Dive Review of Blue Ribbon Dive Resort in
Philippines/Anilao

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Blue Ribbon Dive Resort: "Best Macro Diving We've Experienced", Apr, 2024, by Catherine May, ON, CA ( Sr. Reviewer 10 reports with 8 Helpful votes). Report 12939 has 3 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Blue Ribbon Dive Resort Review The Diving: The macro diving was spectacular, with the variety of critters the most we have experienced, including dozens of different nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, pipefish, crabs, shrimp, etc. Larger critters included turtles, moray eels, frogfish, weedy rhinopias, octopus, larger crabs & shrimp, various puffers, butterflyfish, damsels, anthias, barracuda, cowfish, boxfish, anemonefish, cuttlefish, etc. The variety of diving ranged from muck diving on sandy slopes to beautiful healthy coral reefs crammed with marine life, so crammed it was hard to know what to look at! The night diving was not to be missed at the pier & included numerous octopus, bobtail shrimp, stargazers, pipefish, squid, crabs, Melibe nudibranchs, a pipehorse, Bobbit worm, gurnards, burrfish, etc. After a dive I was constantly remarking that it was my favourite dive ever, only to say the same thing after the next dive. We have dived throughout the world & enjoyed this location more than anywhere else! The viz was usually 40 – 60 feet, not the best, but not as important for macro diving, & an indication of the nutrients needed to sustain life. There was current at times, but manageable. The Dive Operation: Up to 4 dives a day were offered & included 2 back-to-back morning dives starting at 9 am, an afternoon dive at 2:30 – 3 pm, & a night dive at 6 pm. The largest group we were in included 5 divers. My husband & I each completed 24 dives over 7 days. The dive sites were generally within 20 minutes of the resort by bangka, with roll-off entry, & ladder to exit the sites, with the option of removing your BCD in the water for the staff to lift out for you. The staff carried all gear on & off the boat. Divers rinsed & hung up their own neoprene. A spacious camera room was available & kept locked overnight. The dive masters were eager to please & great at finding those critters we would have easily missed. Before each dive a briefing was given with time given for any questions. Accommodation: The resort included 7 guest rooms & was basic, definitely not luxurious, but most importantly clean, with a good mattress on the bed, & quiet. Our shower took a while to figure out & warm up so we found it easier to use the outdoor showers after our last dive of the day. Restaurant: Breakfast was included each day & was ordered off the menu & included coffee. Because we dived all day we elected to have our lunches & dinners here as well. The food was delicious & reasonably priced. We were frustrated, however, by the lack of availability of fresh fruit (they ran out constantly), & desserts (they ran out of ice cream early in the week & did not replenish it). We don’t usually eat dessert at home so part of enjoying our vacation time is to indulge ourselves; I know, first world problem! Service: The staff provided exemplary service, from the moment of 1st contact by email & throughout our stay. We were always greeted with friendly smiles & asked how we were enjoying the diving. The owner, Jon, was on site most days so he was fully in tune with what was going on, enhancing our experience. So, would we go back to Anilao & Blue Ribbon Dive Resort again? YES! Absolutely! In fact, I’m working on booking our next trip :)
Websites	Blue Ribbon Dive Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Komodo, Bali, Palau, Banda Sea, Raja Ampat, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Hawaii, Maldives, Caribbean, Mexico, USA, Canada
Closest Airport	Manila	Getting There	2.5 - 3 hour drive from Manila Airport
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	81-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	40-60 Ft/ 12-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Most dives were limited to 60 minutes
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	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	There was not a separate rinse tank for cameras only.

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By Allen Wood in NV, US at Apr 24, 2024 10:26 EST

We are planning a month-long trip to the Philippines 2025. This was a very helpful review.

By report author: Catherine May in ON, CA at Apr 24, 2024 11:51 EST

We combined it with a trip to Tubbataha. I just reviewed it as well. It's a great combo since Tubbataha is all about big stuff :)

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Dive Review of Blue Ribbon Dive Resort in Philippines/Anilao

Blue Ribbon Dive Resort: "Best Macro Diving We've Experienced", Apr, 2024,

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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Blue Ribbon Dive Resort in
Philippines/Anilao