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Practical Information on diving in the Philippines
Source: The Philippine Diver
Author: Heneage Mitchell
Date: 2000-03-15
 
New divers to the Islands would be well advised to read this section carefully, as a bit of

attention now could save plenty of exasperation later.

You will find every type of dive shop in the Philippines, from one man shows to fully

equipped state of the art professionally run dive centers, with everything in-between.

For many visitors, diving is a secondary consideration and they will be constrained to

take advantage of any facilities available in the area they may be. In all probability, this

should present no problem. The experienced vacation diver may be somewhat

perplexed at the often relaxed attitude displayed by many facilities, but this is the way of

life here, so one should look further than the casual "let's suit up and go" approach

offered in many places.

First off, look at the rental equipment. Is is state of the art? Has it been well maintained?

If you are there when a dive group is returning, see how well the store washes off the

gear. Naturally, smiling faces and excited post-dive chatter will tell of an enjoyable dive

trip, but why not ask for the dive profiles of the returnees and evaluate for yourself

whether the Divemaster, if any, followed the dive tables sensibly.

A lot of diving is done from banca boats, motorized outrigger "canoes" ranging from 2

seaters to ocean going vessels. Some dive outfits have their own bancas, others hire

them from local operators. On no account should you allow an independant bancero to

supply you with equipment, even if he appears to be getting it from a dive shop. Deal

directly with the rental facility, and if possible, allow them to procure a boat. While most

banceros around beach resort areas do know the common dive sites, whether they are

competent at handling divers and their equipment is another story. There are awful

(true) stories of divers being dropped into water supposed to be of a known depth and

location only to find them-selves being swept away by currents that simply aren't

supposed to be there over bottomless abysses of featureless water, coming up to find

themselves lost and alone in the water for hours on end.

Another useful tip, while seemingly ob-vious, is worth mentioning here. Never pay you

boatman until you are safely back on shore with all your equipment accounted for, or you

may end up like the 2 U.S. Air Force Officers who spent the night swimming back to the

beach after their pre-paid bancero dropped them off on a night dive and headed home

as soon as they made their descent.

When in a banca boat, bear in mind that, despite the outriggers, they are not the most

Hstable of craft. Sit as far as possible in the centre of the boat, and follow the

instructions of the bancero as and when he may give them. When stowing gear, ask

where the best place for it is. On a smaller boat, the place to store items you want to

keep dry is often right at the front under the plywood covering. On anything smaller than a

6 man banca, expect to get wet frequently, and on larger ones ... well, less frequently.

Always seek out local divers, preferably qualified Instructors or Divemasters, before

planning any dive. In most coastal areas, you will find local divers who know the area to

some extent. Do bear in mind, however, that many of these divers may not have had any

formal training at all, and their ideas of a good dive site may not conform to yours, so try

to stick with professional sports SCUBA divers for advice and help.

There are awesome currents found throughout the Islands, so careful planning is

needed to avoid an unplanned out-of-country trip underwater. Tide tables are not readily

available for many parts of the country, and where they do exist, they should be treated

with caution as what applies to one bay will certainly not apply to it's neighbour. Once

again, local knowledge is the best source of safe information. The general rule of thumb

is, of course, to try to dive around the high tide when the currents are generally at their

slackest, but there are regional variations which you will only find out if you stick with

professional divers from the area.
 

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