I plan to go to the pacific mainly to dive..havn't narrow my choice yet..Awaiting inside infos..anyboby 've been to Truk and Yap?
Thanks
[There are 14 posts - the latest was added on Sun 28 March, 3:01]
Use the form at the end of this page to add your own post.
Topics
| Thorn Tree
| Home
Hello Ann,
I haven┤t been to Yap and Truk, but I can recommend some
very nice wreck-diving just one hour west of Manila by
plane. Busuanga Island and Coron Island were my favourite
places for diving in the Philippines. I spent one week in
February 97 and one week in November 97 sailing around
between the islands around Coron and had a wonderful time.
Prices for diving, food and accomodation were very
reasonable. The following descriptions are part of a dive-site
description you find in the internet: www.vasia.com/ddivers
These are the wrecks of Coron:
IRAKO
Japanese refrigeration ship, displacement 9,570 tons, lenght
about 200 meters.
Position: Coron Bay
Quite intact, big wreck body. Big groupers, shoals of tuna and
yellow fins, Lion fish & scorpion fishes living around this
wreck.
Max. depth: Deck level 28-35 meters. Recommended
education level: Advance Diver, specialty Deep Diver,
specialty Wreck diver.
OLYMPIA-MARU
Japanese freighter about 120 meter long, lying on its
starboard side.
Position: Coron Bay
A beautiful wreck dive site where you can observe big
Groupers (Lapu Lapu's), Sweetlips, many times turtles and
even sea snakes. Hard corals cover the port side
is only 14-18 meters below the surface. ATTENTION !!, many
scorpion-fish around the wreck area. Keep your eyes open and
be well bouyant !! The big cargo rooms and the engine room
allows an easy penetration of this wreck.
Max. depth : 25 meters, average about 15 meters.
Recommended education level: Advance Diver, specialty
Wreck diver
TAEI-MARU
Japanese tanker, about 200 m long.
Position: Busuanga Island, 2 sm. of Concepcion
This wreck is totally covered with beautiful corals and offers a
large variety of marine life
Max. depth: 26 m. The deck is between 10 m and 16 m and is
good for wreck dive beginners. There are many penetration
possibilities for advanced wreck divers as well. ATTENTION
!! Strong tide currents often affect this wreck. Recom.
education level: 1. Diving outside the deck with no strong
current. Open Water Diver 2. Penetration and / or current.
Advanced Open Water Diver, Wreck specialty Diver.
MORAZAN-MARU
Japanese freighter sitting upright with a length of approx.140
meters.
Position: Coron Bay.
A very good dive spot with a variety of marine life. Large
shoals of Banana fishes, Giant Batfishes and giant
pufferfishes, especially around the mast, bow and stern. Easy
penetration at the cargo rooms. It offers a good opportunity to
discover wreck diving.
Max. depth: 28-30 m, Deck level 18-24 m. Recom. education
level: Advanced Open Water Diver, Wreck specialty Diver
The AKITSUSHIMA
Japanese Seaplane Tender. She is about 140 m long.
Position: Between Culion & Busuanga Island, near Manglet
Island
The AKITSUSHIMA is a real big warship and lies on her
starboard side. She was hit amidships and had sank
immediately. The flying boat disappeared. Impressive is the
Crane who was lifting the seaplane in the water. This big Metal
construction is lying on sandy bottom and attracts shoals of
giant Batfishes and Barracudas. Let you show from our guides
the AA-guns. A fascinating dive where you can see giant
groupers, shoals of barracudas, tunas and yellowfins.
Max. depth is 36-38 m, average about 26-28m. Recom.
education level: Adv. Open Water Diver, Wreck specialty
Diver .
KOGYO MARU
Japanese freighter, about 160 m long, lying on her starboard
site.
Position: Coron Bay
In the large cargo rooms, you can still see loaded construction
materials, a cement mixer and even a bulldozer! On the deck
anti-aircraft weapons can still be seen. In certain places, the
wreck is easy to penetrate. On the port side there are many
corals and varietie of fish life. Many Grouper (Lapu-lapu)
living around the wreck.
Max depth: 34 m, average 24-26m Recom. education. level:
Adv. Open Water Diver, Wreck specialty Diver.
NANSHIN MARU
Japanese Tanker approx. 40-50 m long, sits upright on sandy
bottom.
Position: Close to the Black Island Beach, in front of the
stranded vessel..
This dive site is perfect for a wreck dive beginners and
underwater photographer. It is a beautiful dive in most clear
water. You can witness plenty of Scorpion and Lion fishes,
Trumpetfish, Groupers, Batfish and ... and ... and ... It is also a
great night dive.
Max depth: 32 meters. The wreck starts in 21 meter deep
water. Recommended education level: Advanced open water
Diver, Wreck specialty Diver.
The Gunboat (at Tangat)
A small gunboat or U-boat Hunter. Approximately 35 meter
long.
Position: Close to the Tangat Island.
This dive site is good for wreck dive beginners and underwater
photographer. It is also a lovely dive between deeper wreck
sites. The wreck starts at only 3 meters down so even
snorkellers can see the shape and explore the bow of the ship.
Max depth: 18 meters. Recommended education level: Open
Water Diver.
The Gunboat at Lusong Island
A Gunboat or U-boat Hunter. The stern breaks the surface at
low tide.
Position: In front of Lusong Island.
