Puerto Galera, Phillipines at Atlantis Resort

Uncovering the Truth Behind the Legend of Puerto Galera

Legend has it that when sailors arrived to Puerto Galera, they are drawn to the Island and never left without a promise to return. The Islands name, Puerto Galera, literally means "Port of the Galleons". This is why the Spaniards, after discovering Puerto Galera in the early 16th Century, used it as a safe haven for their trade ships during heavy squalls and typhoons.

Here at ScubaMagazine.net, we kept hearing that the diving in the Philippines is World Class, an incredible value, and the English-speaking people are extremely friendly. Therefore, we decided to go see for ourselves and confirm the legend surrounding this exotic Island of Mindoro.

Choosing Our Hotel

Our journey to the Philippines will take us to the Atlantis Hotel and Dive Resort on Sabang Beach in Puerto Galera, located on the Philippine Island of Mindoro. Many resort facilities around the world add activities, such as diving, in order to cash in on tourism. Their poorly supported dive programs are often an afterthought with minimal facilities. The Atlantis Hotel and Dive Resort was a refreshing change, and they dedicated their resort to diving and added a host of amenities along with a full range of activities for non-divers as well. Another exciting and unique aspect about the Atlantis Hotel and Dive Resort is their dedication to the technical divers and rebreather divers, as well as underwater photographers and videographers,

Navigating the New U.S. Airport Insecurity

Our journey to review the Atlantis Hotel and Dive Resort started in Los Angeles. As we navigated LAX, TSA’s “Security Theater” was well in action with screeners checking a four-year-old blued eyed blonde pigtailed girl with a Barbie backpack… just in case she threatened to kill the pilot with terminal cuteness.

I packed my Inspiration rebreather in a padded Deep Outdoors travel case, but in spite of my demands, the TSA official claimed they had to put the bag front side down resting the entire weight of the rebreather on the thin housing shell in order to properly check the contents via X-ray.

Strangely enough I thought X-rays were designed to go all the way through an object, silly me!

Luckily, my ABS rebreather yellow shell survived the small guy with a severe Napoleon complex. I am convinced that inside the machine the angry guy within is the bag extraction device. As I watch my bags “departure” from the conveyor system, it seemed worthy of a NASA ballistic trajectory profile, for sure. I observe the downhill roller conveyor system that leads from the X-ray machine and wonder what its purpose is, since all bags seem to be fly rapidly out of the machine without skimming the rollers one bit until they reach the touchdown landing area.

Not to be outdone, I soon found myself confronted by several TSA representatives who sternly informed me that my soft rebreather case and kit had "tested positive for nitrates". I shot back: "Of course it tested positive. The neighborhood cats think my garage and black nylon dive bags and equipment are a cat box, and the natural metabolite of cat urine is nitrates." I kid you not; I am well in touch with my inner nerd.

I was brought back to the table near the X-ray machine where I found a TSA screener who was removing the yellow shell and was attempting to disassemble my scrubber electronics head. Thank goodness the TSA is now training their staff to disassemble complicated life support equipment!

Luckily, the TSA chronic serial disassembler was an expatriate from Mindoro and all was well after I finished the reassembly of my equipment. Besides, I had a whole hour of my life that I did not need and I wanted to utterly and completely waste it, so the TSA was nice enough to oblige me.

Getting there is Half the Fun

The flight to Manila was provided courtesy of Cathay Pacific Airways. When arriving at the ticket counter, I was told that my economy seat had been overbooked so I regrettably had to be forced into a larger more comfortable business class seat.

After being shown my new upgraded seat I protested because it butted up to the aircrafts' bulkhead and I would not be able to recline. The stewardess quietly reached down and pressed a button, which amazingly reclined the seat almost completely. I gave her high marks, as only a person with immense powers of self-control and Zen-like concentration could prevent themselves from rolling their eyes at my naiveté.

After a few hours of king like treatment that included hot towels, being called Mr. and my last name, the excellent food arrived. It was beautifully presented with two small smooth stones, one black and the other off-white, sitting on a plate. And of course a sharp metal fork and knife were provided that eclipsed the tiny dull metal nail file TSA confiscated from me in apparent fear I would threaten the pilot with a bad manicure.

Now I knew why TSA confiscated all those tiny keychain pocketknives and nail files; they had much bigger ones on the plane that they provided for absolutely free!

