And I mean the Philippines (its Verde Passage being the "center of the center" of global marine biodiversity, yes?).
I'm new to the forum so I guess I'll start here.
I’ve been diving for only six years (the decade before that was focused more on the hiking bit until my trekking group members started lying low to start families ).
The easy dives of Anilao in Batangas being only two hours away, I was quite content with my open water NAUI certification (even the littlest anemone shrimp makes me happy) but maybe around two years later I had to get a PADI advanced certification just so I won’t miss out on the night diving from a live-aboard.
My favorite live-aboard destination in the country would be (no surprise to Filipino divers) the drop-offs of Tubbataha Reefs where I saw my first manta ray (on the last dive of the last day). Don’t mind traveling a long way for even a brief sighting. I once rode in a bus for 12 hours to get to Masbate and this current-crazy site named Ticao Bowl, which traps the plankton that lures the mantas. My most recent manta encounter since was in Malapascua’s Monad Shoal (where thresher sharks regularly make a 6 a.m. appearance.) Microlife in Anilao, wrecks in Coron, giants in the Sulu Seas—I’m obviously spoiled for choice and happy to be where I am as a relatively newbie diver. I’m kind of a late bloomer and so I'm glad there's a venue like this and I do look forward to learning from (and I'm sure being entertained by ) the experiences and expertise of the people here.