Diving Puerto Galera
September 28, 2008 – 7:48 pm
My first revisit for a while to the beach resort area of Puerto Galera – I was expecting a shock. It was inevitable that there would be considerable development since my last visit 10 years ago and there was.
A rocky peninsular on the north coast of Mindoro Island housing one of the world’s finest natural harbours, Puerto Galera is just an hour by boat from Luzon mainland port of Batangas which itself is only 2 hours by road from Manila, making this a great getaway from the big city smoke. But its real attraction for overseas visitors is the the excellent diving.
El Galleon
In the old days I used to stay on Big La Laguna Beach, the third in a string of small bays facing northwards toward Verde Island, renowned as one of the most biodiverse marine environments in the world. However Big La Laguna has sadly been lost to concrete, so this time I stayed on the second beach at Small La Lagina…. Sabang being the first and the hub of nighttime activity. Small La Laguna’s attraction to me is the excellent little dive resort of El Galleon owned by long timers Allan, Tommy & Andy (Australian, Swedish & British) through Asia Divers.
Best described as a competent and very friendly 3 star resort, El Galleon deservedly has a long list of loyal returnees who appreciate the efficient simplicity of the place and its long established, professional dive shop. It was a good choice. Quiet at night but with its own locally popular bar perched on the headland separating Small La Laguna from Sabang, it is only a short stroll to the bustling nightlife area of Sabang for those who want it while remaining a peaceful recluse for those who don’t.
Sadly I only had one night and only time for one dive, but I did get the chance to talk to an American lady who was surveying for a Texas-based dive company about the diving. We dived together at the protected Puerto Galera passage as the sea conditions were a little heavy, and afterwards she told me about the other dives that she had managed to do during her trip, which included Dumaguete, El NIdo and Puerto Galera. The winners, in her estimation, were Verde Island and the Pier in Dumaguete, both of which she waxed lyrical on about.
My one dive was not spectacular though very enjoyable, during which we saw at least dozen spectacular giant clams, scorpion fish, triggerfish, lion fish, host pipefish, nudibraches and much more. However we failed, as hoped for, to find the seahorses that are known to inhabit the area.
Coco Beach
Checking out the other places to stay in PG, my top choice for those who are looking to get away from the bustle remains Coco Beach, set on its own private beach a five minute boat trip from the Laguna beaches. I have always liked this place, not least for its highly socially responsible, inclusive policy towards the local inhabitants of PG. Each group of thatched, wood and bamboo chalets has its own local family that take care of it and treat you as if you are a personal guest… whilst allowing you the privacy of an hotel. Although they now have 100 rooms scattered around the steep hillside slopes of the bay, and have recently added some aircon units too, it still has a very intimate feel. Be prepared to climb to go to bed!
El Galeon is my choice for those who like close to the action or whose focus is more on the diving.
