Scuba diving in Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera is an island on the northern tip of Oriental Mindoro Island; and it's only 110 kilometers south of Manila. Puerto Galera has untouched colorful reefs that have been declared a marine sanctuary by the United Nations. Puerto Galera crystal clear blue water offers a great opportunity for snorkeling and scuba diving. The well protected coral reefs are great habitat for many tropical fish, pelagic and big predators like sharks.

Always dive according to your level of training.

Never enter the water without checking with Puerto Galera diving centers for safety, additional information, level required for each dive site and without being accompanied by a professional.
All the information provided is purely informative for our readers and shouldn't be used as is to plan your immersion.

Average annual temperature: 32°C (89 ° F). Average Water surface temperature: From 22°C to 29 (71 °F to 84°F). Average visibility: 30 to 98 feet (10 to 30 meters) Coldest Month: November to February Warmest Month: March to June Best time to dive April to September Possible to dive all year round.

Puerto Galera long shore with its popular dive sites is considered a protected area and marine sanctuary with its fascinating underwater flora and fauna, see the location on the Puerto Galera diving map. Its dive sites suit all levels of expertise; snorkeling, novice, advanced and technical diving. The dive sites depth range from 39 to 114 feet (12 to 35 meters) deep. There are coral reefs, walls, drop offs, caves, canyons and ship wrecks. A wide variety of large fish inhabit its popular dive sites like white tip sharks, barracudas, tunas, even eagle rays, turtles and on its reefs you can see batfish, angelfish, surgeonfish, wrasses and butterfly fish. The current is often brisk and quite challenging making great drift dives. Look for candy-colored corals, sponges and small gorgonian sea fans at these dive sites.

The Canyons in Puerto Galera are a sure thrill for drift divers. This is a high voltage drift dive in the blue through three deep canyons full of marine life. You will encounter masses of sweetlips, tunas, groupers and barracudas. Don't be surprised to see hammerhead sharks, manta rays and white tip ref sharks as well. This dive is a real treat but you need to be experienced as the depth goes down to 114 feet (35 meters) and the current is challenging.

Another interesting drift dive that cannot go unmentioned is the Dungon wall. The depth is average 98 feet (30 metres) and the drop offs are breathtaking. There are lots of colourful corals, gorgonian sea fans and sponges. Among the marine life here you will encounter lion fish, surgeon fish and unicorn fish. This is an easier dive that can be undertaken by novice drift divers and when the current and tide are good it's a perfect drift.

Easy dives like the Coral Gardens can be enjoyed by novices and even snorkelers. the maximum depth is 39 feet (12 meters). It may also be done as a drift dive going from the manila Channel to the Batangas Channel. The bottom is sandy and you can see coral heads. Look out for resting young reef sharks which may be taking shelter in the crevices. On the right side of Batangas you can some nice drift diving. The Batangas Channel has nice coral formations and unusual sponges. You can also encounter blue ribbon eels and stone fish.

Underwater photographers will be delighted by the wide diversity of colorful sea life. There is a large variety of soft corals, colorful sponges, gorgonians, crustaceans and many kinds of nudibranchs. This is a very interesting place for photography as different subjects can be studied all in one place. Night dives are also available at Puerto Galera dive sites, look for luminescent shrimps, hermit crabs, lobster and octopus hiding between the caves and cravens. The Air Pink Wall is a popular night dive. The overhanging Pink wall is mauve in the daytime but in the night under the lights of the flashlight it's a soft pink. The colors are very intense in the night making this dive very special. Depth is between 30 to 52 feet (10-16 meters)

Technical divers will have their chance to dive some challenging depths. Some wrecks and walls reach large depths at this area. The depth ranges from 147 to 298 feet (45 to 91 meters) and some drop offs can reach 328 feet (100 meters). Visibility at these deep sites reaches 30 feet (10 meters). The Verde drop off is one such dive site for very advanced and technical divers and is best done on nitrox. It drops to about 196 feet (60 meters) and the currents can be very strong. The wall has colorful gorgonians and lots of small fish. Bigger fish like sharks and eagle rays can also be spotted. There is also plenty of colorful corals and lots of invertebrates.




--------------
It's my first time to try scuba diving and it was in Puerto Galera's reef and I was so amazed on what I saw. I saw a group of fishes that lights up, there are different kinds of small and big fishes, the corals are so huge and colorful and a lot more. I won't forget that experience.

Source