Puerto Galera, Mindoro - Diving Holiday Destination

Puerto Galera, Mindoro (Phillipines)

The Phillippines are a multitude of tropical & semi-tropical islands, spread in the middle of the South China Sea. Miles of stunning coral reefs – most of them still waiting to be explored. A friendly, welcoming English-speaking population, a stable economy and a democratically-elected government. With warm blue tropical waters, sandy beaches and palm trees, the Philippines deserves it's nickname Asia's Diving Capital. The islands offer idyllic weather and water temperature for divers.

Spectacular drop-offs, deep dives, caves, wrecks, and a richly varied marine life await the visitor. The variety of hard and soft corals is amazing; there are more than 500 species (the entire Caribbean only has around 60). Divers commonly see sharks, rays, moray eels, octopus, and sea snakes, along with innumerable species of fish, including groupers, jack, tuna, surgeonfish, parrot fish, sweetlips and lionfish, to name a few. Of the 100,000 known species of shellfish, over 21,000 are found here, including many that are unique to the Philippines. It's a diver's paradise!

One of the unique diving attractions in the Philippines is the availability of local dive boats or outriggers called “Bankas”. These comfortable boats are able to get into shallow areas with expert precision, in order to let you enjoy your dive experience to the fullest. Certain dive operations also operate with traditional dive boats and if neither of these options is appealing, there is always the Liveaboard to serve your diving needs.

The foremost asset of Oriental Mindoro Island, Puerto Galera is blessed with one of the world’s most beautiful natural harbors. Puerto Galera offers picturesque beauty and good beaches plus an abundant nightlife for those who want it. It is fast becoming an international diving destination. Known as the Pearl of Mindoro, it is world-famous for splendid beaches, coral reefs, and exquisite dive sites for new and experienced divers alike. There are shallow coral gardens, interesting rock formations, and colorful species to watch, like crabs, shrimps, sea anemones, moray, and trumpet fishes.

The area features over two dozen prime dive sites, all of which are well worth diving. What's more, diving in Puerto Galera is possible all year round. Given its lofty reputation as an underwater paradise, Puerto Galera is also the perfect gateway to some of the most unspoilt territories and national parks in the vast island of Mindoro. One will be lured to explore pristine lakes, rivers and waterfalls, meet indigenous tribes with their own stone-age hand-writing or trek through lush vegetations and forests.

Climate

CLIMATE: The Philippines is a tropical country with an average temperature of 32°C (80°F). March to June is hot and dry (36°C); rains and typhoons abound from July to October; November to February is pleasantly cool (around 23°C) and dry. In mountainous regions, temperatures dip to about 15°C.

Dive Facts

WATER TEMPERATURE:

December - March 21 C to 25 C

April - November 25 C to 28 C

These average temperatures allow divers to experience the underwater world in comfort in as little as a dive skin or when acclimatized, some divers prefer a full 3mm wetsuit.

Dive Attractions

See more details about Mindoro Dive Sites in our Dive Site Directory, and Mindoro Dive Clubs & Tour Operators in our Dive Club Directory.

Puerto Galera, Mindoro – World class diving, with clear waters, strong currents, large pelagics and several small wrecks.

There is a great variety in both underwater terrain and marine life. From shallow coral gardens, excellent for snorkellers and underwater photographers, to excellent deep dives, most of the dive sites are a short Banka ride from the beaches.

Dive Sites Include:

The Canyons
This is a world class exhilarating drift dive for experienced divers looking for a real thrill. It can be reached from the Hole in the Wall site by continuing deeper until you reach three spectacular canyons in the reef. The canyons are populated by big sea fans, octopus, scorpionfish and even pelagics like mantas and hammerheads.

Shark Cave
The cave is a large overhang, which is a favored spot for white-tip reef sharks to rest. The ledge is 27 metres deep and is also home to blue spotted stingrays, moray eels and octopus with sharks hanging out further inside the cave. It is usually visited at the beginning of a multilevel dive to the Pink Wall or as a stop on the way to the Canyons.

Monkey Wreck
A 20 metre local pig-boat sunk in 1993 lies off the main reef in sand and hosts a large school of batfish and some good-size snappers and groupers. It is an advanced dive due to the depth and the strength of the currents.

Coral Gardens
It is the best-suited dive site for beginners, snorkellers and photographers but it can also be an exhilarating drift dive from the Manila Channel to the Batangas Channel.
Attractions in the area are large coral strewn terrain shelves, which are also used by white-tip reef sharks

Dungon Wall
It is an easy multilevel dive, with a dozen of attractions to be spotted from big barracudas to beautiful hard and soft corals along the slope and even a catamaran wreck. There is an
abundance of aquatic macro life including big carpet anemonies and porcelain crabs.

Wreck Point
Excellent corals lead down from the large wreck that is actually positioned on the rocks at the surface. Very nice hard corals and all the expected fish make this a good dive for novices and photographers.

The Atoll
The atoll is a huge rock stands upright on the bottom, with an overhang on one side andlots of small crevices on the deep side. The rock face is spotted with moray eels and swarms of small reef fish. The small crevices in the bottom are where reef sharks and stingrays can be found, while on the other side, lionfish and octopus are located.

Other

Capital: Manila
Languages: Phillipino and English
Currency: Philippine Peso (PHP)

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