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About Puerto Galera, Philippines
- How do I get there?
Puerto Galera is on the island of Mindoro just 3 or 4 hours by private transport from Manila International Airport. You can read up on more of the options here.
- Do I need a visa?
Visitors from most Western Countries including Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand are granted a 21-day stay on arrival. Other nationals are required to produce a tourist visa and should contact your local Philippine consulate for more details. If you intend staying more than 21 days sometimes it is better to get a 59-day visa before you arrive in your home country. It is relatively easy to arrange visa extensions in Puerto Galera Tuesdays and Wednesdays, or Batangas City just across the Verde Island Passage any weekday yourself or by using a service. Regardless of how you get your visa you will need an onward or return ticket and your passport must be valid for atleast 6 months beyond your stay.
- Where can I change money?
If the resort has enough spare cash you are welcome to change here. Otherwise there are several places to change money in Sabang. If you are using Travellers Checks you will need your passport and the original receipt for them. It is also possible to get a cash advance on your credit card for a fee.
Notethat the nearest ATM machine is in Batangas City.
- Where can I stay?
Accommodation can be found on the four major beaches, either with plenty of nightlife or on a quiet beach such as Small Lalaguna only a few minutes walk away. For divers the most convenient location to stay is Small Lalaguna beach, as it is close to our Dive Center. El Galleon Beach Resort offers some of the best package deals around. Check out the Package Madness deals on their website, and also check out our own iDAP Instructor Package with twin share Budget room, Breakfast and Lunch. Let us know what your preference is when you make your booking, and we will let you know what is the best deal in town. More information can be found at General Information and Other Accommodation.
- What about the weather?
On the whole excellent weather all year round with a minimal risk of typhoons during the summer months. Hottest time of year is May to July, the ‘coolest' time is December to February. "High season" is traditionally late December before Christmas to early May after Easter, although the area is busy at weekends throughout the year and during any Asian Holiday. Some resorts raise prices at peak times (not Asia Divers or El Galleon). For accommodation at Christmas, Chinese New Year and Easter, book well in advance. For an up to date weather report just drop us a line.
- What about the Food?
There is a very large variety of different restaurants serving International and local food available in Puerto Galera apart from El Galleon's excellent and well know restaurant. You can choose between local Filipino restaurants and every kind of Western/European cuisine.
- Health
You should take the normal precautions, like on any other journey. Malaria prophylaxis is not necessary as there is no malaria in the area, but inoculations for Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Polio and Tetanus are recommended; always check with your doctor. Sabang has 2 medical clinics in case you should require any medical assistance. There is also an excellent hospital in Batangas with a Recompression Chamber in the very unlikely event it is needed. Bring high factor sun creams and insect repellent if you are prone to that type of thing. It's a rare occasion that you will need to put on more than shorts and a t-shirt.
- What about tipping?
Tipping in the Philippines is entirely a matter of choice if you have enjoyed the service you receive. You may wish to tip PHP20 to PHP100 (US$0.46 to $2.30) per service or 5 to 10% of your bill, although this is at your discretion. El Galleon have a 5% Service Charge on rooms and 10% Service Charge on food and drinks. Asia Divers has a 5% Service Charge on diving. There is no Service Charge on courses.
- Is there anything to do topside?
Puerto Galera is a laid back uncrowded destination but you can still find plenty to do. There are excellent beaches, mountains, golf, kayaking, motor bike rental, shopping, a local Hash House Harriers club and an exciting nightlife. You won't run out of things to do, we promise.
- What about the history of Puerto Galera.
There is an excellent little museum located in the grounds of the Catholic Church in Puerto Galera town proper. Puerto Galera (Port of the Galleons) has a history going back many hundreds of years as both a trading port and safe haven for ships of both the Chinese and Spanish, and more recently yachties. You can read more about Puerto Galera here.
- What about mobile phones.
There is generally good coverage for mobile phones in Puerto Galera with at least 3 networks available. You should check if your phone is compatible with the Philippine network. SIM cards can be bought very easily and cheaply for around P130 and it is far cheaper calling home or receiving calls this way than using Roaming.
About Diving in Puerto Galera
- When is the best time to dive?
Diving is possible all year round 365 days per year. Due to the topography there is always somewhere to dive no matter what the weather. The best diving season is from April to June with warmer air and sea temperatures and better visibility.. The weather is at it's calmest during the months of February to April. Diving during the period of June to October is also a satisfying experience with the reduced numbers of divers, snorkellers and sightseers. Although you can expect a little rain and slightly choppy waters with an occasional typhoon, the diving is made more exciting by the unusual large marine animal sightings that can occur and the chance to view the reef inhabitants without the tourist rush. Also special packages can be found during this period, allowing you to stay longer and sample more dive sites.
- What am I likely to see on a dive?