In business class they reduce the lighting for dinner to set the mood. At the commencement of dinner, I closely examined the two smooth small stones I had been given with my food, trying to figure out what they were for. I noticed that on the underside of the white stone, there was a small white plastic disk. I stared at it for about twenty seconds, contemplating the idea of trying to remove it. After staring at this white disk, I realized I was pouring salt all over my lap. My natural reaction was to look around and see if anyone noticed. Luckily the passenger next to me seemed engrossed with her movie so my reputation as a sophisticated cosmopolitan world-class traveler remained in tact.

Of course, until the entire worldwide community reads this travelogue!

The Airline Shuffle

Cathay Pacific Airways typically makes a stop at the modern new Hong Kong airport with a two-hour stopover. For those that do not mind trading a two-hour delay for the ability to stretch out, Hong Kong airport has excellent eateries, a chair massage facility, a place to take naps, showers, and a lounge by the televisions. You will find just about every amenity you could want for your international flying comfort.

Cathay Pacific Airways' planes also have extraordinarily nice flat panel televisions on the back of every seat, which include a large variety of movies. My only complaint was a woman seated next to me that decided she wanted to expose me to Brokeback Mountain. It still eludes me why they call them cowboys instead of sheepboys, since the movie opens with them watching sheep. Cathay did provide a smorgasbord of movies, at least 20 different titles, and seven different genres of music for my perusing pleasure.

Philippine Airlines often travels straight through, which reduces your flight time by a good three hours, and for those that want to relax in the Philippines, you'll gain 3 hours in the Phillipines. It is nice to patronize the airlines of the host country, especially when they provide such spectacular diving, values, and hospitality.

Both airlines allow up to two checked bags and if if they contain dive gear, you'll get a maximum allowance of 70lbs or 32 kilos each. Carry-ons are limited to approximately 15 pounds or 6.8 kilograms. However, in my experience, Cathay Pacific Airways offers a more liberal carry-on allowance for business class travelers.

Arriving in Paradise

Upon arriving at Aquino International Airport in Manila, I took a 15-minute taxi to the bus terminal. Just ask any taxi driver to take you to the bus terminal that goes to Batangas Pier. Always make sure the taxi driver turns on the meter, no matter what country you are traveling in.

For about $3 USD, I took an air-conditioned bus to the Batangas ferry pier. The easiest and quickest way to find the correct bus is to ask a hawker because they are familiar with which buses go to Batangas Pier. Then check on the windows of the bus to ensure there is a sign with the proper destination on it.

Both to and from, the bus to the Batangas Pier will make occasional quick stops so locals can come on board with a variety of interesting snacks, drinks, and local goods. It would be too frequent if it was not entirely entertaining and interesting, plus the snacks are pretty tasty and well worth the money. Throughout the ride, you will be glued to your window watching the people and their most popular form of group transportation, the whimsical “Jeepney”.

Once you get off the bus, semi-freelance porters who will offer to carry your bags and buy your ferry ticket for you. Be wise, as the hawkers are often promoting their own ferry and it may not be the next one going to Sabang, which is your final destination.

Your Bangka Boat to Paradise!

Because it is so hectic and you are overwhelmed by the humorous madness, I advise you to request one porter to get a large cart for all of your bags to fit on. Then while your travel partners follow the porter, you can go see which ferry is the next to leave, instead of settling for the ferry that your porter is trying to sell. If you do not request one porter, then you will get a separate porter for each person in your group, which can easily end up with your luggage going four different directions. When you have $15K in HD video equipment and $15K in rebreather dive equipment, this can be a "higher voltage" experience then the upcoming dives.

While you are waiting at the Batangas Pier ferry terminal, you will find that drinks and snacks are easily available. I still can’t figure out why they keep the doors open with the air conditioning on during the height of the humidity season, but it had an odd way of marketing the service of the beverage stands. Funny how that works!

Because the Batangas ferry does not run in the evening, it will be extremely important for you to plan your arrival during the daylight running hours of the ferry. The Atlantis Hotel is available 24 hours a day by telephone and email to assist you if necessary. The earliest time to catch the ferry is usually 9:30am and the latest is around 1:30pm, so you will have to work closely with your travel agent or the Atlantis Hotel to ensure your arrival in the morning. Although, I found the local transportation easy to navigate, you can also discuss the private busses and ferries that the Atlantis Hotel provides.

