Perfect for busy people like me—sometimes I can’t afford to leave on a Saturday as I just finished a hard day’s work on a late Friday night, and am catching up on some sleep. Yes, I admit I’m a workaholic, that’s why I deserve a weekender BREAK. So if you’re also feeling burnt out and are looking for a great adventure, this is it! What could be better than seeing the remnants of THE Spanish galleons that treasure hunters all over the world have flocked to? Not just that, Puerto Galera is known to be home to a remarkable number of exotic ocean life, vast diversity of corals, and anemones—underwater fauna that are massive and top-notch. Visibility averages from 20 to 30 meters (70 to 100 feet) all year. Water temperature ranges from 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (25 to 29 degrees Celsius). The reef juts out into the waters of the Verde Island passage with its deep channel plunging over a kilometer deep, and leads cold water and strong fun currents (perfect for drift dive lovers like me) straight across the Puerto reefs. Definitely, shifting from Friday night parties to Sunday morning dive parties is way better.
From experience, the best time to start diving in Puerto Galera is before or by 9 in the morning as the current becomes much stronger after this hour. The best season for me, even though it can be so darn cold, is during Habagat (starting July). Even though this is in the rainy season, visibility is so much better than during the Amihan season, which makes it perfect for photographers as well. You must take into consideration, however, that the rainy season brings storms, so if you’re a first-time diver, you can try going during the summer.
How to get there
For backpackers and dive deal hunters like me, a trip with a dive group is the way to go. The more people who go, the cheaper it gets—great logic, yeah? The best trips I’ve gone in are with dive groups who opt to go to resorts that offer speed boats instead of the slower bancas (small outriggers). Saves you A LOT of time to dive, and there’s no need to rush your surface intervals to get to your next dive—plus, it gives you more time to have laughs with your dive group.
Dive spots
There are numerous dive spots in Galera. Here are my top picks.
Of great walls and gardens: For leisure divers—don’t forget to bring your underwater camera!
Escarceo Point—About 5-28 meters, truly gorgeous dives here, this spot boasts some of the best coral in the area. Fish hover here and dance as one with the current. Be careful of the titan triggerfish, as one of our dive friends had a hilarious mild encounter with this crazy fish that had a huge crush on him. Saw mantis shrimps here, a huge mackerel, sweet lips, bat fish, and an unusual swarm of blue triggerfish.
Sinadingan Wall—Dropping off from 5-50 meters, it houses a huge range of species that are popular to naturalists and photographers. I personally love this place as this is known for nudibranch hunts, and I so love them! Such cute little but colorful things! Also common in the area are cuttlefish like chameleons blending themselves with their surroundings. Don’t go near as this causes them stress, resulting in patterns flashing in waves across their skin.
Monkey Beach—A deeper but magnificent slope that goes down to about 22 meters is pretty for a leisurely dive. Other than having lots of colorful reef fish, this is where turtles are often seen. Amongst the hard corals are giant clams that were transplanted by members of the UP divers group and the Puerto Galera Dive Association. These clams were originally farmed in Northern Luzon years back as part of an ambitious plan to restock giant clams in the Philippines.
Wreck lovers
St. Christopher—or St. Antoine, after its original French owner, is another locally produced old wooden cargo boat that is a favorite among many dive schools. It is about 15-22 meters long and sits upright on a sandy bottom 22-30 meters from the surface. It was known to be used to haul beer from Manila to Puerto Galera. Lots of lionfish, porcupine fish, rabbit fish, puffer fish snappers, and assorted reef fish now call it home.
Galleon site—In 1621, the captain of the Nuestra Senora Dela Vida hit Verde island with his galleon, a crime that led to his hanging. Luckily his ship sank to only 5 meters of water, and in the late 70s the wreck was excavated by groups working with the National Museum. It was said that they found shards of Ming porcelain and terracotta jars. What are left are remnants of the Galleon’s anchor.
Sabang Wreck and Chuck’s Wreck—About 14-22 meters are two wrecks a minute’s swim away from each other. Schools of batfish are common and some surgeon fish as well. I saw some box shrimps hiding in this wreck. Also nearby are the remnants of a Japanese fighter plane (Zero), where you will see frogfish.
