| |
1. Shark Cave
(Recreational Dives)
25m/ 83ft to 30m/
99ft for
Advanced Recreational
& Nitrox Dives
At 25m/ 83ft is a
ledge about 1m/ 3ft high and 12m/ 40ft wide, which
tapers back into a 5m/ 17ft cave, leaving enough
room for whitetip sharks to sleep without being
disturbed. Divers can lie on the sandy bottom and
observe the sharks with an underwater light. The
sharks do not usually appreciate the disturbance and
will swim around the back of the cave and then try
to escape through the mouth of the cave if they can,
to find somewhere else to rest for the day! Spotted
sweetlips and blue-spotted stingrays also reside
there. A short swim from this cave is a ledge where
smaller sharks can be seen. If there are no sharks
to watch, you can swim to a small reef wall that
drops off to 30m/ 99ft, where leopard sharks are
occasionally spotted. Basket sponges, tree corals,
gorgonians and variety of small reef fish inhabit
this wall. It is best to dive here on the flood
tide, but there is usually very little current. Due
to the depth of the site, Nitrox is recommended.
2. Small to Big La
Laguna (Recreational Dives)
3m/ 10ft to 18m/ 59ft
On ebb tide
the current can make this a swift drift dive, and it
is possible to cover great distances of breathtaking
underwater terrain. Descending into shallow water,
the seafloor is covered with staghorn and other hard
corals, with an impressive populations of an
abundance of fish species. At 12m/ 40ft you find the
wreck of a small aluminum speedboat where sergeant
majors swarm and a large black frogfish is commonly
seen. Following the reef down to 18m/ 59ft there are
two large coral-covered rock formations, dotted with
small sea fans, and home to schools of fusiliers and
cardinalfish. Lionfish and scorpionfish can also be
seen hunting in this area. As you drift through whip
corals along the edge of the reef, the current starts
to increase, and as you pick up speed you fly by
shoals of surgeonfish, bluefin trevallies, and if
you are lucky sometimes a hawksbill turtle before
arriving the beautiful La Laguna wall. From here you
make your way up over the healthy coral reef into
shallower water.
3. Hole in the
Wall (Recreational Dives)
7m/23ft to 18m/59ft
A tremendous rock and
coral formation resembling a mini mountain are the
home for a wide range of flora and fauna. Snapper,
oriental sweetlips, stonefish, frogfish, coral
groupers, remoras, red bass, sea perch and red
emperors are all here, and when a good current is
present, shoals of tuna and jack, as well as, king
jacks are found in mid-water. At 18m/59ft there is a
small cave with a white gorgorian fan that
occasionally has a white frogfish clinging to it.
Basket sponges grow on the rocky coral along with
small fans. Tree ferns, soft pink tree corals,
feather stars of many colors and tubeworm cover the
formation. At 12m/40ft there is a hole that is large
and safe enough for a diver with good buoyancy
control to swim through. Divers drifting during
flood tide from Weat Escarceo ‘fly’ through this
hole. This site can be dived over and over again as
there is so much to experience and see. Best to dive
it at slack high tide, and due to strong currents in
this area it is advisable to take a knowledgeable
dive guide with you. It can also be a very colorful
night life.
4. Oddie’s
Dingding (Recreational/ Advance/ Tec Dives)
24m/ 79ft to 42m/
139ft for Advanced recreational dives
45m/ 149ft for
Technical Nitrox dives.
You make a deep-water
entry to a sandy bottom where a rocky wall starts at
24m/ 79ft and drops off to 42m/ 139ft. On top of the
wall are large whip corals, basket sponges and white
sea ferns adorned with razorfish. The face of the
wall has gorgonians in a variety of sizes and
colors. Looking out into the deep blue you may see
shoals of jackfish and unicorn surgeonfish.
