Dive Review of Planet Dive Anilao in
Philippines/Anilao, Batangas

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Planet Dive Anilao, Jun, 2011, by James Castanino, DC, US ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports). Report 6154.
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
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I was on a business trip to Southeast Asia and had a weekend to kill in the Philippines. Rather than spend time in Manila, I decided to head south for two nights at Planet Dive, in Anilao, which is in Batangas Province. I found Planet Dive online and had a few email exchanges with Dennis Catienza, who was managing the property during my visit. Overall, I had a fantastic experience at Planet Dive, which appears to be a resort very favored by locals. The people were fantastic. Resort. Planet Dive is ~3 hour drive south of Manila, depending on traffic. Dennis arranged a car service that picked me up at my hotel right on time and drive me to the resort on Friday afternoon. Cost was $100 and the price is the same is you have a group. I was the only person in the van, which wasn't efficient but I was traveling alone and this option is much better than renting a car. The resort is built on a hillside overlooking the water. Cottages are very basic, but have AC and their own bathrooms. They are not fancy but I appreciated the simplicity. My room had three single beds and a a wall of windows, but no screens, which meant AC at night. This is by means a luxury resort, but the facilities are perfectly adequate for an affordable resort that is centered around diving and social interaction with the other guests and staff. My package included all meals, which were basic and served buffet style on a large, open-air deck overlooking the ocean. The food consists mostly of local dishes and is a very good value for money. The portions are seemingly unlimited. Note that there is nothing nearby the resort. Once you are there you aren't going anywhere--you will dive, eat and hang out here. But, since everyone is doing the same, this makes for a very nice social atmosphere. The diving. I was only able to dive on Saturday (due to flight on Sunday) and did three dives, two from the boat and one from the shore. Planet Dive is located right on the Twin Rocks dive site, which is a protected area and very popular. You can dive as much as you want from the shore, a nice advantage of the location. The coral health did not appear to be great in Anilao, and the water clarity left something to be desired. That said, the diversity and abundance of marine was fantastic, especially for a lifelong Caribbean/US diver. Saw two very large frogfish, massive turtle, giant clams (endangered but restored to the area by local university), colorful nudis and lots of small tropic fish (clown fish, etc). (Please keep in mind that my experience was limited to three dives, which is not enough to get a true sense of the marine life, diversity, etc.) The DMs were excellent. Friendly, safety conscious and fun at the same time. Rental gear was adequate but pretty beat up. Wore an old shorty but water was warm enough so it didn't matter. By far, the best part about Planet Dive was the people. By the end of the weekend everyone at the resort had made me feel welcome and part of the family. I was very quickly invited to dive with a small group of regulars, which made for a nice day. At meals the staff and other guests invited me to join them and by the end of the weekend I felt as though I had made several new friends. The same is true of the staff. On checkout, I ran into an issue of being short cash (no banks or ATMs nearby, no credit cards accepted), but Dennis was very understanding and worked out a convenient way for me to pay the balance. One of the locals generously offered me a ride back to Manila, saving me the car service. All in all, I don't think you can go wrong here. Recommended.
Websites	Planet Dive Anilao
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Bay Islands, Bonaire, Belize, Cozumel, St. Lucia, Bermuda, BVI, US Northeast, Philippines
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	78-82°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-60 Ft/ 12-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	On the guided dives, you were allowed to stay under as long as the last DM.
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
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Planet Dive Anilao in Philippines/Anilao, Batangas

Planet Dive Anilao, Jun, 2011,

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 Planet Dive Anilao in
Philippines/Anilao, Batangas