Dive Review of
Exotic Island Dive Resort in
Philippines/Malapascua

North Sulawesi, Raja Ampat, Bali, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Red Sea, Papua New
Guinea, Australia, Palau, Truk, Tahiti, Costa Rica, Belize, Honduras

Dive Conditions

[Guided dives  

[None]  

Overall Rating

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has the only direct flights from LAX to Manila. 
The flights were completely full both ways.  The SportsPlus program allows
20 kilos of extra weight form sports equipment for USD30 per year, good on
both PAL and Air Philippines.  Exotic's rooms range from basic to deluxe
air conditioned rooms with minibar, satellite TV, hot/cold running water. 
There is a hotel safe at the front desk for valuables.  Our package
included breakfast and 2 dives a day.  The menu was a combination of
western and Asian cuisine.

Divers set up and rinse their own gear.  Dive shop employees carry the gear
to and from the dive boat.  Diving is done from bangkas.  To board, a plank
is angled from the beach to the bow of the boat.  Exotic has three bangkas
of varying sizes.  Entry is a three-to-five foot giant stride (depending on
which boat), with crew members standing by to steady you.  Exit ladder was
easy to use.  Dives are always guided in a group.  Proposed dive sites are
posted on the board at the dive shop and you sign up for the ones you
want.

Thresher shark dives leave for Monad Shoal at 5 AM.  Divers wait on the
bottom at 75 feet to the sharks to appear out of the 30-foot visibility. 
We tried two different locations on the Shoal during the six days we were
there, but only saw one thresher at the very limit of visibility.

Monad Shoal in the afternoon is for mantas.  Again, divers wait on the
bottom at 75 feet for the mantas to appear.  Visibility remained at 30
feet.  We saw three of the largest mantas we have ever seen in 500-plus
dives.

Most dives, current was slight to moderate.  Visibility usually about 50
feet, water temperature from 81 to 84 degrees.  Tapilon Wreck was the only
dive with strong current.  The wreck is at 90 feet, water temperature was
80 degrees.  Exotic's house reef was a very pleasant dive; no current,
bottom is at forty feet, lots to see, the only dive where we were able to
go off on our own.  Exotic no longer goes to Calangaman Island; the owner
of the island won't let anyone use the beach for a dive interval without
payment.

Nitrox was available, but they suggested only using it on certain dives
(i.e. Monad Shoal, Tapilon Wreck.)  Mixes ranged from 33% to 36% because
the Nitrox tanks are hand-blended, not filled from a membrane system. 

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