Dive Review of Asia Divers in
Philippines

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Asia Divers: "The Philippines is open for Diving", May, 2022, by Raymond C Villemarette, VA, US ( Reviewer 5 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 11971 has 3 Helpful votes.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Philippines is open for Diving Puerto Galera/Coron April/May 2022 (skieer@gmail.com) I have been informed by Asia Divers that the requirements for entering the Philippines have changed and they are now allowing the entry of fully vaccinated tourists and have dropped a requirement for having medical insurance. For my travel it was necessary to have been vaccinated, have travel insurance of $25K and register at the airport website. For the most up to date requirements I would reach out to the Resort prior to travel but it appears at this time entry is much simpler. I had intended to stay more than a month in the Philippines but the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC was not accepting visa applications. This meant I had to get a visa on arrival which is good for thirty days. Note your airplane ticket must (repeat must) show a return date of less than thirty days. I traveled on a previous occasion without a return ticket and was forced to book a return while standing in the immigration line in Manila in order to get in the country. Once you are in country you can extend your visa an additional sixty days and this was accomplished at reasonable cost through a travel agent provided by El Galleon resort. Note here is that you need to have easily changed tickets which is usually not the case if you book through a service like Expedia. I had lots of unused Korean Air points and the flight though Seoul is one of the easier connections to Manila. Also Korean Air is very flexible on excess baggage weights and I was bringing my own gear. Also note keep the receipt (the receipt not the letter) for your visa extension! It is marked “Official Receipt” and has a code you will need to exit the country at immigration. I had a few sweaty moments at imagination when I had my letter of Certification but not the associated receipt with the barcode. Insurance: No longer required but you can get travel and medical insurance through DAN. If you already have DAN the Medical portion is covered but they also offer trip insurance. I had to buy the travel insurance in order to get the previously required letter showing medical coverage and I note this here in case things change and an insurance letter is required. DAN (Divers Alert Network dan@DAN.org, https://dan.org/membership-insurance/travel-insurance) In order to get the letter you need to buy their trip insurance (Travel Protection Plan). The trick here is unless you really want them to insure your whole trip is you put down a minimum amount for the actual trip insurance. The letter will cover the medical no matter how little of the trip you actually cover. Website: there is an airport website where you need to submit your travel documents three days in advance and they will also give you a QR code for travel which you will need to board the plane. The website is called “One Health Pass” https://onehealthpass.com.ph and you will need to indicate Municipality: PASAY City, NCR, Fourth District (Not a Province), National Capital Region (NCR) if you spend the night in Manila. You may also need a second QR code for travel to Puerto Galera which you can work through the resort. I would check with the resort for the most current guidance. At this time it is my understanding basically you need a return ticket and vaccination card (US CDC works). The connection to Puerto Galera is made by a van from Manila and then a motor boat from a pier south of Batangas if you work through the resort. This connection can be set up by El Galleon who will arrange the van pickup and the water taxi to Puerto Galera. If you decide to stay at El Galleon they have their own pier and dock so you will have an easy connection to the hotel. There used to be a seaplane connection from Manila Bay (Air Juan) but this now appears to be only a charter service and I do not have the current details. Depending on your arrival time in Manila or how keen you are to go diving you may want to spend a night in a hotel either coming or going and I have had good luck at the Belmont Hotel which is located right across the highway from th ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here
Websites	Asia Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Maldives, Thailand, Philippines, Hawaii, Okinawa, Australia, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Virgin Islands
Closest Airport	Manila	Getting There	Washington DC/Seoul/Manila
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, choppy, currents, no currents
Water Temp	27-29°C / 81-84°F	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	10-50 Ft/ 3-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	COID documentation checked
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Tanks for soaking gear, spaces for photo workshop (Asia divers only) ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Asia Divers in Philippines

Asia Divers: "The Philippines is open for Diving", May, 2022,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Asia Divers in
Philippines