This wreck is great for snorkelling. It starts on the surface
with a maximum depth of 9-10 meters. It is nicely covered
with hard corals and offers a nice variety of fish live. The are
also good opportunities for wreck dive photographers or as a
"dive between dives".
Max depth: 9 meters. Recommended education level:
Skindiver, Open water diver.
KYOKUZAN-MARU
Japanese freighter approximately 160-180 meter long.
Position: Northeast of Busuanga Island.
This is a beautiful wreck dive experience. More or less intact,
this huge sunken ship
about 20 meters and ideal diving condition. In the cargo rooms
Japanese staff cars and trucks are can be found.
Max depth: 40 meters on the bottom. The deck level lies
between 22 and 28 meters. Recommended education level:
Advanced Diver, Wreck Specialty Diver.
The fishing boat
Location: Coron Island
A recently sunken fishing boat; approx. 35 meter long at
Coron Island, near the entrance of the Cayangan Lake. An easy
wreck dive site for all beginners or/and in combination with
the Coron drop. It is also a very interesting night dive site.
Max depth: 16 meters. Recommended education level: Open
Water Diver.
There also is a so called äBarracuda Lake" on Coron Island.
Two fresh-water layers of cold water are divided by a saltwater
layer with very warm temperature (38 degrees C). You have to
climb over a rock with all your equipment before you reach
the lake.
As Busuanga Island is situated in the South Chinese Sea, my
advice might be wrong for you this time, but maybe you keep
it in mind for the next trip.
Peter
Try Tumon Bay in Guam and Maida Point in Okinawa. Definitely worth your time!!!!!!!!!!
Busuangas and Coron are good, but the villages are not very
attractive. There is a great place to stay up there near
Coron (one hour or so away by boat) called Andy's place on
Senget Beach - there's an ad for it at the airstrip in
Busuangas and you could probably find it through a travel
agent in Manila. Or just go there and hire someone to take
you there. Andy's a diver himself (English) and has about
six big huts, the food is whatever's fresh from the
market,and it's the most laid back place I've stayed in
Asia.
If you are going to be in the South Pacific, you must check
out Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It is by far #1 spot to
dive in the world.
Although it will be cheaper to go a less developed country
first to obtain your PADI certs. if you don't already have
yours. Also, you will get a lot more dives for your money,
as well as cheap travel, accomadation, and food, plus the
chance to absorb some culture while having access to all the
luxuries of the first world.
If hopping to different places, save the Great BArrier Reef
for last, for everything after it will be dissappointing.
Tagore.
island of Kadavu (kan-da-vu)...dive the Naigoro Passage
Don't restrict yourself to the oceans. There are many great
lakes in africa that are among the cheapest places to dive
in the world and the tropical life in these lakes is
magnificant!!
If you want to do some good dives and stay in a cool place
try Sinai. Dahab has good diving and plenty of weed to
smoke, further down there is Ras Muhammed, supposedly
excellent. Shame that I didn't get there. I think my
favourite diving though was in Fiji. Can't beat diving off
of the Islands and then sitting on the boat eating fresh
papaya, brightest colours I have ever seen were underwater
Fiji - I'd sell a kidney to get back there!!!
Have been to Dahab and Ras when it was Israel and then when
Egypt. Last time I was there, traveled with an Oz-ite who
was working in Indonesia where he dived extensively - plus
back home on the GB. For a week he did nothing but rave
about the Red Sea as being the best he has ever dived in.
The water clarity is excellent to unreal.
Coron, Philippines
The wrecks,reefs,Cathedral,Baracuda Lake,hot springs,the
people and the sheer beauty of all the islands makes this
SIMPLE PARADISE. I stay at the Sea Breeze with Jim and Jenny
Goll. They have a great dive operation and the hospitality
is unparalled. I love it so much I am moving there.
If you get to the Philippines, there is some incredible diving on Balicasag Island. It is located right off the coast of Pangloa Island (southeast corner of Bohol) where you should stay, a few nice places right on the beach. I stayed at the Alona Kew, have a san miguel at the flying dog bar. Balicasag is a preserve and the fishermen seem to respect it for the most part, the wall there is amazing.
If you want the truly exotic head to Papua New Guinea, the diving in the Milne Bay region is probably the most biodiverse in the world. It is in the same area as Australia's barrier reef, but much less traveled.
Tahiti has some good diving as well. Moorea is the place, dive a spot called "the Tiki" You will see more sharks at one time than you will ever see. O the day I went, there were at least 70 sharks. It is about a 60-80 foot dive. There are some great dives in the Bora Bora lagoon as well, plenty of moray eels, and manta and eagle rays. Hawaii on the whole is a let down if you are looking for spectacular dives. Cheers.
1.The coral sea (better than great barrier reef in mho).
Fantastic walls teeming with sealife!
2.The Red Sea (Jeddah side)incredible 400ft visibility!,
ship wrecks, great variety.
Has anyone heard of Tonga??
I posted a message some time ago about my favourite place
for diving in the Philippines: Coron
Today I returned from Sipadan Island/Borneo. It was
unbelievable. Schools of Barrcudas, Bumphead Parrotfishes,
Whitetips and crowds of Turtles. For more info please check
www.sipadan-resort.com or send me a mail.
GREAT diving! Palau all around, Yap for mantas and Truk
for wreck diving.
Whoever posted Tumon Bay on Guam- No! No one dives there.
There are a few good dives off Guam though.