scuba diving, including Wreck Diving, Nitrox Diving, Night Diving and more.

Dive deeper in more challenging environments through the PADI Technical Diver Training, and return to the surface like a champion.

Luxury and Adventure, All In One Place

Luxurious rooms, complete facilities and island experiences for those who prefer to stay on land. Don’t miss a chance to visit one of Puerto Galera’s top diving resorts on your next vacation to The Philippines!

Diving, News and Events

Our PADI Diving Courses in Puerto Galera

Posted on March 13, 2020March 13, 2020 by Asia Divers

13
Mar

The founders of Asia Divers had been one of the first to operate in Puerto Galera since the golden age of scuba diving in Mindoro – this was 30 years ago when the cove was exclusively an advanced divers’ playground.

Today, Asia Divers’ PADI diving courses welcome everyone from all backgrounds, skills, and ages to come and enjoy a piece of Puerto Galera’s incredible marine biodiversity and beautiful coastlines. We have prepared dozens of courses that will fit your needs – from absolute beginner to pro-diver looking to develop your career in the diving industry.

This article will cover the majority of diving courses that we offer, in which students are all under the supervision and training of Certified PADI Instructors.

Beginner Courses – Getting In The Water

A great part of scuba diving is trust. You must trust your instructors and follow their leadership; you must trust your equipment after you’ve checked it, but most importantly, you must trust yourself that you can operate the equipment properly and make low-risk decisions throughout the session.

Valuable lessons can be learned even as a beginner in the PADI Recreational Courses.

PADI Skin Diver

For children 8 years and above, the Skin Diver course is valuable to build trust and comfort with the underwater environment – think about the time when you first became confident enough to free dive in the deeper part of the swimming pool.

PADI Bubble Maker

Bubble Maker is the course where your child can become accustomed to the diving gear and breathing underwater. This early training is excellent to develop interest in scuba diving later on.

Book PADI Skin Diver and PADI Bubble Maker here.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

Discover Scuba Diving is for those who have always wanted to try scuba diving at least once in their lives, but aren’t sure about making a commitment to the full PADI Open Water course with a globally-recognized certificate.

PADI Scuba Diver

Another option is to take the PADI Scuba Diver course, which is part of the full PADI Open Water training. If you do well in this 2-day course, at the dive instructor’s discretion, you may credit (upgrade) this towards full certification later on.

Book PADI Discover Scuba Diving and PADI Scuba Diver here.

PADI Open Water Diver

Get your scuba diving certification with the PADI Open Water Diver course – the world’s most popular and widely recognized scuba course. Millions of people have learned to scuba dive and gone on to discover the wonders of the aquatic world through this course.

Book PADI Open Water Diver here.

Advanced Courses – For Serious Diving Business

The college equivalent to the PADI Open Water Diver course is the PADI Adventure Diver course. Learn skills in greater depth. You can opt for several course variations in this particular certification – from Rescue Diver and Emergency Transponders to becoming a Divemaster (minimum age of 18 years).

Book PADI Adventure Diver here.

When your roots are solid, and you want to train for specialized styles of diving, you can do so with the PADI Specialty Courses as listed below:

Intro to Nitrox
Enriched Air Nitrox
Peak Performance Buoyancy Diver
Surface Marker Buoy Diver
Drift Diver
Deep Diver
Naturalist Diver
Dive Against Debris
Equipment Specialist
Multilevel Diver
PADI Digital Underwater Photography
PADI Night Diving
PADI Navigation Diver

Why Us?

Our principle is to provide comfortable and quality training. Our on-land training facility is spacious and modern. We have a private pier to allow safe passage between boat and land. We own a dedicated photography room and rinse tank for photographers.

In addition, our training is rigorous and complete, with no shortcuts. Our small-group classes ensure that proper attention is given to each student. A language barrier will not be a problem as we have instructors who speak English, Tagalog, German, Swedish, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

Completeness of training is the key to success, and we want to ensure that our students receive the best diving education to further their careers, in addition to the fun experience of exploring the underwater world.

Diving, News and Events, Travel

Types of Scuba Diving Certifications and What You Can Do with Them

Posted on February 28, 2020March 5, 2020 by Asia Divers

28
Feb

You’ve probably heard of scuba diving certifications before, whether or not you’re aware of their purpose or not. Those certifications aren’t just for show. They’re used as a way to measure the capacity of an individual, and whether or not they can safely control themselves to certain depths as dictated on the certification.