The “Bangka” is the national watercraft of the Philippines and I was excited to have the privilege of riding in one. These indigenous boats range from one-man affairs to 80-foot long vessels that carry a hundred passengers. They are made of traditional local hardwoods with padded seats, a full compliment of life preservers, excellent plastic tarps in the event of the warm rains, and captains who could pilot the boats to their destinations blindfolded. Each bangka has huge bamboo outriggers on both sides that are bent with hot steam to curve the ends. These make the Bangkas more stable than mono-hull boats. The hour-long inexpensive bangka ride brings you to 500 feet away from Atlantis Hotel and Dive Resort right on the Sabang Beach.

Attachment 219

The Atlantis Hotel and Dive Resort

As the ferry docks, you will again be met by dozens of freelance porters. They will offer to carry your luggage off the ferry for you and take them to your chosen resort. Definitely take them up on this offer!

The average tip rate is 20 pesos per bag, but they will try to get 50 pesos for each bag. 50 pesos equals about $1 USD. I gave them 50 pesos each bag agreed upon in advance as I felt sorry they had NO idea how heavy my equipment cases and gear bags were. Agree on a per bag price in advance and then relax, because your on vacation in paradise!

At the Atlantis Resort, you will enter an open-air tropical check in station. On your right, there are an array of display cases stocked full of clothes, dive gear, local jewelry, and crafts. Porters will then carry your bags up to your room.

Your Room

You will notice that the rooms are Mediterranean in style and construction. Each room has a tropical terrace and is extremely clean, very much meeting Western standards. I like how they are not like a common American hotel, but are more in touch with the architecture of an exotic tropical island. They include a full compliment of Western amenities, which includes hot and cold running water and air conditioning, the latter if which at times is a must. During the summer months, it is extremely humid although Floridians will feel right at home in the months of May and June.

The Atlantis Resort has several different levels of rooms including singles, doubles, Coconut suites, and Executive suites, which is the order of the images displayed below. You will find smaller units for couples as well as larger suites with private balconies.

Attachment 207Attachment 208Attachment 210Attachment 211Attachment 209

You’re in Paradise… Now What?

After a long day of traveling, you will probably want to take a hot or cool shower and plop down to take a nap. It is time to relax, slow down, and remember you're in paradise now!

My dive equipment bags were taken down to the dive equipment storage room. Here you will find a shelf space with your last name on it. My HiDef video equipment case was taken for me to the multemedia room. There you will find plenty of large and dry towels, a huge countertop area, multiple shelves below, and more 220-volt outlets and 120-volt converters that you'll need.

I especially liked the low-pressure dry air for drying off camera equipment. The air came in handy when I rushed late to a dive briefing, bringing my HiDef video rig out from my air conditioned room only to have it fog all up and give me a humidity warning. Five minutes of directing the gentle dry compressed air into the cassette carriage fixed that problem, or I would have been stuck for over an hour. As you can see from the photo below, Atlantis Resort is really set up well for photographers and videographers!

Attachment 212Attachment 213

Tech divers are also supported at the Atlantis Resort. They have helium for trimix, a huge bank of pure oxygen and a new booster for the pure 02 that rebreather divers use.

Attachment 220

They also have 2 Evolution 2L cylinders and 4 Inspiration 3L cylinders that can be used on Kiss units, Megs, Prisms and other non-cased CCR’s. Other items you will find available include, 8-12 mesh sofnolime, 6-12 Sodasorb, pony and stage bottles, a membrane nitrox filled tank bank, as well as rental gear if necessary.

The Diving Staff and Schedules

If you stand at the reservation desk, turn around and walk 10 paces there you will find the below large marker board where the day and evening dives and dive site descriptions are located, as well as possible critter sightings.

Attachment 214

Typically there are four groups, of up to six divers each, going to different dive sites. Just ask to have your name added to the dive site or group you want to go with.

There are four dives done during the day, and often a fifth in the early evening, which is the night dive. Dive briefings are required, and the Atlantis staff guides, all of whom are highly trained and experienced, will explain: the dive profile, procedures, safety stops, as well as common and occasional critter sightings. I always found that they were right on the money, and the briefing was just the right length.

One nice thing I liked about the staff guides was that I could ask their recommendation on where to go to increase my likelihood of seeing certain critters. Ulrika, one of the staff who is also a dive guide, took me to an area upon my request and sure enough, I got great HD footage of fluorescing cuttlefish. I told Ron I wanted to video some seahorses, and within 20 minutes I was at 60 feet, with a red and a yellow seahorse forever immortalized in Hi Definition.

