Major dive areas are concentrated around Batangas, Mindoro, Palawan, and the Visayas. . . . The reefs are among the most diverse in the world and the most threatened. The Philippine reefs support more than 2000 species of fish (the Great Barrier Reef, by comparison, supports around 1500), however up to 70 percent of Philippine reefs are dead or dying. . . . The best diving is in the Sulu Sea, which can only be accessed by live-aboard. . . .

Bohol

Balicasag Island Resort, 1997, Jim Campos, Rochester, MN. "Primitive compared to Alegre. Native huts, private bath with running water and electric fans. Electricity shuts down for 3 hours each day. More European divers. Diving is spectacular. Wall dives with schooling jacks. Large sea fans, numerous soft coral trees. A shore dive with live-aboard dive boat dive sites."

Cebu

Alegre Beach Resort, 1997, Jim Campos, Rochester, MN. "Top notch. 145 employees to serve 42 guests. Diving is good in front the resort. We took a 1.5 hour boat trip to another island where the diving was spectacular. Hard coral, soft coral, lionfish, sea snakes, rays"

Swissipinni Resort, Port Barton, Palawan, April 1997, Stephen Weinman, New Paltz, NY. "Great vis and small reef life. Colorful reefs with enormous variety of invertebrate life. Gorgeous nudibranchs and anemone fish. Did not see any evidence of dynamite damage on the 4 reefs I dove. Bad Stuff: No emergency equipment or radio on boat. Few large fish. Resort very well run, right on the beach and inexpensive ($25 US/night for beachside cottage.) Great food."

Copyright 1998 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.