With that said, there are many scuba diving certifications out there, each one serving a different purpose and measuring different water skills for the divers who take them. In this article, we’ll briefly cover what those scuba diving certifications entail and what you can do with them.

Open Water Diver

The Open Water Diver certification by PADI is one of the most common and popular scuba diving certifications for recreational purposes. It is an essential course that opens the path to other more advanced courses for divers. The Open Water Diver course teaches the fundamentals of how to safely manage yourself, as well as your equipment underwater. With this certification, you will be allowed to dive in open waters up to a depth of 18 meters.

Advanced Open Water Diver

Advanced Open Water Diver is a course that takes the previous certification to the next level. Participants will need to have taken the Open Water Diver first as a prerequisite to taking this course. Once completed, divers will have their depth limit increased from 18 meters as certified by the Open Water Diver to a deeper 30 meters. This course will again include theory learning as well as practical training, that will both be subject to assessment by the dive instructor.

Rescue Diver

The Rescue Diver course educates divers about essential emergency rescue protocols, safety skills and how to manage a crisis situation underwater. This is another essential certification that many divers opt to take due to the valuable, lifelong skills that are offered in this course.

Divemaster

Divemaster is the course where divers refine and hone in their water skills to a professional standard. In fact, for many diving associations such as PADI and SSI, the Divemaster is considered to be the first professional rating. This course also puts an emphasis on building the necessary skills, knowledge, and expertise to lead and supervise a diving team. Participants of Divemaster courses often intend to become professional divers or are on the way to become dive instructors.

These are just some of the most common scuba diving certifications out there. Some of these serve as the foundation of all scuba divers such as the Open Water Diver and are mandatory to take before advancing into more technical water skills.

Do these scuba diving certifications sound familiar to you? If you’re a frequent diver, it would be wise to invest in yourself and learn the water skills and knowledge offered in these courses. Not only will they increase your confidence as a diver, you’ll also have more opportunities to access dive sites that are deeper and more exotic in the future!

Learn more about scuba diving courses with us at Asia Divers.

Diving, News and Events

Benefits of Freediving for Your Health

Posted on February 21, 2020March 5, 2020 by Asia Divers

21
Feb

Freediving is a sport that opens a pathway to many abilities that elevate our mind and body. It’s a sport that plunges us into the very depths of the ocean with nothing but our mind and body. Immersing ourselves in an environment that is not in our element allows our bodies to adapt in ways that benefit our health and overall wellbeing.

Relieves Stress

A skill that all freedivers must master is being able to dedicate their focus and attention to slow down their heart rate and manage their breathing. By focusing on the present situation, your anxieties and problems seemingly dissolve – you might even discover new ways to see those problems, from a different perspective, quite literally.

More Aware of Our Wellbeing

Freediving involves carefully managing your energy, your mind, and your body. Every small movement matters when you’re underwater. Therefore, you develop a sensitivity and awareness of your mind and body, as well as knowing what your body is truly capable of. Additionally, you’ll also develop confidence in yourself and increase mental clarity as you focus only on your body and surroundings, melting away all your worries.

Opportunity to See Marine Life

With freediving, you’ll be able to witness marine life truly in their natural habitats. Since it’s just you, without any scuba diving equipment, the experience will be more intimate and genuine. Marine life will also be less likely to get startled since you’ll blend right in with the environment.

Enhances Blood Oxygen Management

The human body is incredibly adept at making changes to our environment. The more frequent you freedive, the more efficient your body will become at using oxygen. Freedivers are taught a natural reflex found in all mammals known as the mammalian dive reflex. This reflex is a physiological response that engages when our bodies are submerged underwater. Three changes occur, first it slows the heart rate down by 10%-30%, then narrows the blood vessels to ensure vital organs receive enough oxygen, and during deeper dives, the spleen also releases extra blood cells to protect the body from the increased water pressure surrounding our bodies.

To conclude, what did you think of the health benefits of freediving? As you can tell, there are real tangible benefits for freedivers. Are you ready to take the plunge? Reach out to us at Asia Divers, and we’ll help you take the first step on your journey to dive and explore the ocean.

Beach Resort, Diving, News and Events

Top Reasons to Try Diving in Puerto Galera, Philippines

Posted on February 14, 2020March 5, 2020 by Asia Divers

Recognized for some of the best reef diving in the world, Puerto Galera in the Philippines is known as a spectacular scuba diving haven by divers worldwide.

The fish variety exceeds the fish found in the Red Sea and boasts to consist both of more hard and soft coral variety than the Great Barrier Reef.

