Diverse diving experience in Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera is an old Spanish settlement, founded in 1572, and was the first provincial capital of Mindoro Island. The town is located at the north of the island Puerto Galera is easily accessible from Manila as public transport and ferries from Batangas run on a regular basis. The island is separated from Luzon by the Verde Island passage, a deep channel that produces strong currents and, usually, good underwater visibility. This, combined with a wide variety of aquatic life and healthy soft and hard corals, makes Puerto Galera one of the most popular diving destinations in the Philippines.

The number of dive sites in Puerto Galera are too numerous to include here so let me just give you a glimpse of what a diver could expect by describing some of the more popular sites.

Most of the dive sites are within 15 minutes of the dive centers and resorts. These sites provide excellent conditions for all levels of training and experience, from absolute beginners to the most seasoned technical divers. Other dive sites, such as Verde Island, Chicken Feather Island, and Maricaban Island can be reached on a day trip.

Diving is possible all year round, even during the typhoon season, which is normally from the end of July until the end of November, as there are many sheltered areas around the coastline.

Dive centers use either speedboats or outrigger boats to transport their divers to and from the dive sites. All dive centers offer diver training, guided dives and equipment rental. The water temperature varies from around 22°C in December to 29°C from April to September.

One of the most famous dive sites is the Canyons. Strong currents and the depths at this site make it suitable only for experienced divers. These currents attract large shoals of barracuda, trevallies, and other pelagics. The site also offers colorful soft corals, angel fish, moray eels, various species of sweetlips and occasional large rays and pelagic sharks.

North of the Canyons is a stadium-shaped area, known as the fish bowl. It is at a depth of 40 meters and is therefore suitable for advanced recreational divers or technical divers. In the bowl, there is a variety of aquatic life including white tip reef sharks, rainbow runners and sweetlips. In the blue water beyond the fist bowl, tuna and jacks are often seen.

There have been many vessels sunk deliberately near the coastline, which provide artificial habitats for the marine life. Three have been scuttled in Sabang bay at a depth of about 18 meters. All three are within a short distance of each other, making it possible to visit them all on a single dive. They all lie on a sandy bottom, surrounded with small coral outcrops. These outcrops provide shelter for a multitude of smaller fish. Looking closely on the sandy bottom, you can spot flounder. The wrecks are home to moray eels, scorpion fish, lion fish. Large surgeon and bat fish are always seen on this site. It is popular to feed these, and if you do, you will be surrounded by these and hundreds of damsel fish. This site can also be a spectacular night dive. The optimum time to dive this site is at slack tide.

The stretch of coast eastward from Sabang bay to Escarceo point offers a wide choice of dives. Although it is a continuous reef, various points are named as different dive sites, including Monkey Beach, Ernie’s Cave, Wreck Point, Dungeon Wall and West Escarceo. The depth along this stretch of coast varies from five meters to 45 meters, so the choice of types of dive is endless. Currents in this area also provide conditions for good drift dives.

At the eastern end of West Escarceo lies the Hole in the Wall. This lies at 12 meters and is a hole large enough to swim through. Large snapper, stonefish, sweetlips, frogfish sea perch, among others, are often seen here. During times of strong currents, schools of tuna and jacks are often present.

Shark cave is an overhang at a depth of 25 meters. You can lie on the sandy bottom in front of the cave and see the white tip reef sharks which use the cave as a resting place during the day. Using a flashlight is advised, as when the sharks are disturbed, they tend to move to the back of the cave.

One of the most exhilarating dives especially during strong currents is the Kilima Drift. The beauty of this dive is that it can suit varying experience levels. Less experienced divers can dive shallow, while more experienced divers go deeper. Down currents are often experienced on this dive and divers must keep a good eye on their depth gauges.

The dive sites described are but a few available in Puerto Galera. Many other sites offer excellent diving with varying conditions. All of the dive centers can offer guides to all of the sites.

Puerto Galera is an ideal dive destination for divers. It is relatively easy to travel to, the dive sites are close to the Dive Centers, the aquatic life is varied, the visibility and water temperature makes it an all year round destination and the dive personnel are experienced, well-trained professionals. Accommodations are varied to suit all tastes and budget. If you ever decide to dive in Puerto Galera, you can expect guaranteed satisfaction.