Deep and drift adventure lovers
Canyons—This dive spot can bring you as deep as 24-35 meters. Canyons is a world-class dive for drift lovers. This is a dive best suited for the day’s first dive because if you do this last, you’ll be breathing out your entire tank’s air. Truly, the current here is ripping, making it such an electric dive. Just take deep breaths, relax, and watch the amazing show. Large schools of Trevallys, Drummers, tuna, Chevron Barracuda, Big-mouthed Mackerel, jacks, and snappers can be found here. For some time this year, manta rays, and angel, thresher, and hammerhead sharks were also seen. This dive spot is made for Nitrox; based on personal experience, air won’t really give you the chance to explore and take in all the sights when you want to stay some more! And seriously, my computer was already beeping out of whack, reminding the safe diver in me to go up… NOW! (My first dive in Canyons a year ago made me a bit dizzy.) Leading from Canyons is “Hole in the Wall,” a dive spot about 33-65 feet. Current can be strong so don’t forget to bring your reef hook, and don’t hold on to the corals as you might destroy them. Just hook yourself, kneel, and watch in amazement as snappers are just through the hole. From time to time, mackerel and Trevallys dash overhead and sweet lips, jacks, tuna, groupers, and drummer fish pass by.
Washing Machine—A dive ranging from 12-30 meters, here is where you’ll know what it’s like to be a dirty t-shirt! You will be treated to a roller coaster ride through a series of five canyons between 12 and 28 meters that are divided by at least 15 meters each. Current is crazy here so if you don’t like it fast, take a dive somewhere more tranquil—I’m serious, this dive was logged memorably in my log book. Stay close to the bottom and watch the fish spin—not your buddy. Reef hooks are a must if you intend to watch the fish dance. Experienced divers pull themselves forward with their hands to avoid fining the corals—and that’s a lot of hard pulling. I’ve to say that I only dived this spot once and haven’t since as current here is real whacked. For people who have a hard time equalizing fast, don’t try this one just yet as I had a stressful time going down. The experience here can be extreme—I loved the current, but this was a tad too crazy for me. Maybe on another diving day, I will dare myself again to undergo a Washing Machine experience, but on an earlier time of the day when current is not that harsh.
Verde Drop off—Want another workout? This wall dropping to 60 meters has very strong currents and large waves. Best dived on Nitrox, the wall is decorated with enormous gorgonian fans in shades of white, yellow, and orange. Occasional eagle rays and sharks are seen here. Keep an eye out while drifting through corners as banded sea snakes, frogfish, and scorpion fish can just be nearby. Don’t forget your “danger” hand signals with your buddy. At one dive, I was screaming behind my regulator as I saw a HUGE spotted box fish (which I though was sleeping) as I trailed behind the group. I don’t mean to scare you but this was so unbelievable huge, about 10 meters in length, that I had to swim to my dad and drag him back to show him… Apparently, the big guy heard me.
Caves galore (Experienced divers only)
Shark Cave—About 26-28 meters. Whitetip reef sharks can be seen lying at the mouth of the cave. On days when sharks aren’t around, no need to worry as blue spotted stingrays, scorpion fish, blue triggerfish, and octopus will delight your camera’s fancy.
Sweet lip cave—An unforgettable dive for very experienced divers, this cave is actually a cavern that has a tunnel branching out from it, leading you back to the reef. Schools of sweet lips always greet divers at the end of the tunnel.
Ernie’s Cave—Alas, Ernie is no more. Not the Sesame Street guy, but the large grouper that lived in the hole at the bottom of Ernie’s Point years back. This cave is now the roost for a large school of copper bellys. These small copper-colored fish hang around the entrance to the cave during the day, marking its entrance much the same way bats mark the entrances to caves on land. Often pure white, devil scorpion fish can also be seen here with surgeonfish and unicorn fish, all feeding in the current.
Phew! Now that was A LOT of dive spots to choose from. For first-timers and a great combo of leisure and adventure, I recommend Escarceo, Canyons, Monkey Beach, and Dungeon Wall. Now that you know what you fancy for a day trip and need a dive group, the best deals that I would recommend are offered by Kiko Rustia of Diver’s Network (0927-254-7762/ kikorustia@gmail.com). You may contact him for details on dive trip schedules to Galera. If you opt for more than a day trip, you may also ask him about liveaboard trips or weekenders at a resort in Galera.
Always remember, Bring nothing from the reef…leave nothing behind, but good memories.
TONS of them.
Thera Bakunawa may be contacted through email at beachessa@gmail.com.