The water in Puerto Galera offers excellent visibility all year round with an average water temperature of around 29’C. Colorful and vibrant reef dominates the waters along with an abundance of sea life making the reefs their home. Most of the dive sites of Puerto Galera are suitable for divers with Open Water qualification, but there are still plenty of sites technical divers will enjoy.

Here are the top dive sites in Puerto Galera that should be on your list:

Sabang Wrecks

Sabang Wreck Dive Photo by Beth Watson

Two wooden wrecks and one steel hull yacht are part of the Sabang Wrecks. It’s an excellent dive experience, especially for beginning divers with a max depth of 21m. Be prepared to meet a school of batfish once you reach the first wreck at about 11m. The three wrecks are surrounded by all kinds of marine life.

Monkey Beach, West Escarceo and Dugong Wall

Puerto Galera Underwater
Photo by Beth Watson

A great diversity of marine species and colorful corals are found within these three dive sites as part of the continuous coral garden within easy reach from 5 to 25 meters. This spot is a favorite among marine photographers with the wreck of a small sailboat found in the area.

The Canyons

Puerto Galera Photo by Beth Watson

For a more thrilling and adrenaline-pumping time in the depths, the Canyon consists of 3 canyons with a maximum depth of 32m. Diving in these strong currents is only for advanced divers. You’ll get to watch schools of trevally tuna and even barracudas effortlessly drifting in the currents.

Here are some of the popular dive sites that made Puerto Galera a worldwide diving phenomenon. Other locations include caves, muck dives, other shallow coral fields, and drift dives. Planned to visit Puerto Galera on your next diving trip? Contact Asia Divers for unforgettable diving tours in Asia including the Philippines.

Diving, News and Events

Why go scuba diving in Verde Island Passage in the Philippines

Posted on February 8, 2020March 5, 2020 by blogeditor

08
Feb

Have you heard about the amazing scuba diving in the Philippines? Have you read about Puerto Galera and the world-renowned Verde Island Passage? Read on to find out why diving in the Verde Island Passage needs to be on the bucket list of places to dive for every discerning and adventurous scuba diving. This impressive area, location, situated at the heart of the Coral Triangle (the epicenter of marine biodiversity on the planet), will take your breath away and keep you mesmerized for dive after dive!

Diving Verde Puerto Galera — Our beautiful base in Puerto Galera is ideally located for diving Verde

Where is the Verde Island Passage?

The Verde Passage is a Strait which separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro in the Batangas province of the Philippines. The strait connects the South China Sea with Tayabas Bay and the Sibuan Sea beyond.

The passage is known as both the Verde Passage and the Verde Island Passage – with Verde Island positioned in the center of the Strait. The 1.14 million hectare passage is extremely rich in marine biodiversity, in fact, it’s among the richest areas in the entire Coral Triangle and one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. These waters continue to yield new species to science, further underscoring its global biological significance.

For scuba divers, the easiest access to the beautiful waters of the Verde Passage is from Puerto Galera – which is why we chose this beautiful town as our base!

(Mantis shrimp) From schooling fish to macro critters, Puerto Galera and Verde have something for everyone

Why Dive Puerto Galera and Verde Passage?

Ask anyone who’s dived here! From beginners through to seasoned professionals, scuba diving Puerto Galera and Verde offers a range of dive sites for all levels, stunning coral reefs, diverse marine life and incredible visibility. Our warm tropical waters are simply bursting with a kaleidoscope of colors and teeming with life. From passing pelagics through to schooling fish and even macro critters, there is something for everyone. If you are an underwater photography enthusiast, both wide-angle and macro opportunities abound, and no matter what your experience level, with over 30 dives sites to choose from, you’re literally spoiled for choice.

For those who have an interest in maritime history, the wreckage of a Spanish galleon that sunk in 1620 was found in the southern part of the Verde Passage. Most of the ancient cargo was salvaged from the wreckage in the late seventies and again in the early 80s but some remnants of her bounty still show up on the beach. Whilst beachcombing it’s sometimes still possible to stumble across pieces of broken porcelain, which date back to the late 1500 and early 1600s!

Canyons — Vibrant, healthy corals and a kaleidoscope of colours in Puerto Galera

Conservation and the Verde Passage

In 2006, a team of marine conservationists declared the Philippines a “Center of Marine Biodiversity” in the world and Verde Island Passage as the “Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity”.

