Philippines is the world’s leading dive destination for 2020. It bested eight others at the World Travel Awards on November 27, 2020 in Moscow, Russia. It comes as no surprise with 7,641 islands to boot, surrounded by tropical waters teeming with marine life.

The other nominees for this prestigious award were:

• Azores Islands
• Bora Bora, French Polynesia
• Cayman Islands
• Fiji
• Galapagos Islands
• Great Barrier Reef, Australia
• Maldives
• Mexico

Where to go diving?

Among the many dive destinations in the country, Puerto Galera has the most diverse coral reef diving in Asia. Moreover, it is considered as the top destination for scuba diving in the world. Most of the dive sites are off the coast of Sabang. Puerto Galera boasts of 32 dive spots.

Travel Requirements to Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera is located in Oriental Mindoro. It is now open to tourists, both local and foreign, who are already in the country. To curb COVID-19, below are the requirements to enter Puerto Galera:

• Negative RT-PCR test valid 48 hours upon release of the result.
• Point-to-point travel to the island from Berberabe Port in Batangas City to Muelle Port via water taxi services. The cost of a water tax s about 8000 pesos for up to ten persons. Tourists with private vehicles are also allowed to pass through Calapan Port.
• Booking confirmation from a hotel or resort with accreditation from the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Certificate of Authority to Operate (CAO). There are 40 establishments in Puerto Galera with CAO.
• Online registration thru Puerto Galera mobile app. The app maybe downloaded from Playstore or App store.
• Valid ID

Click here where to get RT-PCR test.

Arkipelago Divers and Beach Resort

Arkipelago Divers and Beach Resort is one of the reputable dive resorts in Puerto Galera. It is both a dive school and a resort, accredited by the DOT.

Click here to read about my discovery scuba diving experience.

Watch the promotional video below:

Diving Courses

Arkipelago Divers is PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) accredited. You may take the following diving courses being offered:

• Discover scuba dive
• Open water diver course
• Advanced open water diver course
• Awesome fun dives
• Divemaster training
• Instructor courses

These dive offers are inclusive of free equipment and 20% discount. Rates are valid for travel dates from November 6, 2020 to December 31, 2020.

Arkipelago Divers and Beach Resort also has ongoing promotions with their accommodations:

• 2,000 pesos per night for two days and one night
• 13,000 pesos per week for eight days and seven nights

Room rate is good for two persons inclusive of daily breakfast. Rates are valid for travel dates from November 6, 2020 to December 31, 2020.

Aside from scuba diving, Puerto Galera has white sand beaches, scenic waterfalls, a protected mangrove park and unexplored mountain ranges.

Puerto Galera is just one of the many spectacular dive destinations in the country. Truly, Philippines is the world’s leading dive destination.

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Are you looking for a safe, fun and affordable scuba diving destination? Look no further. Here is a short video I did for Arkipelago Divers just because I enjoyed my stay with them so much.I must say that my whole experience with Arkipelago was memorable. Special thanks to Amy and Pedro Magsino of Arkipelago Divers. I was able to do Discover Scuba Diving, go on a day trip to visit the nearby town, beaches and tourist spots. Thanks to my friend Mike Zuniga of Katooga.ph for tagging me along in this adventure. I can’t wait to be back. For more information about Arkipelago Divers, visit www.arkipelagodivers.com and like them on Facebook.com/arkipelagodivers. Stay tuned for the full vlog coming soon. Signing out for now. Peace!

For the full blog about my Discover Scuba Diving experience with Arkipelago Divers, click here.

The post EXPLORING PUERTO GALERA FEAT. ARKIPELAGO DIVERS on Youtube appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

Let me share with you my Discover Scuba Diving with Arkipelago Divers when I visited Puerto Galera.

Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera is a town located in Oriental Mindoro, south of Luzon island. It is one of the top choices of SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) Divers. It boasts of 32 dive spots:

Odie’s Dingding
Manila Channel
The Hill
Secret Bay
Batangas Channel
Dry Dock
La Laguna Point
Small La Laguna
Alma Jane
Fantasea Reef
Sabang Wreck
Sabang Point
Monkey Beach
Monkey Wreck
Ernie’s Point
Ernie’s Cave
Dungon Wall
Wreck Point
West Escarceo
Hole In The Wall
Canyons
Fish Bowl
Horse’s Head
Pink Wall
The Atoll
Kilima Steps
Kilima Beach
Sinandigan Wall
Turtle Rock
Coral Cove
The Boulders
Japanese Wreck

The waters off the beach of Small La Laguna teem with live corals and  diverse marine life. This is where I had the amazing opportunity to do Discover Scuba Diving last week. Thanks to Arkipelago Divers.

Arkipelago Divers

Arkipelago Divers is a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Resort located  on the quiet beach of Small La Laguna, Sabang, Puerto Galera owned by Pedro and Amy Magsino. Click here to watch a short video clip about Arkipelago Divers.

For booking inquiries, call 0917 310 0768 or visit their Facebook Page here or their website here. You may also follow them on Instagram here.

Pre-Dive Lecture

Arkipelago Divers offers PADI scuba diving courses and programs for all levels of divers.

They also rent out equipment and can arrange day trips to other nearby beaches and islands.

How To Get to Puerto Galera

Getting to Puerto Galera from Cubao is easy and affordable. You need to take a bus to bring you to Batangas Pier and a bangka (boat) to take you to Puerto Galera. There are a number of buses servicing the route of Cubao to Batangas Pier.

I took a JAM Liner Bus. The bus left at 8 in the morning. Traffic was smooth and easy. It was a Sunday. On regular days, the trip from Cubao to Batangas would take an average of 3 hours. I got off at the Batangas Grand Terminal, instead of the Batangas Pier, by 10 AM to meet Mike Zuniga of Katooga.ph. We needed to do some errands in SM Batangas. Click here for that blog post.

From Batangas Pier, it would take an hour to an hour and a half ferry trip to get to Sabang Port. The Ferry ticket to Puerto Galera is 230 pesos. By the way, there is an Environmental User Fee of P50 for arriving passengers, a Homeland and Tourist Safety and Security Fee of P 20 and a Terminal Fee of P10.

Coming home

On the way back, Mike and I left Sabang Port at 1 PM. We arrived in Batangas Pier by about 2 PM. Then, Mike took another bus to Alabang while I looked for a bus to Cubao.

The traffic on the way back home was so bad. Fortunately, I had the chance to ride a premium bus operated by Gold Star Bus Company with plane-like seats, television and toilet on board. The bus left Batangas Pier at about 3 PM and was caught in the grueling EDSA rush hour traffic by 6 PM. I got home by 8 PM.

That is the whole story of my Discover Scuba Diving with Arkipelago Divers. I will be uploading a vlog soon with aerial and underwater shots. Stay tuned!

Signing out for now. Peace!

Click here to watch a short video clip about Arkipelago Divers.

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