Dive Review of Sea Explorers/Alona Vida Hotel in
Philippines/Alona Beach, Bohol

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Sea Explorers/Alona Vida Hotel, Oct, 2007, by Michael Judd, OR, USA ( Sr. Reviewer 11 reports). Report 3834.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Alona Beach is on Bohol Island, about 300 miles south of Manila. It's turning into a dive resort, but fortunately isn't all the way there yet. Along the beach are quite a few dive operators, restaurants and hotels, but it's not too "touristy". Very few touts and hawkers, and I didn't see a single strip joint. The main street is a path along the beach. In a week of diving, didn't run into a single American (whether you consider that a plus or a minus). All in all, a very comfortable place. For low-key entertainment, Philippine TV is fun, including the karaoke channel, the model channel, and ads for fighting cock and pig feed. Stayed at the Alona Vida, a new place right on the beach with the dive shop build in. $60 per night, including a mediocre breakfast. The room was large and cleaned well every day, but no amenities such as soap or coffee; a little refrigerator would have been an improvement. The restaurant isn't much, other than being right on the sand; I had breakfast there because it was part of the package, but usually ate other meals elsewhere. The hotel has an open air bar, which is convenient for a beer but not so good if you're a light sleeper. The diving can be summarized as lots of small stuff, no big stuff. If you like anemonae fish, this is the place for you - they're everywhere. Also saw a few of the more uncommon types such as scorpionfish, frogfish, cuttlefish and leaf fish. Lots of nudibranchs. I even got my first sightings of the famous harlequin ghost pipefish (not as impressive live as in the photos in the magazines!). Some of the areas close to Alona are just sandy slopes, but other areas have a good range of both hard and soft corals. The only place we saw larger fish (a few tuna and jacks) was at Balicasag Island, a 40 minute boat ride from Alona. It has better diving than the sites close to Alona, including a bit of a wall, and usually better viz. There is a "resort" on the island, which was much less attractive in person that it appeared in advertisements and on the web. I dove with Sea Explorers, whose shop is attached to the Alona Vida. No complaints. Your equipment, including wetsuits, is kept in a locked area in the shop. The staff assembles it before the dive and carries it to the boat on the beach; the diver is only responsible for cleaning his or her equipment after the dive and hanging it in the shop. My BC and reg were always put on the tank properly. There is no firm schedule for dives. The whole operation is relaxed almost to the point of disorganization, but it works fine if you don't mind that sort of atmosphere. The boats are a "banca" (in essence a large outrigger canoe fitted with a deck) and a small speedboat, both of which do the job, although not particularly comfortably. The guides weren't much for briefings, but maintained a good pace on the dives and worked at pointing things out. The employees as a group were friendly and helpful. Overall, I would rate both the diving and the operation "good but not great". Better than that if you like the little guys. The price is right (about $20 per tank), the diving is easy, and the people are pleasant. Worth doing.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Maldives, Thailand, Truk, Cocos, Fiji, Caribbean
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	80-84°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	40-100 Ft/ 12-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	General rule was to stay with guide, but people could wander off with a buddy. Come up when you're out of air.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
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 Sea Explorers/Alona Vida Hotel in Philippines/Alona Beach, Bohol

Sea Explorers/Alona Vida Hotel, Oct, 2007,

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 Sea Explorers/Alona Vida Hotel in
Philippines/Alona Beach, Bohol