El Galleon Dive Resort; Puerto Galera

El Galleon Dive Resort is a great option for families, groups, single women, or anyone who doesn't want to be right in "town". It is a short 5-minute walk from the "center of action" in Puerto Galera. They have a variety of room types, from budget rooms to luxury villas, and support technical diving.

Nearby, there is golfing, zip-lining, dune-buggies, and ATVs. Verde Island, which offers awesome diving, is just 25 minutes away on their larger speedboat.

How To Get There

The resort is located in Puerto Galera, 2-3 hours from Manila. They offer airport transfer service for the guests.

Dive Overview

The Philippines are home to a dense population of marine life, boasting colorful reefs and incredible macro life. El Galleon is located in a marine reserve and offers a pristine dive setting.Dives here are suitable for all levels, from your 8-year old bubblemaker to recreational holiday divers, to serious underwater photographers and even technical divers.

Check Out This Great Video!

Accommodation Overview

Guests can choose from Seaview, Family, Poolside, or Budget rooms, or can request a Penthouse Suite or the Waimea Luxury Houses.

Want to see more of the resort? Check out our walkthrough video!

Foods & Drinks

Arthur's Restaurant: The El Galleon restaurant's menu is full of wonderful dishes that will fulfill your wants and needs, whether it be a small snack like the scrumptious home-made pasta or baked mussels, Calamari Fritto or, a full meal like our special spaghetti, seafood plate, steak barnaise or something from French Chef Antoines very own corner: Coq Au Vin, Quenelles of Fish, Quiche Lorraine, and Pot Au Feu, are just a few of the delights.

The Barrel Bar: A beautiful place to catch the sunset and enjoy the light breeze along with your favorite cocktail.

The Point Bar: It is actually a part of the excellent El Galleon Beach Resort and therefore serves the same sumptuous menu on offer at the beach resort. This is at once sophisticated yet simple, a center of entertainment and relaxation.

Dive Information

Puerto Galera is situated on the northern coast of Mindoro Island (the 5th largest island in the Philippine archipelago chain of 7,107 islands), which is about 12 nautical miles south of Batangas City, Luzon.

One of the big reasons to dive here is for the amazing macro life. Underwater photographers are delighted with the vast selection of different nudibranchs that they can see on just one dive site! Pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish, frogfish, sea moths, dragonets, stick pipefish, wonderous, mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish are some of the special things that divers can see.

All the dive sites are replete with huge numbers of splendid fishes, huge basket sponges adorned with hundreds of multi-colored crinoids; vast numbers of hard and soft corals and gorgonian sea fans. Turtles, octopus, mantis shrimp, crabs, seahorses, and cuttlefish make guest appearances as well. There are also a few wrecks teaming with fish, that have been sunk purposely to turn into dive sites.

The Verde Island Passage is very deep, so clear water is very common to the dive sites of Puerto Galera, along with a fantastic variety of underwater flora and fauna.

Experts have called The Verde Island Passage the center of the center of the worlds marine biodiversity. Life-enhancing nutrients from the Pacific mix with waters of the South China Sea. You would never guess that beneath the surface are spectacular reef formations with more than 300 species of corals and underwater rock canyons that host nearly 60 percent of the worlds known shorefish species.

The World Conservation Union describes it as the marine counterpart of the Amazon River basin, which put the passage at the peak of the Coral Triangle that spans the Sulawesi and the Sulu Seas in the southern Philippines and nearby Indonesia.

Dive Center Information

Asia Divers is the Philippines first PADI Career Development Center (CDC), where experienced instructors and divemasters, guide guests on world-class dive sites, all only a short boat ride away. Asia Divers has been in business for 28 years and is known for its high standard of teaching across all PADI courses, from Bubblemakers for kids to Divemaster and Instructor level courses. Many of the Divemasters and Instructors working in the area were trained by Asia Divers.

The dive facility is just a few years old and there is nothing like it in Asia. There is a diving platform with a large pontoon on which boats can easily dock on making it simple for guests to board and disembark.

Every diver has their own crate in the dive shop to store their gear, and there is a dedicated camera room with a computer available and rinse tank specifically for cameras.

Its very spacious so even when the shop is busy you never feel crowded. The calm, relaxed atmosphere lets you know that youre being well looked after by the crew who are always there to help you with anything you may need.