Highlights | Scuba Diving in Puerto Princesa, Palawan | PHILIPPINES

During last few years I have dived 60+ dives in Puerto Princesa in Philippines. Puerto Princesa is a place where is possible to see everything from macro creatures to whale sharks and big rays.

Check my video to see some highlights of diving in Puerto Princesa. Enjoy!

Hopefully you liked it.

Regards,
Mika

Remote beaches and diving places - Rent a motorcycle

Southeast Asia is a paradise for people who loves beaches, snorkeling and of course scuba diving. There are anyway many nice places, where is not so easy to go. Also inside the area moving can be difficult or just have to take always some kind of taxi. For that problem motorcycle or scooter is a perfect solution. Just find the motorcycle rent company and check the bikes. After you have found the good one, check especially that tires and breaks are ok. 

If you have plan to ride longer trip, check and confirm there are also enough oil and other liquids. Check the bike has needed papers and confirm you have the phone number for the owner. After that you are ready to go. 

Palawan in Philippines has lots of beautiful remote beaches and it´s also good place for scuba diving. Beach in Port Barton. 

Puerto Princesa area is good place for scuba diving. Whitetip reef shark in small cave. 

There is possible to go snorkeling with whale sharks in Puerto Princesa. The season is usually from end of April to October.

Bohol area in Philippines is also great for motorcycling. Beautiful white sand Alone Beach.

There is possible to see rare tarsiers in Bohol.

Balicasag Island near Alona Beach is great place for scuba diving. There is possible to see lots of big sea turtles.

Phuket in Thailand is also very good place, where you can combine motorcycling and diving. The island is quite large, so motorcycle/scooter is very usefully way to go from place to another. Phuket has also many beautiful beaches around the island.

There are many diving destinations in Phuket area like Racha Yai, Racha Noi, Koh Phi Phi and Shark Point. Here is Leopard Shark in Shark Point.

Indonesia has also many interesting place to explore. One of those is Labuan Bajo in Komodo, where you can find twisty mountain roads for motorcycling and beautiful views. 

Komodo is also amazing diving destination. Huge schools of fishes, lots of shark and big rays. Also manta rays. 

Komodo dragons are of course also one must see in Komodo. 

Using motorcycle/scooter it´s so much easier to reach many places. As a bonus you will see so much more on the trip even the scuba diving is the main focus. 

Regards,
Mika

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Putul and Crossing in Puerto Princesa, Philippines

Dive #: 263
Date: 29.12.2015
Place: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Putul
Depth: 27,7m Average: 17,6m
Dive time: 52min
Visibility: 18-20m
Sea temperature: +30C

Equipment
Bottle: 12L/200bar (air)  Wetsuit: Only shorts + sleeveles  Weight: 5Kg
Camera: Canon PowerShot G15 + Ikelite´s housing  Computer: Suunto Stinger

Dive Center: Dive Puerto Princesa
Price: 3300PHP/64€/2 Dives

I did two dives in Puerto Princesa area. Dive spots were Putul and Crossing. 

Porcupine fish trying to be invisible.

Nudibranch.

Small crab in the anemone.

Same guy from the different angle.

Nudi couple.

Brain coral.

Time for the safety stop and to the boat.

Dive #: 264
Date: 29.12.2015
Place: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Crossing
Depth: 19,5m Average: 13,7m
Dive time: 51min
Visibility: 20-25m
Sea temperature: +30C

Equipment
Bottle: 12L/200bar (air)  Wetsuit: Only shorts + sleeveles  Weight: 5Kg
Camera: Canon PowerShot G15 + Ikelite´s housing  Computer: Suunto Stinger

Our second dive was in Crossing, which is near Putul.

There was lot of redtooth triggerfishes.

These guys are very common on the bottom.

Blue-striped snappers.

What is this fish?

Turtle swimming on the reef.

Then to another direction.

Cinnamon clown fish.

Giant puffer on the cleaning station.

I have dived many times in the both dive spots before and dives were good basic diving. Lot of different kind of reef fishes.

Here you can check the hotels in Puerto Princesa.

