Dive Review of Crystal Blue in
Philippines/Anilao

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Crystal Blue, Feb, 2014, by Pec Indman, CA, US ( Contributor 13 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 7530.
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	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	My husband and I came to Crystal Blue for a two week underwater photography workshop mid-February to early March. Our flight to Manila came in at 3:00am, but the van driver was waiting for us, right we were told he would be. We got to the resort, had breakfast and checked in, and dove after a nap and lunch. Mike Bartick is the general manager and teaches underwater photo. He is an incredibly enthusiastic, fun, friendly, and helpful guy. Our room had everything we needed and was very comfortable. Good bed and fluffy towels. The camera room, designed by Mike, was a perfect and safe place to leave everything from cameras, computers, lights. The cubby's were well light and all provided outlets for charging electronics. Everyone felt safe leaving our precious cameras there. The dining room has big and inviting, It adjoined a lobby area with books, magazines, and fish ID books. All open air, the dining room overlooked the ocean and was a great place to watch the sunset. Often we'd leave computers and phones in the dining room while we were diving. The food was great! Chef Ray always gave us lots of choices for each meal. There were always veggies, pasta, fish, shrimp, beef, pork and chicken. Desserts were great. There was always plenty to eat, and special requests were easily available. Dive boats were banca style, with 3 crew. Usually there were 4 or 5 divers and a Dive Master. We mostly dove with Edgar, but also with Glen and Ricky. All were incredibly able to find minute creatures. Some so small they were hardly visible to the eye. Edger even helped me at times hold one side of my new camera during it's first underwater adventure. He really made sure I had time to take all the photos I needed. The staff was very friendly, took care of our gear, and made sure we got on and off the boats (walking down a little plank) safely. I saw so many creature I'd only read about, and got pictures of most. There were gear and camera rinse tanks, and an area right there to hang your wetsuits and gear between dives. Outdoor showers (if you didn't want to just go to your room) and always lots of big towels available. My husband always inspects where the tanks are filled and the compressors, and found it spotless and well maintained. The staff at Crystal Blue also must be mentioned. They were friendly, eager to help in any way, and so polite. If I walked into the dining room with a puzzled look, they knew I was looking for my computer, and point me right to it. We felt very safe and extremely well cared for. We have been to a few of the more expensive dive resorts in the Philippines, but we preferred the atmosphere (and the price) at Crystal Blue. The photo workshop led by Mike Bartick and Alex Tyrrell (from England) was beyond my wildest expectations. We had daily lectures and photo reviews, meals together, and both were always available for questions and feedback. Everyone improved! I am ecstatic! What a trip of a lifetime. I can't wait to go back.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Puerto Galera and Dumaguette, Philippines, Fiji, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Cozumel
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, currents, no currents
Water Temp	76-77°F / 24-25°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	30-60 Ft/ 9-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	We were usually diving at the sandy bottom, 70 ft. Then up sandy slope to 15 ft. Below 500 PSI.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Outstanding camera room, with towels, outlets for recharging, spacious well lit surfaces Big rinse tanks for cameras only at resort. Boats were small and dive sites were close, so no real need for rinse tanks on the boats.

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Dive Review of Crystal Blue in Philippines/Anilao

Crystal Blue, Feb, 2014,

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 Crystal Blue in
Philippines/Anilao