Travel Philippines

Puerto Galera Dive Sites - World's Best diving destination in the Philippines

Puerto Galera is one of the popular diving destination here in the Philippines and also is known worldwide because of its world class diving and snorkeling. Puerto Galera is located on the northern shore of Mindoro Island just 130 kms South of Manila and 14 nautical miles from Batangas.

Puerto Galera has numerous beautiful and marvelous dive sites to offer and these diving sites are very accessible. Snorkeling is usually good just offshore. The depth of the diving sites are from 5 meters to 40 meters and the water temperatur is between 26 to 29 degress centigrade. The currents of these diving sites are oftern brisk and unpredictable and this create a challenge to novice divers. Snorkeling is usually good just offshore.

Puerto Galera is rich in marine life and it has many to offer to the divers. Puerto Galera is also a divers paradise because you can see different exotic marine life species. Big fishes like White tip Sharks, Barracudas, Tunas, even Eagle Rays, Turtles can be seen on selected dive sites like the popular Canyons, Shark Caves, Boulders, especially so on a drift dive during big tide exchanges.

Not only that, you will also experience the presence of thriving fish life like batfish, angelfish, surgeonfish, wrasses and butterfly fish. Aside from rarely seen exotic fishes like Spanish Dancer, harlequin ghost-pipefish and at least 5 different colors of camouflaged frogfish, fire gobies and blue-ribbon eels.

Puerto Galera has has so much to offer to marine biologists and underwater photographers because of the beautiful and enchanting varied species of soft corals, gorgonians, crinoids, colorful sponges and turnicates, crustaceans, shrimps and the most popular the "NUDRIBRANCHS".

Puerto Galera holds the reputation as the best diving area in the Philippines and Asia because of the great ecological complexity and the abundant of exotic marine life species that experts come here to study the ecostructure of micro-organsims, marine life, animals and plants.

2 hour drive to Batangas pier. 2 hours by boat to Puerto Galera

Kilima Drift: This is one of the places where drift dives can be exhilarating when Puerto Galera currents are strong. In this site, you can see schools of barracuda, mackerel, trevally and the occasional Blacktip reef shark all waiting for their food. You must have experienced guides on this drift.

Sinandigan Wall: This dive site has a depth of 5-30m and the current can be fierce. This dive site is well known because of the variety of invertibrates that can be found. Nudibranches are found in profusion and colour-changing cuttlefish are common.

Medio Island: Located in the west of Mindoro Island and north of Puerto Galera town. Spectacular dive sites can be found in this Island and these are the Manila Channel, Coral Gardens, Batangas Channel and Sweetlip Cave.

Manila Channel: This dive site has a depth of 18m and is good for novice divers. An abundance of stony hard coral can be found at this dive site. The reef starts in 1m/3' of water and extends out until two small walls are encountered. Exotic marine life can be seen here like different types of anemones with clownfish, lionfish, sea stars, Christmes Tree Worms and reef fish.

Coral Gardens: This dive site has a depth of 10m and is the best snorkeling snorkeling in the area and a great dive for novices and photographers. You can see carities of corals and moray eels hiding out in crevices. This site can also be an exhilarating drift dive from Manila Channel to Batangas Channel. Small Whitetip reef shark may be encountered occasionally.

Batangas Channel: This dive site has a depth of 15m and a good drift dive on the right tide. You will see shoals of jacks, sweetlips, fusiliers and snappers thrive here. You can also experience on seeing stingrays and Whitetip and Grey reef sharks. Unusual creatures such as blue-ribbon eels, crocodile fish and stonefish. In this dive site, many unusual sponge and coral formations.

Sweetlip Cave: This dive site has a depth of 55m and is a very spectacular dive site because variety of marine life can be seen in here. This is actually a cavern with a tunnel running through it that brings you back to the reef. This dive site is for experienced diver only.