Regards from Manila,
Mika

Diving day on the beautiful Modessa Island in Palawan, Philippines

Dive #: 262
Date: 25.12.2015
Place: Philippines, Palawan, Modessa Island, Tarvis Reef
Depth: 17,3m Average: 9,1m
Dive time: 87min
Visibility: 8-10m
Sea temperature: +30C

Equipment
Bottle: 12L/200bar (air)  Wetsuit: Only shorts + sleeveles  Weight: 5Kg
Camera: Canon PowerShot G15 + Ikelite´s housing  Computer: Suunto Stinger

Dive Center: Tarvis Dive Center
Price: 1000PHP/20€/1 Dive

We spent the Christmas in Roxas in Palawan and on the next day 25th we did the day trip to beautiful paradise island called Modessa Island Resort. It takes 45min from Roxas to the island by boat. The island looks awesome.

I have been on the island ones before, but on that trip I didin´t dive. Only snorkeling. This time I wanted to dive also. 

I didin´t have any booking for the dive, so I just went to visit in the Tarvis Dive Center, which is next building from the restaurant. There was no other customers on that time, so we just checked the gears  with Richard, who runs the dive center. After everything was ready we just walked stairs down to the water and started the dive. Here is something what we saw. 

Visibility was not the best possible. Very soon in the dive we saw a big school of barracudas. Richard told there can be three different kind of barracudas in one school.

Same school.

Nemos. 

Striped cat fishes on the sandy bottom.

Silver sweetlips.

Lionfish and the small fishes.

Small fishes hiding in the corals.

Small reef fishes.

Curious batfish came very close.

Later we saw more barracudas.

And more. 

Under water tree.

Richard told me before the dive, that show him when I have 70 bars left and let´s go then to shallow area to find seahorses. Here he is checking the seacrass, if we could find one.

We checked several seacrass bush, but we didin´t find any. Then we turned back and rechecked the seacrasses again and we found one. Seahorses are quite funny creatures. When you tried to take photo they turn always the back to you. This is Zepra Snouted Seahorse.

Same seahorse closer. Belly is so big, that it can be pregnant. 

From the different angle.

Very small puffer which didin´t scare to come close at all. 

Coby and shrimp together.

Flounder in the sandy bottom. 

Here the flounder closer, where is possible to see eyes on the same side of the body. 

It was great dive on the Modessa Island even the visibility was not the best one. Barracudas and seahorse were the highlights of the dive. I have never seen that kind of seahorse before. The reef is  quite shallow, so the dives can be quite long. In my case the dive was nice 87min. Almost one and half hour on one tank. That´s easily my longest dive ever. 

Would be fun to dive in Modessa again. Special thanks to Richard!

If you want to see more photos from the Modessa Island, check from my Finnish travel blog. I really recommend to visit in Modessa Island Resort. 

Regards,

Mika

Maris Rock and Silica Reef in Puerto Princesa, Philippines

Dive #: 260
Date: 22.12.2015
Place: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Maris Rock
Depth: 21,6m Average: 11,5m
Dive time: 56min
Visibility: 8-10m
Sea temperature: +30C

Equipment
Bottle: 12L/220bar (air)  Wetsuit: Only shorts + sleeveles  Weight: 5Kg
Camera: Canon PowerShot G15 + Ikelite´s housing  Computer: Suunto Stinger

Dive Center: Dive Puerto Princesa
Price: 3300PHP/64€/2 Dives

I was one and half week holiday in Palawan and of cource I had to go also diving. Our first dive spot was Maris Rock where I have dived many times also before. Here is something what we saw on the dive.

Mantis shrimp.

Crocodile fish on the bottom.

Porcupine fish.

Different kind of nudibranches are very common in Puerto Princesa area. You will see those in practice on every dive.

Fan coral.

Trigger fish tried to be angry to me, but only tried and swam away. 

Close up of the coral surface.

Dive #: 261
Date: 22.12.2015
Place: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Silica Reef
Depth: 20,4m Average: 12,5m
Dive time: 66min
Visibility: 10-12m
Sea temperature: +30C

Equipment
Bottle: 12L/220bar (air)  Wetsuit: Only shorts + sleeveles  Weight: 5Kg
Camera: Canon PowerShot G15 + Ikelite´s housing  Computer: Suunto Stinger

Our second dive was Silica Reef, which is on the front of Pristine Beach. On the reef you can see lot of different kind of soft coral and small reef fishes.

Nudibranch.

Curious small fish, but what is it?

Feather coral.

Small worms on the coral.

Small puffer tries to hide.

Corals.

Some kind of clam.

This colorful fish is common on the reefs, but what is it?

Big eye.

Giant puffer hiding.

Feather coral.

Big nudibranch.

Straiped pipe fish.

I have dived in Puerto Princesa area something 70+ dives and we didin´t see anything special for me on the dives. Anyway it was great have two relax dives.

Regards,

Mika