Why should I choose the Philippines?

[pez7378]

Oh how easy it would be! The Philippines is my first warm water diving experience and I fell in Love with the place. I spent most of my time in the Visayas and on Cabilao. I can't imagine anything better. Everywhere I went I was the center of attention. Almost to the point that it was uncomfortable.... Why go there over anywhere else? Babydamulag said it all...... Beautiful women, Great service, gorgeous sunsets, beautiful sunrises, fun town fiestas, supermalls, diving, Clear water, Warm temps, Beautiful women, diving, Snorkelling, diving. Loboc river, Tops, Chocolate hills, Tarsiers, sugar cane, stuffed milkfish, San miguel, Redhorse, Tanduay Rum, Hinagdanan Cave, Mambucal resort, Superferry, fastcats, jeepneys, trikes, Bangkas, The Aristocrat, Baywalk, Rizal Park, Seafood, Rice, Mango float, Moron, Binagol and the Beautiful women.

Definately Paradise! Pay attention! The Philippines is THE next worldwide diving destination. Culasi, Boracay, Anilao, Puerto Galera, Verde Island, Apo Reef, Apo Island, Coron, El Nido, Cabilao, Sogod Bay, Balicasag.....Just to name a few...and I'm sure there are Hundreds of additional dive locations throughout the country.

[LCF]

I just want to know why the fact that the Philippines has beautiful women would motivate ME to go dive there???



Now, if there are caves . . .

[Ben V]

There are.... just not advertised

[Babydamulag]

Oh yeah....we got some caves...beautiful caves, lava tubes that run forever!!!
I was betting a female diver would catch "the beautiful women" note within 5 posts...wooHoo....I am good!!!

[pez7378]

Thanks BabyDamulag. Lynne for a minute there you HAD me! But BabyD's got my back! Lava Tubes. That would be something to see. And if that's still not enough how about this, once I was looking for property for sale, and I saw an entire Island for less than a Half Million. About 400,000 to be exact. The price of a house here at home. I'd like to own my own Island. Wouldn't know what to do with it but it'd be cool.

[Penopolypants]

Hm...I do know some damn cute Filipino guys. They all have really big smiles and are tons of fun to be around.

[Babydamulag]

GO DAWGS!!!

Hm...I do know some damn cute Filipino guys. They all have really big smiles and are tons of fun to be around.

[Penopolypants]

GO DAWGS!!!

Whoa! How does a guy halfway around the world know about UGA?!

Go Dawgs, indeed!

[Babydamulag]

IT'S MY ALMA MATER!!!!! Undergraduate and Graduate degrees for me and about 30 of my family........seaon ain't that good this year....hey, but we beat Florida!!

Whoa! How does a guy halfway around the world know about UGA?!

Go Dawgs, indeed!

[Penopolypants]

IT'S MY ALMA MATER!!!!! Undergraduate and Graduate degrees for me and about 30 of my family........seaon ain't that good this year....hey, but we beat Florida!!

Wow, it certainly is a small world! Class of 97, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture.

It's always good to beat Florida.

[Onomea]

I've done four trips to the PI. Each one has been fantastic. A couple of years ago I head south to Dumaguete. I only had five days there, but ran into many European divers that we there for a month or more. The diving is that good. One guy said he'd been to Lembeh Strait and Dumaguete is much better. We saw so many different kinds of critters and in so much abundance I can't even begin to do a comprehensive list. Here are the two choice things I'd never seen before in almost 2000 dives.

Some of the most spectacular cuttlefish including the flambouyant cuttlefish. This guy changes color constantly and walks on two of its tentacles.

An electric scallop. Yes, full on Jacob's Ladder effect of sparks rippling across its opening!

Of course we saw the usual suspects...schools of barracuda, sea snakes, tuna, trevally, sea horses, pipefish, string rays spread across the bottom by the scores.

Do it.

[drbill]

Hmmm... the women are beautiful, and the people love Americans. Even Dr. Bill? Now I have THREE reasons to go to the Philippines (the other one is filming the incredible biodiversity).

