Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera is the nearest serious diving to Manila and has been for half a century, which explains both its reefs and its reputation. The coast is a series of coves: Sabang, the dive-shop capital with its wrecks, canyons and muck sites minutes offshore and a nightlife scene that divides opinion; White Beach, the long sandy strip where domestic tourism concentrates, loud and cheerful with videoke and beach bars; and the quieter bays - Talipanan, Aninuan, Tamaraw - where resorts are spaced out and the sand is emptier. Underwater the area sits inside the Verde Island Passage, so the species density is exceptional, and the standard sites run from the Canyons drift to the Alma Jane wreck and the sponge-covered Sinandigan wall. Ashore, the Tamaraw Falls, Tukuran and the Mangyan communities inland fill non-diving days. The whole peninsula is a UNESCO-listed part of the Man and the Biosphere network in name and a busy tourist coast in fact.

History

The sheltered bay was a refuge for ships in bad weather long before the Spanish, with a warehouse at Muelle for trade in black rice. The Spanish arrived in April 1570 and named the place Puerto Galera, "port of galleons", building a garrison at Muelle and watchtowers on Dampalitan Point; in 1663 the provincial capital moved from Puerto Galera to Baco (Wikipedia, Puerto Galera).

What you'll find

• Sabang's dive coast - wrecks, canyons and muck sites offshore.
• White Beach - the long sandy strip and its noise.
• The quiet coves - Talipanan and Aninuan's spread-out resorts.
• The passage reefs - Verde Island biodiversity minutes away.

When to go

November to May for calm crossings and best visibility; Holy Week and long weekends fill the beaches. The Batangas ferry cancels in rough weather.

Before you go

White Beach is a party beach - book elsewhere if that is not the plan. Sabang's nightlife has a bar-scene reputation that surprises some families. Currents at the dive sites are strong and several are advanced-only.

Nearby

Tamaraw Falls is half an hour inland; the rest of Mindoro, including Sablayan and Apo Reef, lies south.

Key facts