Many threatened species, which include sea turtles like hawksbills, olive ridleys, and green turtles; humphead wrasses, giant groupers, giant clams and the rare red fin wrasse (Cirrhilabrus rubripinnis) are present in the Verde Island Passage.

There is a complete moratorium of all types of fishing in the Batangas Bays and around Mindoro island. The fish sold in the markets of Puerto Galera come from distant places such as Romblon. This is a very healthy sign for the development of marine diversity – there is more work to be done but Verde Passage continues to thrive.

Ready to go Scuba Diving in Puerto Galera?

At Asia Divers, we have over 30 years of experience and our friendly team of professional PADI Instructors and Divemasters are experts in our region. We operate flexible schedules so that you can make as many (or as few) dives as you like, including night dives and blackwater diving. We have a spacious camera room and dedicated rinse tanks for photography equipment for underwater photographers. And we keep our dive groups small so you get the personal service you deserve! Our comfortable, purpose-built speedboat makes day trips to Verde Island easy to arrange without unnecessary lengthy time on the boat.

For more information, or to make a confirmed booking, email us at admin@asiadivers.com, or fill in our online contact form and we will get right back to you.

We look forward to scuba diving Puerto Galera and the Verde Island Passage with you soon!

Beach Resort, Diving

Shipwrecks in Puerto Galera (Near Our Beach Resort!)

Posted on February 7, 2020February 12, 2020 by Asia Divers

07
Feb

If you are looking for one location with one of the greatest concentrations of shipwrecks, look no further than Puerto Galera, particularly the Sabang Bay area.

In fact, we love Sabang Bay so much, our beach resort El Galleon Dive Resort sits right on the hotspot for wreck divers and reef snorkeling lovers! Check out these three wreck sites that are ridiculously close by our beach resort.

The M/V Alma Jane

This shipwreck is just off the end of our very own pier!

At 30 meters deep, the M/V Alma Jane was sunk perfectly in front of our resort and is so diver friendly that it practically becomes our own playground for beginner dive sessions. It’s also a perfect training ground for various dive courses.

The ship was once mixed steel and wooden cargo vessel and was sunk in March 2003 by the Puerto Galera Dive Association (PGDA). This purposeful sinking was to create a reef habitat to counter the receding coral reefs due to the unregulated tourism of the late 90s in Puerto Galera.

The ship has had all hazardous items removed to prepare it as a wreck dive site, so it is possible to get inside the ship! You will discover moray eels in their hiding spots and hard and soft corals such as the gorgonian sea fan and sea whip making the interior their home.

The exterior of the ship is also spectacular – perfect for wide-angle photography. PGDA has left the main mast of M/V Alma Jane intact.

St. Christopher

At a depth of 24 meters, this wreck was truly devastated by the elements – also because of the fact that it is almost entirely made of wood.

The St. Christopher has a rather unique history. Way before it was sunk in 1995, it was a cargo vessel originally owned by local traders. It meandered its way around the calm Batangas Bay, Marikaban, and the north-east of Mindoro in its active days.

The cargo vessel was then converted into a diving live-aboard ship, serving an entirely different purpose and was refurbished. Unfortunately, the service didn’t last long. The last owner failed to settle a dispute – we are not sure about the details, but we do know that it ended with the ship’s untimely demise to the bottom of the sea in Sabang Bay.

Sabang Wrecks

There is not just one shipwreck on this site, but three! Three shipwrecks triple the biota that makes the shipwrecks their home, and this is what makes the visit worth it. Visiting the site itself won’t take too long either. It takes just two minutes from El Galleon by our local Bangka (outrigger) speed boat.

The three wrecks are at various stages of decay. Two are old wooden Chinese fishing junks and are decaying much faster than the steel yacht. However, the three wrecks still retain the shape from their better days. You can explore all three of them in one dive session. Swimming between them should not take more than a few minutes.

The area is perfect for both daylight and night diving. In the afternoon, the shallow 18 meter wrecks can be fully visible, featuring your favorite local critters: the batfish, large surgeonfish, lionfish, damsels, and trumpets. The elusive stonefish and flounder are attracted to the area because of the sandy surroundings. And don’t miss the ghost pipefish and mantis shrimps crawling among the wrecks!

Asia Divers’ El Galleon Resort is located on Small La Laguna Beach, Puerto Galera. Asia Divers offers PADI courses from entry-level to instructor level. Daily diving includes five scheduled daily dives: 8:00, 10:30, 13:30, 16:00 and 18:00 (night) with a choice of dive sites at each time. Join us on your next dive holiday adventures!