There are over 30 dives sites within five to ten minutes of the resort. Now don't think that the proximity is done as a cost saving benefit. No! World class diving is to be found within a five to ten minute boat ride, so there is no reason to travel further.

A Typical Day in Paradise

After gearing up in the dive locker area, a 30-foot walk takes you to the covered dive briefing area. From there you will walk no more then 50 feet right into the gentle shallow bay waters. Then hop on one of the four boats anchored in two-foot deep warm waters. You will find your gear already on the boat for you!

In groups of six divers, there will be two guides and a boat pilot. In groups of four or less, there will be one guide depending on the experience level of the divers in the group.

After your first morning dive, it is a five to ten minute ride back to the resort grounds for a snack, bathroom break, or short rest.

The late morning boats go out next. After their return, it is lunchtime. Atlantis has just finished a huge complete remodel and expansion of their covered but open-air restaurant. They just hired a new head culinary chef and wow, you hungry divers are in for a treat!

When was the last time you visited some remote, exotic dive travel site and included in your package were dishes like this?

After lunch, you have the opportunity for two more dives, separated by another rest interval. Then comes dinner. While having the time of your life, you do not even realize how much exercise you are getting.

Attachment 216Attachment 215

After a really tasty dinner, it is massage time! Either in your room or in the tranquil massage room everyone treats themselves to a well-deserved professional therapeutic Swedish massage. At 1/5th the price of a massage in Europe or the States, the one-hour massage is an incredible bargain! It was a massage every day for me, and some guests received two a day.

Attachment 217

After an evening nap, it is time to hit the Atlantis Dive Resort watering hole located at the end of the dive briefing area. Here you will find good music, tall dive tales, and good friends.

Additional Activities for Your Vacation

There are many additional activities Atlantis guests can do including: kayaking, hiking, renting an scooter for putt putting around the island. Some of the best views are from Ponderosa, a nine-hole golf course located at 1,400 feet. You can also visit the beautiful Tamara Falls, which provides and inspirational view of nature at its best.

Attachment 218

There are optional dive/leisure excursions that you can also take part in. One that is a must is a day excursion to Verde Island for a three-tank dive in incredibly pristine waters and a barbecue. A large bangka boat will take guests to an area packed with incredible critters and high-voltage drop off diving.

Verde Island is an hour bangka boat trip. Upon arrival, divers suit up for their first dive. The first dive tends to be deeper and off the steep east drop offs. The visibility there is spectacular and the wave after wave of schooling fish was just mind-boggling.

After a brief ten-minute boat ride, divers disembark and are treated to: drinks, snacks, a snooze, or some beach combing. If you look, you are all but guaranteed to find some porcelain pottery pieces from an 1800’s shipwreck. The local islander children, who love to check out the Westerners, are shy but really cute and relish the idea of getting your aluminum cans from those drinks. They are happy to sell you those shipwreck pottery pieces or nice washed up shells too.

The second dive takes place at a site aptly named the Washing Machine. Sometimes it is not even diveable, but most of the time it is. After the second dive, you are taken back to the lovely remote beach for a Philippine beach barbecue, which includes: fresh fish, chicken, Philippine fried rice, fresh veggies, and cold drinks.

After all that excitement, it was naptime for all! I found a nice spot in the shade of the thatched roof open-air picnic table until the third dive. After the third dive, you are transported back to the Atlantis Resort beach and your gear is carried back to the dive gear area for you.

Atlantis Resort is making preparations to be able to offer guests a day excursion to a secret new Island area. The upcoming trips will be in their newly completed long excursion bankga boat. As soon as I’ve made the new destination excursion, expect a full ScubaMagazine.net report to be added here along with both above and below water photos.

Also we captured plenty of High Definition pro underwater footage of what you can expect to see underwater while diving at Atlantis. When that footage is edited we'll upload it to the Gallery and add a link here.

After nine days of diving, eating, and relaxing, it was sad time to head back to the rat race, but as legend would have it, Puerto Galera diving drew me back within just one month of my first trip, and Atlantis was a huge part of fulfilling the Legend of Puerto Galera.

Below is a video we shot and produced of the fantastic diving to be had in the Philippines at Atlantis Dive Resort.

http://www.vimeo.com/853006

Attachment 223Attachment 224Attachment 225Attachment 227