Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World

Want a quick dive trip to the Philippines? Check out this island close to Manila which has a good mix of coral and fish life.

It is a sea journey of going through strong currents for about an hour to reach Sabang Beach, Puerto Galera, a paradise of a beach of fine, soft –as – cotton, white sand. By Brian Moh.

PUERTO Galera is listed in the “Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World”, and is one of the most popular dive destinations in the Philippines.

Most of the diving action can be found in Sabang Bay and near White Beach. Those who want the comforts of city life while enjoying their diving now have another option to consider: Puerto Galera, some 130km south-west of Manila.

The words Puerto Galera literally mean “Port of the Galleons” and in the early 16th century, Spaniards discovered this place as a safe haven for their ships during typhoons.

The Asia Divers is equipped with a large private diving platform where boats can easily dock. By Brian Moh

After landing at Manila International Airport, my friends and I were transferred via van to Passay City, where we hopped onto a bus to Batangas Pier, a journey of some 100 minutes.

Then we caught a boat, and after going against strong currents for about an hour, we reached Sabang Bay. It was a paradise of fine, white, soft–as–cotton, sandy beaches

The Philippines is the world’s third largest English-speaking nation, and it’s also ranked as the “eighth friendliest country” in the world, so communication with the locals was not an issue at all. Indeed, they were willing to give us a helping hand whenever we needed.

Arthur’s Restaurant at El Galleon Beach Resort-The restaurant is considered by most to be the best beach restaurant in Puerto Galera. By Brian Moh

After landing at Manila International Airport, my friends and I were transferred via van to Passay City, where we hopped onto a bus to Batangas Pier, a journey of some 100 minutes.

Then we caught a boat, and after going against strong currents for about an hour, we reached Sabang Bay. It was a paradise of fine, white, soft–as–cotton, sandy beaches

The Philippines is the world’s third largest English-speaking nation, and it’s also ranked as the “eighth friendliest country” in the world, so communication with the locals was not an issue at all. Indeed, they were willing to give us a helping hand whenever we needed.

Photo by Holiday Asia Divers Resort.

Soon, we headed out to find the Asia Divers Dive Resort, which has enough activities keep guests of all ages occupied. According to its staff instructor Allison Manis, “There are over 30 dive sites around the island, just within 15 minutes of the resort. We offer great diving, ranging in depth from 10m to 82m to suit all levels of certification.”

Package rates inclusive of meals range from US$700 (RM2,310) to US$1200 (RM3,960).

Divers unwinding at the Point Bar with some wine, where many dive stories are told with flourish. By Brian Moh

We started our first dive at 1.30pm at Sinandigan Wall. I was once told by Vincent Chong, a PADI instructor and owner of Dragonet Diving centre in Kuala Lumpur, that the corals here are one of the best he has ever seen in his diving career.

Indeed, there was plenty of marine life and beautiful, colourful hard and soft corals. We also saw many varieties of nudibranches, surgeonfish and yes, even sea snakes.

There were many opportunities to indulge in macro photography, and we took our time snapping photos before ending our dive 45 minutes later.

To be continued

Verde Island is one of the best wall dive sites in the region. By Holiday Asia Divers Resort

The Philippines is the world's third largest English-Speaking nation, and it's also ranked as the " eighth friendliest country" in the world. By Brian Moh

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