February 18th – March 4th, 2017
The group has just arrived back from the trip to the Philippines. The trip was amazing, and I think Mona spoke for all of them when she wrote;
“As the boat pulled up to the El Galeon resort on Mindoro Island, I was immediately captivated by the scene. The dock and dive shop were just a few short steps from the resort, who’s restaurant was outside along the beach, offering a gorgeous view of the bay and islands beyond. Divers sat casually having coffee, relaxing between dives. I couldn’t wait to join them and very quickly did.
After a quick look at our quaint rooms, we headed to the dock to get oriented. A quick check-out dive revealed an underwater scene that I immediately knew I would fall in love with. All of our gear was stored for us overnight and set up pre-dive by the amazing dive shop and boat crew, making our 4 daily dives as easy and relaxing as could be.
The first few dives revealed countless beautiful fish and coral in all colours imaginable. We quickly spotted clownfish and blue tangs, more commonly known as Nemo and Dorie. Giant sea turtles visited us on our safety stops, and colourful nudibranchs jumped out of the background. Various species of pufferfish, boxfish and cowfish were often seen. As we became more familiar with the environment we began to find all the creatures who were hiding, including blue-spotted rays, flounders and tiny shrimps. The more rare nudibranchs also started to appear.
After every dive I relaxed at the restaurant on the beach, having hot tea to warm me up from the cool water. The chef, Antoine, made us fresh cookies everyday as a snack when we came out of the water. When the day’s 4 dives were done, he would cook up delicious food for us ranging ethnically from local adobo to pizza. The Point Bar was just a few steps away from the restaurant and dock, a great place to have some drinks after dinner.
To have had this experience day after day, was truly heavenly. Great diving, great friends, great food and great staff made for an unforgettable two weeks.”
Thank you Mona for this amazing review, we can’t wait for our next adventure!
