Dive Review of Marco Vincent Dive Resort in
Philippines/Puerto Galera

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Marco Vincent Dive Resort: "Concierge Service at Marco Vincent Dive Resort", May, 2022, by Joel Bergsma, CA, US ( 1 report). Report 11984.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
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 two buddies and I made 47 dives (June 4-20) during a 19-day stay at the Marco Vincent Dive Resort in June 2022. We focused on macro photography. Post-COVID Diving. We were the first foreign divers returning to the Resort since it reopened following the 2020 lockdown. The owners – Mel and Mercy, general manager Riza, and staff welcomed us back with open arms and outstanding service. We previously dove at Marco Vincent in 2019. This visit, we saw fewer dive boats, and the marine life appeared more abundant. COVID Safety. The dive and resort staff followed appropriate COVID protocols. All remained safe and healthy. The Boat. To access the boat, the resort provided a ten-minute ride to and from the nearby wharf. We dove on Big Beth, a boat that I consider to be the best equipped one in Puerto Galera. It’s a spacious “banca-style” vessel. It offers: (1) separate rinse tanks for masks and cameras; (2) two outlets for fresh warm water rinses and showers, (3) an on-board bathroom, and (4) a compressor to refill air and nitrox tanks. Interior table seating and outside bench seating is available. We had electric outlets and tables for recharging our batteries. Chef Ronald and Coco served us tasty snacks and lunches prepared in the boat’s galley. Hot towels and ginger tea were offered soon after each dive. Fish and Creatures. Generally, we made three dives a day. We also enjoyed a two-dive trip to Verde Island. Our dive guides - Marlon and Sherwin - skillfully located the macro subjects of greatest interest to us – wonderpus, mimic octopus, pygmy and thorny seahorses, crinoid shrimps, flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish, mantis shrimp, ornate ghost pipefish, candy crabs, porcelain crabs, orangutan crabs, pygmy cuttlefish, squat lobsters, and many more. An incredible variety of nudibranchs can also be found. Anemonefish, pufferfish, crocodile fish, scorpionfish, jawfish, lionfish, banded sea snakes, squid, and cuttlefish also made periodic appearances. Hawksbill and green sea turtle encounters were not uncommon. The Resort. We purchased a package deal for our rooms, meals, and diving during our 19-day stay. It also included roundtrip transportation from Manila to the resort. In these post-pandemic times, the price offered was reasonable. Rooms. Our rooms had adequate space, good wifi, wall air conditioners, a small refrigerator filled with drinking water, two beds, a table and power strip, electric insect zapper, and large bathrooms with walk-in showers. Room cleaning was offered daily. Individual camera tables were made available to us. Meals. Chef Marshall offered us varied fare that was uniformly delicious. Service was provided by attentive staff who seemed delighted to be back at their jobs. We had a set dinner menu, with so few divers at the resort. Locally grown fruit and vegetables, Batangas coffee, and Kalamansi-cucumber lemonade helped make an awesome dining experience. Outdoor dining was available. Service. From the owners Mel and Mercy, general manager Riza, on down, it’s the outstanding staff that elevate this resort to one of the finest I’ve encountered while diving over the past 40 years. At departure, general manager Riza provided us a list of dishes served for our lunches (on-board) and dinners (at resort), along with a detailed list of dives made and divesites visited.
Websites	Marco Vincent Dive Resort Marco Vincent Dive Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Philippines, Palau, Chuuk, Saipan, Indonesia, Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Bonaire and Curacao.
Closest Airport	MNL	Getting There	Fly to Manila, 3 hour Shuttle ride on highway from Manila to Batangas, ferry to Puerto Galera, van ride to resort.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-86°F / 28-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	20-60 Ft/ 6-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Stay with your buddy and the guides.
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	I covered this in my description of the resort above.

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Dive Review of Marco Vincent Dive Resort in Philippines/Puerto Galera

Marco Vincent Dive Resort: "Concierge Service at Marco Vincent Dive Resort", May, 2022,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Marco Vincent Dive Resort in
Philippines/Puerto Galera