Dive Review of Crystal Blue Resort in
Philippines

Other dive reports on Crystal Blue Resort

Other Philippines reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

Crystal Blue Resort: "Consistently excellent, epecially for photographers", May, 2024, by David W Allen, KS, US ( Reviewer 3 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 13146.
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	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was our (my wife and me) 5th stay at CBR and we find it to be consistently excellent. This is especially the case for UW photographers. Many groups chose CBR to conduct photo workshops in joint effort with photo pro Mike Bartick, who manages the operation. Mike is usually there and whether you are participating in a workshop or not, is generous with his knowledge. FOOD (4 stars) All meals are served buffet style. The kitchen staff does a great job. The variety is always such that most people should have no trouble finding something they like. Deserts are terrific too. At breakfast there is an egg station, and banana or mango crepes can be prepared to order. ACCOMMODATIONS (3.5 stars) Rooms are clean, well maintained and tastefully decorated. Accommodations are standard, not luxury, but since we are spending the majority of our time diving, eating, editing photos and working on cameras, luxury accommodations would be somewhat of a waste. SERVICE AND ATTITUDE (5 stars) Everyone at the resort projects a friendly, helpful attitude. The dive staff and boat crews, with whom we interact with the most, are everything we could ask for. DIVE OPERATION (5 stars) The guides are fantastic at helping to find goodies for photographers. Separate rinse tanks are available for cameras and dive gear. There is also an air blower for camera rigs. There are adequate racks for hanging all gear. The boat crew handles your scuba rig while you rinse and hang your wetsuit. A 3-head shower is on the dive deck for rinsing off after returning. SNORKELING (2 stars) Some sites are not well-suited to snorkeling due to depth at the mooring, and/or because the diving in this region is largely muck. SHORE DIVING (N/A) I say N/A even though there is diving right in front of the resort; however, because of the tidal swings and rocky entry, they usually dive the site from the boats. It can be very good. While we were there 2 rhinopias were in residence, and there are always some good nudibranchs to be found.
Websites	Crystal Blue Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Indonesia (x5), Borneo, Philippines (x6), Fiji (x2), Solomon Islands, PNG, Red Sea, Sea of Cortez, Cozumel (x3), St. Vincent (x4), Bahamas (x3), Bonaire (x3), Curacao (x2), Honduras (x2), etc.
Closest Airport	Manila	Getting There	Direct flight from SFO or LAX, then a 2.5 hour ride down to Anilao.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas
Water Temp	78-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-75 Ft/ 12-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions
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	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	The camera room is conveniently located on the property (just up from the dive deck) and has many roomy, well-designed work stations. Mike Bartick is one of the worlds top UW photographers and usually around. He is often testing new equipment for manufacturers. Therefore, he has very broad familiarity with equipment even if it is something he doesn’t regularly shoot. Mike doesn’t hold back in sharing information on technique. He is also on the leading edge of "blackwater" diving/photography.

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 622 dive reviews of Philippines and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

Other dive reports on Crystal Blue Resort

All Philippines Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Philippines
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

Want to assemble your own collection of Philippines reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home

Page computed and displayed in 0.17 seconds

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!

Dive Review of Crystal Blue Resort in Philippines

Crystal Blue Resort: "Consistently excellent, epecially for photographers", May, 2024,

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 Crystal Blue Resort in
Philippines