[kevrumbo]

Northern zone and apex of the Coral Triangle, the Philippines has great marine biodiversity, fantastic reefs, and good wreck diving. Great dive vacation value for the still weak US Dollar.

With English & Tagalog the official languages and a population literacy rate of over 90%, you can easily communicate & find your way around exploring/touring this enchanting SE Asian archipelago. . .

(Less Cost-of-Living expenses, cheaper to settle & retire than Hawaii too!)

[airsix]

Hmmm... the women are beautiful, and the people love Americans. Even Dr. Bill? Now I have THREE reasons to go to the Philippines (the other one is filming the incredible biodiversity).

Instead of "love Americans" I would expand that to say Pinoy are kind, polite, and accepting of EVERYONE. Theirs is truly a special culture.

-Ben

[keri.lewis]

Kim

As a long term resident in Asia (regional work for almost 16 years) I dived in many places. Overall I like diving in the Philippines best. Here are my plus points for diving there.

1) Biodiversity - Philippines has about the best there is. Verde Island Passage (Puerto Galera, Anilao and Verde) was selected by National Geographic as the hotspot for marine biodiversity. It's just one of many amazing places.

2) Wrecks - Coron, Subic Bay, Maestro de Campo etc. The combination of a series of hard battles in WWII and the unfortunate propensity of modern Filipino ferries to sink has gifted the diving community with many wrecks to explore. AFAIK Coron is second only to Truk in the numbers of easily (<30M) available wrecks to explore in one area.

3) Topography - whatever you like you can find it.. sloping reefs, walls, seamounts.. say Puerto Galera, Moalboal, Malapascua and you are just scratching the surface of the diversity. There are sea caves, swim throughs, amazing drop-offs.. you name it.

4) Big Fish and shoals.. I've been privileged enough to dive with Mantas and Whale Shark in Philippines (there are also Marlin and other swordfish).. add huge Baracuda, White tip and Black Tip reef sharks, Thresher Shark, big Wahoo, Dog Tooth Tuna, endless jacks/trevally, sweetlips (grunts to the Americans)..

5) Peerless Macro - On one dive in Puerto Galera (Sinandigan Wall) I was able to spot more than 25 species of nudibranch.. add photogenic subjects like seahorses, pigmy seahorses, ghost pipefish, mimic octopus and it becomes a photographers dream..

6) Service Oriented Dive operators.. be as lazy as you want. There will always be someone ready to help with the tank/camera/scooter.. a tip is appreciated, but unlike the US isn't "compulsory" and doesn't have to break the bank.. note to US visitors - please don't overtip.. it causes inflation locally and disadvantages people working outside the dive resort who struggle with the cost of living - if in doubt talk to the dive operator about tipping levels.

7) Cheap Food and Drink.. the Philippines does not have a highly-regarded local cuisine, unlike Thailand or Vietnam for instance. That said, for many Westerners the internationally influenced menus at many restaurants are fine. Food is cheap relative to the US or Europe, and beers (San Miguel or Beer na Beer) are cheap and plentiful. Just don't over do it!

8) Ease... Most dive centres support a range of languages. There's always English to fall back on. People have a laid back approach to life - best if you adopt one too.. after all you're on holiday! Don't argue - just go with the flow..

9) People - there's always a smile. Try it yourself and you'll find there's almost nothing that is too much trouble. The Pinoy/Pinay you're talking to will surely help. The extended family traditions mean that helping others comes naturally. I'm lucky enough to have a Filipina for a wife.. so maybe I am biased a little

It's not quite 10.. but that pretty much sums it up.. I'll be back in Philippines this Christmas - it's not a 2-3hrs flight now that I live in the UK again - but it's worth the long-haul.

The Philippines probably has the greatest variety of anywhere I have dived. As the world's second largest archipelago (second to Indonesia) there are more places to dive than I will ever see.

Parting Shot... Kim - I hope I can tempt you to a visit - it's worth it!