Angelfish and moray eels are commonly seen along the
wall too. To locate this site you require an
experienced guide as the currents can make it a
difficult spot to find. It is best to dive here at
slack high water. Due to the depth of the site
Nitrox would be an advantage. This is also a good
site for deep diver training.
5. West Escarceo
(Recreational Dives)
3m/10ft to 224m/79ft
A huge variety of
fish, hard corals, as well as soft corals, and in
shallow waters, outcrops sitting on the fine white
sandy bottom. Butterflyfish, sergeant majors,
damsels, pipefish, Moorish idols, triggerfish and
pufferfish are at home among the staghorn, large
plate and table corals basket and tube sponges.
Several species of sea cucumber are also seen in
this area. As you descend down the sloping reef, you
pass over rocky coral ledges and whip coral where
you may see hiding porcupine pufferfish, moray eels
and cuttlefish. The slope becomes more vertical in
places and drops off to a sandy bottom at 24m/79ft.
Looking out from the sloping from the sloping reef
into blue water shoals of tuna and Spanish mackerel
dart around for small fish for food. It is best to
dive the site on a flood tide as it is an exciting
drift dive which finishes through the ‘Hole in the
Wall’, which in itself is a beautiful dive site.
There is also a lot to see at the bottom of this
reef. It is beautiful, full of superabundant small
reef fish, and well covered in corals, which are in
excellent condition. If you are using Nitrox you can
cover the two sites in a strong flood tide and
finish in the Canyons, another awesome dive site. A
dive guide is recommended for this dive due to the
sometimes-tricky currents. West Escarceo is also
great for night dives. Aside from the usual range of
marine life seen on night dives, the many colors of
Christmas tree tudeworms make a spectacular sight,
especially in mild current.
6. Sabang Wreck
(Recreational Dives)
18m/ 59ft
Descending down a
mooring line, you are commonly faced by a school of
batfish that are usually fed by divers who visit the
site. On the sandy bottom lies the dilapidated
wooden hull of a Vietnamese fishing boat, which has
been almost completely colonized by marine life. If
fish feeding, you will be swarmed by damselfish,
with bigger fish, such as batfish and surgeonfish
sometimes moving in for a feed. Care must be taken
when diving close to wreck due to the numerous
scorpionfish, which reside there. In and around the
wreck big white-eyed and snowflake moray eels can be
found. With a “good trained eye”, two- and
three-spot flounder can be seen on the sandy bottom,
frogfish and mantis shrimp can be spotted in the
small coral reefs patches. Just a short swim (about
40m/132ft) west of the wooden wreck is the steel
hull of a 12m/ 40ft sailboat that was deliberately
sunk by divers from Capt’n Greggs Dive Shop to
create a new artificial reef. It has not yet been
colonized much by any encrusting coral species, but
impressive fish population reside around it.
Bathfish, yellowfin surgeonfish, cleaner wrasse and
pipefish only to the name of a few of the numerous
species found at this sites. Both wrecks are
fantastic to dive at night, resembling small cities,
crawling with crabs, shrimps and prawns. Lionfish
and scorpionfish come out to feed, and stargazers
look up at you with a smile from the sandy seabed.
Small schools of baby squid are sometimes attracted
to the beams of divers’ lights. Best diving is
during slack tide.
7. La Canyons
(Recreational Dives)
24m/79ft but for
Advanced divers only due to fierce current at this
site
Avery healthy large
reef area split by large fissures(crack) has
resulted in three spectacular canyons. Soft tree
corals and excellent diversity of hard corals and
many beautiful colors to the reef. There is usually
a current at this site, making it a world-class
exhilarating drift dive. As you fly past the ‘Hole
in the Wall’ you see basket sponges growing tall,
along with giant gorgonian fans, whip corals and
hard green tree corals. Every imaginable kind of
coral, hard and soft, grows densely all over the
reef. Large fan corals, perfectly intact have been
twisted an distorted by the currents. The reef is
home to smaller tropical fish such as anthias,
damsels and butterflyfish. But what makes it one of
the best Dive sites in Puerto Galera are the large
pelagics that are often seen their.When the current
is “running”, the fish seen to be everywhere. Shoals
of trevallies, jacks and king jacks cruise in mid
water, with tuna and mackerel darting around the
canyons. Schools of humpback and pinjalo snapper,
batfish and barracuda are also frequently observed.
