Dive Review of Atlantis Dive Resorts in
Philippines/Puerto Galera

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Atlantis Dive Resorts: "Philippine's Diving Bargain", Jul, 2015, by Pierre Hurter, CA, US ( Contributor 14 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 8755 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The flight to the Philippines, via Philippine Airlines is a fairly painless experience. The plane is always crowded, but it’s a non-stop 13-hour, from SFO on new Boing 777’s. Manila is always a zoo and on this light we shared the single baggage carousel with two other flights and in short order a third. It took an hour and a half before our black dive backs made their way down the chute. After collecting our group’s mound of luggage, we were here on a trip arranged by Any Water Sports; we headed outside to hook up with a representative from Atlantis Beach Resorts in Puerto Galera. It was shortly before sunup and the humidity already instantly pasted my shirt to me. We piled into four vans, cranked up the air-conditioning and headed south to Batangas. It’s about a 2-hour ride through the metropolis of Manila, and then along a modern toll road past vast green patches of farmlands. Along the way we took our customary pit stop at a toll toad turnout, Starbucks, Cinnabon, a 7-Eleven clone and of course a McDonalds. Afterwards it was through the crowded streets of Batangas and onto the ferry dock located past the oil refineries. This was our fifth trip to Puerto Galero, one of the great things about having made a trip a few times is that you have a sense of how things will work out, no stress, no worries, just grab a bottle of cold water and wedge yourself into a corner and take a nap. From Batangas we took the ferry, a Banca, the local boat design, to Sabang Beach near Puerta Galera. The Bancas are interesting, double outriggers, bamboo lashed together with heavy monofilament line, hulls made of plywood and fiberglass. These boats are ubiquitous in the islands, from small one-person designs powered by what look to be Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engines to the ferry we were riding, powered by an inline 4-cylynder Isuzu diesel engine, probably once at home in a Japanese truck. It always gives you pause when the skipper of the boat you are on crosses himself before casting off. The ride took about 45 minutes and was smooth as glass. At the resort we were greeted with a cold (non-alcoholic) drink made from Calamansi a small local lime, a neck and shoulder massage and the usual stack of pre-dive waivers, followed by lunch. Afterwards those of us not in need of a nap headed off to do a couple of checkout dives to figure out our weighting and making sure everything we needed was available and in working order. So began a grueling 10 days of eating, diving and massages. Not sure why, but there are lots of places to get a massage here, shiatsu, Swedish, hot rock. We did several night dives; typically we would skip the fourth dive of the day, have a message, shiatsu being my favorite and then spend an hour chasing critters in the dark. On the topic of food, this place really is a great place to eat. Mornings would start with a plate of fresh fruit and a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice followed up by choices that ranged from congee or jook to “healthy” options like stone cut oatmeal, Longaniza to eggs benedict or Bangus (milk fish marinated in vinegar and garlic). Poached eggs, Longaniza, French toast and a cup of strong coffee where my favorites. Lunch typically had a fresh fish option, pasta and a vegetarian option. On the day we came back from Chicken Feather, a hot spring in the middle of the Verdi Passage, almost everyone went for the most exotic offering of our stay, a hamburger, for some reason it hit the spot. Dinner ranged from fresh fish to BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Pasta with Prawns, marinated pork chops, chicken adobo, and chicken curry. The deserts were one of the highlights of the meal. When not diving, eating or getting massages we would hangout at the 50 Bar, right on the beach where we had our dive briefings and analyzed our tanks, enjoying a San Miguel and the spectacular sunsets. It was fun to watch the local kids play on the anchored boats, hand-line for fish, making lots of noise and in general being kids. The beach was the evening promenade for locals and tourists alike. This a great place to dive, especially if you like muck diving, something I didn’t really appreciate until I slowed down and started looking for the small and highly camouflaged critters hiding in plain view. When you’re dive buddy is schlepping a camera you really don’t have much choice but to slow down and smell the roses, or spot the nudibranchs as the case may be. If you’re looking for a great dive site, great food an incredibly attentive staff and Dive Masters, and easy access from the Bay Area, than this is a place to keep in mind.
Websites	Atlantis Dive Resorts
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Alaska, Maui, Cozumel, La Paz, Tulum, Socorro , Honduras, Philippine, Galapagos, Truck (Chuuck), Solomon Islands, Belize, Fij, Channel Islands, Indonesia (Komodo) and Monterey
Closest Airport	Manila	Getting There	SFO to Manilla a non-stop and then a van ride to Batangas where you catch the ferry which takes you to to Sabang Beach
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	Dives were limited to 60 minutes, but not rigidly enforced Depth was generally limited by the topography.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Spacious camera room complete with compressed air to blowoff cameras and computers to download without having to head up to your room

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Atlantis Dive Resorts in Philippines/Puerto Galera

Atlantis Dive Resorts: "Philippine's Diving Bargain", Jul, 2015,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Atlantis Dive Resorts in
Philippines/Puerto Galera