Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Eagle Point Resort in
Philippines/Anilao, Luzon

Eagle Point Resort: "Slow week gives us the diving advantage", Jul, 2015,

by Frederick R. Turoff, PA, US (Top Contributor Top Contributor 35 reports with 15 Helpful votes). Report 8307.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Contrary to our previous week on Malapascua, where we were on a beach area, Eagle Point is built on a hillside going down to the water, with a rocky shore and concrete piers for boat landings. Getting there required a 3-hour ride south from Manila’s airport. Its capacity is 300 people but when we arrived there were perhaps 40. It turned out that we two were the only divers that week, so we had divemaster Manny to ourselves. [Toward the end of our week several large groups arrived, so there were well over 100 guests but still no divers, but three who tried an open water experience – they also have a salt water training pool with a coral head and three small black tip sharks in it.] Our room was the closest to the dive area and only one flight above it, which was convenient. Gear was stored in a locked room with wetsuits hanging on racks outside. With no camera room, photographers carry cameras between their room and the dive area. Boat staff took care in transporting and covering cameras for us – there was no rinse tank on the boat but there were two at the dive center along with wash basins for gear. Tanks and BCDs were always on the boat for us, so we dressed to go diving and headed to the boat each time. Being there in June-July, this is the rainy season and has an on-shore wind normally, so wave action was high, making getting on and off the banca rigger dive boat a challenge sometimes, although the three-man boat crew was as helpful as it could be, including carrying dive gear and cameras to and from the boat. [Jan-Apr is usually calm there, I’m told.] For non-divers, there is a fresh water pool with a water slide and many areas to enjoy sun or shade. We had only one heavy rain that lasted maybe an hour. The rest of the week was warm and dry. The resort is somewhat isolated from others and the nearby town, so once there, you stay there.

The reception and restaurant staff at Eagle Point wasn’t quite as friendly at first as at Ocean Vida on Malapascua but they also seemed to not have as much command of English. Staff often spoke softly so we had to ask them to repeat what they said until they got to know us, when they warmed up and spoke louder. Meals were included in our packages. When there are many guests, there is often a buffet, but for the first five days there we were offered fixed meals. Service was quite slow until our last day there, which was only a problem in the morning, since breakfast started at 7a and the first dive left at 8a. After more groups came, the buffet opened, making our choices varied and available faster. On our last night a musical trio entertained guests after an outdoor buffet – I was pleased that they knew four of the five songs (from the 60s-70s) we requested when they asked for input. My dive buddy is a guitarist, so he joined the fun and played a few songs as well. Massage service in rooms was available at $14/hour, so we treated ourselves to 5 while there. Internet is free in the reception and lounge areas, but is slow. We bought faster internet for $4/day. Our room was missing an outlet which was in pace the day after I reported it, and they left us extra towels for our cameras. The only thing that didn’t get fixed was lack of hot water in our room – it was nearly hot the day after we arrived when it was reported and worked on, but never got back to more than lukewarm after that. However, since the air was warm and the ocean as well, lukewarm water was easily handled for showers.

We did a 2-tank 8am dive each morning and a 1-tank 1:45pm dive each afternoon. Manny adjusted the dive times if we requested that, since it was just us two. Fills were 200 bar, just shy of 3000 psi. Nitrox was not available. Some sites were close by and we visited several nearby islands a half-hour or less away. Twice we did our surface interval on a nearby island beach and guest area owned by Eagle Point, taking advantage of their hammocks and shade. Anilao is known for macro life, and it provided plenty. Manny found many subjects on each dive for us. Nudibranchs, shrimp, crabs, crinoids galore with their attendant life hiding inside, wrasse new and old to me, several frogfish (one of which yawned for me as I patiently waited with my camera) and a few areas of lush coral growth covered with anthias and other fish allowing us some wide-angle photo ops as well (best vis of the week that day). We found a blue ribbon eel with its flared nostrils chopped off by some aggressor, and likewise found a large colorful crab missing its right arm. Water temp was 84-86, with vis generally 40-80’. Current was generally not a problem as our guide chose areas that were protected when he could. One interesting site, named “Mainit (ma’-in-it = hot),” had areas of the seafloor that were hot to the touch due to volcanic activity below. We saw no sharks all week and only one large green turtle that swam away as we approached.
Websites Eagle Point Resort   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving USVI, BVI, lesser Antilles, Bonaire, all three Caymans , Coco Island,
Revillagigedos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines,
Micronesia, Red Sea
Closest Airport Manila Getting There from Manila, it's a 3-hour drive south to Anilao, Batangas.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, dry Seas calm, choppy, no currents
Water Temp 84-86°F / 29-30°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Manny looked out for us and kept us down as long as our air was in good supply.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? no

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 3 stars
UW Photo Comments No photo room so we kept cameras in our room between dives. Two large rinse buckets for cameras at dive shop, but no rinse bucket on boat. Boat crew took excellent care of our cameras and often carried them to and from boat.
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 554 dive reviews of Philippines and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest
is an agency for travelers that scuba dive. We specialize in planning scuba diving adventures to the Philippines.

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


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

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.17 seconds