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Dive Review of Asia Divers/El Galleon Resort in
Philippines/Puerto Galera

Asia Divers/El Galleon Resort, Jun, 2013,

by Mel Turner, WA, AU (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 7287 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments I really enjoyed diving with Asia Divers.
For starters, they are the only operation on Sabang beach that have their own jetty, which made boarding and exiting the dive boats much easier than it would have been walking up the rocky shore.

Their operation was well-run and extremely organised.

They ran nitrox and also had a Tech Division (Trimix etc available to those looking to undertake some "Superman diving").

There was a great wet room set-up, where we were allocated our own storage area (tubs). Made it easy to have all your stuff in the one place.

The dive guides were very professional and competent - most were excellent at finding small and unusual critters (and they enjoyed the challenge of finding special requests).

Their boats departed at three different times during the day - and were kept in good condition (and were more than comfortable for the short trip to the various dive sites.

There was never any confusion on where I had to be and at what time - it really was very organised. There was also ample time in between dives to eat, fill in log books or sort out camera gear.

I would recommend paying a little extra and getting out on Verde Island for a day. It was spectacular diving, and well worth the small additional cost.

The accommodation was comfortable - I wouldn't say luxurious, but it was more than comfortable (had air-conditioning, fan, TV, fridge, ensuite bathroom, ample cupboard / storage space). We took up the twin-share rooms so I can't comment on the more luxurious rooms.

The food was excellent at El Galleon Resort, however it was more expensive than food elsewhere (so we mixed it up and ate some nights at the resort, and others in town). We never ran out of food options.

The Point Bar (which is attached to El Galleon Resort / Asia Divers) is a highlight, and we enjoyed "Happy Hour" (2 for 1 cocktails) most evenings while watching the sun set. A lot of people from other resorts / accommodations came to the Point Bar in the evenings, as it really was a beautiful spot to look at the view and chat to fellow divers - after a great day under the water.

There were a few people selling goods outside the resort and on the (10-15m) walk from the resort to the jetty. This got a little annoying as they quickly learnt your name and were very good at nagging you to buy overpriced items (all of these items you could get for half the price if you walked for 5min into town). This annoyed all of us after the first two days.
Websites Asia Divers   El Galleon Resort

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving South Africa, Philippines, Malaysia, Australia (Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria), Indonesia
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, cloudy Seas calm, currents, no currents
Water Temp 28-30°C / 82-86°F Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 15-30 M / 49-98 Ft

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions At first, we weren't able to dive our own profiles until the guides worked out we knew what we were doing. After that they were much more relaxed. We still needed to keep to a rough time limit (as the boats went out at specific times each day) - but we were able to push these times out to an hour +
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments They had a dedicated camera room with everything a photographer could ask for... really great facilities
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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