On every dive, you should expect to see a wide variety of colorful hard and soft corals, sea anemone fish, lionfish, schools of colorful tropical fish and numerous other reef fish. Interesting and brightly colored nudibranchs can be found on almost every dive - in fact, the sites you will dive are full of small and interesting macro reef creatures. With an experienced guide you can also easily find Mandarin fish, frogfish, leaf fish, and different varieties of seahorse including the pygmy seahorse. For those seeking larger animal encounters, you can choose your sites and tides to increase your chances of diving with jacks, trevally, sweetlips, batfish, blue-spotted rays and white tip reef sharks. Puerto Galera has it all!
- What is the water temperature?
You can expect water temperatures between 22~30 C / 72~86 F. Thermoclines can be encountered on some dives due to upwelling from the deep Verde Island Passage. However, this usually brings with it excellent diving conditions of better visibility and marine life.
- How many dives can I do in one day?
Typically you will go out only 5 to 15 minutes away on a single tank dive returning to the dive center and resort after your dive. It is quite possible to do up to 4 dives in a day including a night dive in this manner. Typical scheduled times are 9:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm amd 6:00pm for the night dive. Day trips are also arranged to sites such as Verde Island drop off or the Hot Springs nearby Chicken Feather Island. These trips are typically 2 or 3 tank dives, often with a BBQ lunch on the beach included. A liveaboard trip opens up more diving possibilities and allows you to relax between your dives, so that you can dive 3-4 times in one day including a night dive.
- How deep are the dive sites?
Sites are generally deeper and steeper along the rocky shoreline and dives of all depths are available from 5 meters up to 30 meters plus. Numerous Tech Diving sites of 40-meters plus are also available for training or those suitably qualified. In fact the late John Bennet broke the world record in the nearby Verde Island Passage to 308-meters!
- Are there strong currents?
If you like the enjoyment of a drift dive, you can choose to dive some of the sites that provide a convenient, and sometimes strong, current. It is important to dive with a knowledgeable local dive guide even if you are a professional because of the very strong tides and down currents at certain sites at certain tides and times of the year. If not though, you can easily choose to dive a vast number of dive sites that have little or no currents. There are so many different dive sites in the Puerto Galera area, in fact over 30 within only a 10 to 15 minute boat ride, that you'll become spoiled for choices!
About PADI Diving Courses
- What is PADI?
PADI - the Professional Association of Diving Instructors - is the largest dive training organization in the world with affiliated dive centers and members in over 110 countries.
- What is an IDC or CDC?
IDC stands for Instructor Development Course and it is the course you need to complete to become an Instructor. You can read more about how to go about it on another section of our website here. CDC stands for Career Development Center. In recognition if Asia Diver's committment to diver training and our students we were the first PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center in Puerto Galera and the Philippines. We were also the first PADI 5 Star Career Development Center in recogntion of our committment to our Instructor candidates and we have a series of Go pro programs which can take you from any level of diver certification ro Instructor and beyond with the best possible training. It is also the highest possible dive center rating issued by PADI.
- How old must I be?
Anyone from age 10 upwards in good health can enroll in a PADI diving course. To enroll in Professional level course from Divemaster up you will need to be at least 18 years old.
- Do I need to pass a medical?
Before you can enroll in your course, you must complete and sign a medical statement that says you are fit to dive. If you hava any pre-existing conditions or answer yes to any of the questions you will be required to have a medical doctor declare that you are fit to dive. At the Professional level of Divemaster, Assistant Instructor, Open Water Scuba Instructor, Instructor Development Course and Instructor Examination you are required to obtain a medical statement from a medical doctor that you are fit to dive. You can find the PADI Medical Statement on our Downloads page in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format that you can print out.
- Do I have to be a good swimmer?
No, you don't. But you should feel comfortable in the water. A 10-minute float and a 200-meter swim or a 300-meter snorkel swim is to be completed prior to the beginner Open Water Diver certification. During the Divemaster course you will need to complete a set of Watermanship and Stamina exercises. Like all PADI courses it is performance based so you will have a chance to practice if you don't meet the required standard the first time. During the Open Water Scuba Instructor program there is an 800-meter face down non-stop mask, snorkel and fin test but you only have to complete it non-stop, there is no time limit. Naturally at the Rescue Diver level and above, especially as a professional caring for others, apart from setting a role model you need to be reasonably fit and healthy to be able to care for others should the need arise.
- What if I can't complete the course?
You will be granted credit for the portion of the course you have completed, and can finish the course at a later time or we will issue you with a referral form to complete it elsewhere.
- Do you have any photos so I can have an idea of what the dive center and area looks like?
Please take a look at our gallery here.
How can I make a Booking?
- Booking a course or Program with us is easy. Simply fill out our online form or send a fax or email , telling us which course or Program you are interested in and how many places you need. We will then confirm whether there is space available or not. See you soon....
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