Moray eels are found in some of the large cracks and
whitetip reef sharks can be seen sleeping on the
sandy bottoms of the canyons. Several species of
angelfish have also been recorded here, such as the
Emperor Angelfish and Royal Angelfish. Occasionally
manta rays, eagle rays and hammerheads and thresher
sharks pass through. This Dive site can be dived
over and over again without seeing all that it has
to offer. The variety is overwhelming; it is a truly
breathtaking dive.The best time to dive the site is
on flood tide with the current “running” as it makes
a fantastic drift dive, the adverse conditions
actually enhancing the site’s attraction, bringing
out the astounding density of schooling fish and
pelagics. If the current is caught correctly, you
eventually arrived at an old anchor about one and a
half meters high, which is an excellent place to
regroup before letting the current sweep you away
once more over the reef for your safety stop. An
experienced guide is recommended to guide you into
the right place to pick up the strong currents,which
can be tricky. Down-currents are common here, and
therefore only recommended for advanced divers.
8. Sinandigan Wall
(Recreational Dives)
5m/17ft to 40m/132ft
The wall itself is
not very long, but it is a perfect site to perform a
multilevel dive. The wall is vertical from 10m/33ft
to 30m/99ft where it then becomes more of a slope
with large rock formations. There is a massive
diversity of aquatic life in this area. The wall has
numerous soft coral;s. Common fish species sighted
are Moorish Idols, lizardfish, zebra lionfish,
stonefish, powder blue and ring-tailed surgeon-fish.
An enormous diversity of nudibranchs is
characteristics for this site too- more than a dozen
different kinds have been counted on a single dive,
making this a great for macro photographers. It is
best to dive this site on flood tide.
9. Sabang Wreck
(Recreational Dives)
18m/ 59ft
Descending down a
mooring line, you are commonly faced by a school of
batfish that are usually fed by divers who visit the
site. On the sandy bottom lies the dilapidated
wooden hull of a Vietnamese fishing boat, which has
been almost completely colonized by marine life. If
fish feeding, you will be swarmed by damselfish,
with bigger fish, such as batfish and surgeonfish
sometimes moving in for a feed. Care must be taken
when diving close to wreck due to the numerous
scorpionfish, which reside there. In and around the
wreck big white-eyed and snowflake moray eels can be
found. With a “good trained eye”, two- and
three-spot flounder can be seen on the sandy bottom,
frogfish and mantis shrimp can be spotted in the
small coral reefs patches. Just a short swim (about
40m/132ft) west of the wooden wreck is the steel
hull of a 12m/ 40ft sailboat that was deliberately
sunk by divers from Capt’n Greggs Dive Shop to
create a new artificial reef. It has not yet been
colonized much by any encrusting coral species, but
impressive fish population reside around it.
Bathfish, yellowfin surgeonfish, cleaner wrasse and
pipefish only to the name of a few of the numerous
species found at this sites. Both wrecks are
fantastic to dive at night, resembling small cities,
crawling with crabs, shrimps and prawns. Lionfish
and scorpionfish come out to feed, and stargazers
look up at you with a smile from the sandy seabed.
Small schools of baby squid are sometimes attracted
to the beams of divers’ lights. Best diving is
during slack tide.
10. MV ALMA JANE
Maximum depth: 30m
. Puerto Galera's newest dive site is the 'MV Alma Jane Express', formerly a Japanese Cargo Ship, she was purposely sank by the Dive Operators of Puerto Galera in 2003. Sitting upright , she is now home to colourful reef fishes and soft coral.
|
