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The
abundance and beautiful
diversity of marine life
is immediately obvious
when you poke your head
underwater. When you
have done this you
surely want to
experience more. And
there is plenty to see
for anyone who would
like to venture deeper
than knee deep into the
water. The twenty-four
dive sites of Puerto
Galera form an
incredible addition to
the fantastic and
unspoiled beauty of its
shores and the mountains
beyond. It is therefore
not surprising that for
almost 50 years Puerto
Galera has attracted
experts studying the
eco-structure of
micro-organisms, marine
life, animals and
plants. The University
of the Philippines
Marine Biological
Station was set up in
1934 and in 1974, the
UNESCO Man and Biosphere
Program International
declared the area a
research center and the
reefs a marine reserve.
The great ecological
complexity and the
abundant species have
earned Puerto Galera a
reputation as the best
dive area in the
Philippines and maybe in
Asia.
Due
to the warm southwards
flowing currents that
bring clear water with
temperatures of 28 to 30
degrees Celsius during
the bigger part of the
year the reefs of Puerto
Galera have been able to
perpetuate their
mesmerizing existence
through history. Only in
the months of December
to February, which are
cool and usually dry,
the water temperature
drops to a still
comfortable dive level
of 24 degrees Celsius.
 Dive
weather of Puerto Galera
The weather of the
Island of Mindoro can
roughly be divided in
two seasons the "Habagat"
and the "Amihan".
Amihan is the
wind effected by the
northeast monsoon, which
blows from October until
the middle of May, which
create the best dive
conditions for diving.
Visibility is usually 20
and can reach 40 meters
in April and May,
however this maybe
reduced somewhat around
Christmas and New Year
when plankton production
occurs.
Habagat is the
wind effected by the
southeast monsoon, which
blows from nearly
opposite direction in
the months of June until
the end of September.
In the northern part
of Puerto Galera surf
and surges often develop
effecting visibility in
shallow coastal water
and the waves can become
rough by midday. About
60 to 80 meters from the
beach the visibility
during this season is
often quite reasonable.
However in the area of
Muelle Bay and east of
Puerto Galera near
Palangan and Sinandigan
the waters are usually
very calm during this
time of the year and
offer good diving.
June to September is
also the time of the
year for typhoons, which
can give rain over about
3 days, usually followed
by a break in the
monsoon with a period of
fine weather that can
last to up to two weeks.
Without any doubt, this
season is the next best
time of the year for the
dive enthusiast.
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