TRAVEL
A Group Dive Guide to the Philippines by David Prichard and Lily Mak , Enchanted Sea Images, Inc., Dallas, TX
W HEN A CUSTOMER TELLS YOU, “We want it all,” while talking about a future dive trip destination, what do you say? Or “we want somewhere that has warm, clear water, plus the largest number of fish and coral species to see, with the ‘bucket list’ of marine critters that we won’t find in the usual tropical destinations that we normally dive.” “Well, I guess you want us to take you to the Coral Triangle region in the South Pacific,” you respond. “I was just thinking about planning a trip to the Philippines, where they have over
international terminals and the domestic terminal are not currently physically connected, so transportation by bus, a hired van, or taxi is needed to get you from one terminal to the next. Please allow plenty of time between flights for this transition. Like many international destinations now, the Philippines allows you a quicker immigration experience by having you fill out both your immigration forms and health declaration online before arrival through their “eTravel” application site where you fill out your personal information and upload photos of your
3,000 species of fish and about 500 species of coral in the third largest coral reef system in the world.” You add that the country is lo- cated just north of the equator, so water tem- peratures usually range from 79–84º F (26- 29 C), which meets the first criteria the cus- tomer wanted. The Coral Triangle region of Southeast Asia in the South Pacific has the highest level of
passport and yourself. Once submitted and ap- proved, you will receive a QR code to present (either printed from your computer or on your travel electronic device via their eTravel app) at the immigration station at the airport along with your passport (and possibly a visa, depending upon your nationality). Heading to the Verde Island Passage: One of the most common destinations for Philippine
Peacock Mantis Shrimp
marine biodiversity in the world and includes the waters of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and nearby islands. This great degree of biodi- versity was caused by this region not being encased in ice during the “Ice Age,” so life below and above the waves continued to flourish and develop. The Ice Age (Pleistocene Epoch) lasted from approximately 2.58 million years ago to about 11,700 years ago, but archaeological findings reveal human activity in the Mindoro area of the Philippines as far back as 20,000-25,000 years ago, with use of various types of boats on unfrozen water. During this period,
dive trips is centered around the Verde Island Passage, which is a strait of water between the main island of Luzon and the island of Mindoro. Many of the popular dive resorts are on both sides of the strait, with key “muck diving” macro- photography sites along the southern portion of Luzon in the Batangas/Anilao region, while the other side requires boat or ferry transport from Batangas City docks across the strait to Mindoro and the Puerto Galera region for reef diving. Both areas allow you to check off most of your bucket list creatures. At rush hour, travel from Manila’s airport to the Batangas City area can be slow, as Manila is a major city with a population
sea levels dropped drastically, so that of the 7,641 current islands of the Philippines, there were only six to eight land masses in total, with some land bridges to mainland Asia. Getting to the Philippines: With just a few exceptions, most international travel involves arriving at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. There you can catch
of around 15 million area residents, with traffic to match. Expect a 2–3-hour journey of approximately 100+ kilometers (60+ miles), with most of it just trying to get out of the city. On a personal note, Philip- pine drivers can be aggressive in their driving tactics, and often in our van trans- port we hear someone mutter, “Thank God I’m not driving.”
Our Group’s Shuttle
ground transportation to gateways on Luzon Island for boat transportation to nearby islands, or transfer over to the domestic terminal for flights to other Philippine island destinations. A word of warning: unlike many transportation hub airports, the
Philippine transportation is also innovative, as a common sight on the roads are public transport “buses” called Jeepneys that were originally individually crafted from Jeep truck chassis. These are formally U.S. Army transport vehicles left in the
FORTY-THREE | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
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