Getting Started Wish List

[blkJack]

On 7/7/2017 at 9:48 PM, Dave Hounddriver said:

The place I mentioned, Zamboangita, is also out in the sticks so the member surely needs to decide in advance if he wants to live urban or rural.

Is this the Zamboangita close to Dapitan City, or the Zamboanguita near Dumaguete?

[Dave Hounddriver]

3 hours ago, blkJack said:

Zamboanguita near Dumaguete?

That is the one I am thinking of.

[blkJack]

Just now, Dave Hounddriver said:

That is the one I am thinking of.

Ya I had type in the spelling from the post and it was the one near Dapitan City but when I read the post again and checked the map I had wondered if it was a typo 

[PaulB]

On 7/8/2017 at 5:22 AM, Snowy79 said:

If you're single and want to get used to the Philippines before meeting a girl and losing all your money I'd definitely go for Sabang in Puerto Galera. There's 52 dive schools here and some of the best diving in the World. Reasonably cheap furnished accommodation and most of the night life is spread over 200m. You can also get a sea plane direct to the likes of Manila (25 mins), Boracay (45 mins) and a few other places. 

I'm living here at the moment and there's a great ex pat community, a lot of whom have been introduced to partners through other ex pats partners. I've been to Moalboal and wasn't that impressed. It's a bit out in the sticks.

I heard on the News the other day that Puerto Galera is next on the list after the Boracay Closure and clean up. Could have a major impact.

Paul

[Snowy79]

7 hours ago, PaulB said:

I heard on the News the other day that Puerto Galera is next on the list after the Boracay Closure and clean up. Could have a major impact.

Paul

They've started already but not on the same scale. It does need it though. 

[OnMyWay]

8 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

They've started already but not on the same scale. It does need it though. 

I may have told this story already but here goes.  My first business trip to PH in 1995, I took some vacation and went to Puerta Galera for a few days.  Took the ferry from Batangas to Sabang and stayed at the El Galleon hotel.  Looking at Google now, it appears there are 2 El Galleon, old and new.  At the time, there was only the old one and it was primitive, with no air con.

At almost any place on the rocky Sabang beach, you could walk into the water and be greeted by crystal clear water, huge coral heads and thousands of fish.  I rented a mask and snorkel, and I was amazed.

I had always wanted to learn to SCUBA, so when I returned home I took the classes and got certified.  I traveled to some really nice dive sites in the next years, but I finally made it back to Puerta Galera in 2007 or 2008??

What a change!  It was sad.  All of that coral in the shallow water was gone!  All that was left was a rocky / sandy bottom with few fish.  I'm told that a typhoon was partially responsible but overuse / abuse and pollution got the rest.  I am also told there is still good diving but it is out farther.  I was not feeling well so I did not dive that trip.

So, 10+ years later and many new resorts later, I wonder what it is like now?