Anilao, Philippines

When we met up at the airport, i discovered that two out of the whole dive group were going back to dive Anilao for the third time. "Anilao is that good huh?", i thought, being cautious at the same time lest expectations grow bigger than they should.

True enough, Anilao IS a great place to dive, as i discovered for myself.

Located on Luzon island, Anilao is about 2-3 hours drive south of Manila, near Batangas. We stayed at Balai Resort, a simple but quiet & cozy place where the hospitality was as warm as the tropical weather. Food was good too! Especially the desserts, which were all very sweet & just sends you to the gastronomical heavenlies. The coconut ice-cream, oh man, so good with it's real coconut flesh bits....ahhhhhhh.....

Yes, the resort was simple & nice:

Of course, no beach pad is complete without the customary hammock:

I like how the dive centre is set up: open air space with plenty of room to move around, large bamboo patio to do whatever you wanna do (suit-up, gear-up, dry your gear or just sit around & chill), simple racks made of bamboo & wood to dry stuff, bits of shade provided by the trees above...it was very close-to-nature.

And then we hit the water (which ranged between 27-28 degrees celcius, so bring something warm especially if you're diving for longer periods at a time), where we discover the awesome beauty of the underwater world that is Anilao.

Anilao's diving is pretty diverse, ranging from muck diving (at sites like Toro's Point), wall diving (Kerby's Rock) to sites with lush colourful coral forests & fish life that just blew me away.

Say hello to hairy frogfish! (photo by Edvin Eng):

My personal favourite was a site called Sombrero. The place is just brimming with life! The whole place was blanketed by corals of all variety & colour. From the moment i descended into this site, it was just one "wow wow wowww" after another. Because the corals are so healthy, correspondingly the fish population there was thriving and there were heaps of them everywhere!

Wide-angle photographers would have a field day at Sombrero (photo by Edvin Eng):

How awesome is our God. Stuff of dreams...theatre of His magnificence, showcase of God's craft. The pictures speak for itself (pictures by Gregory Leong):

A couple of things i observed during the stay which probably contributed to the healthy marine ecosystem in Anilao: Firstly, no sewerage is flushed into the sea from any resorts there. Secondly, boat engines are well maintained such that there are no visible leaks or unpleasant emissions.

If you're asking "Should i go dive in Anilao?" My answer is a resounding YES YES YES! Do dive responsibly in order to maintain the "ohhlala" of this place. That means no disturbing the marine life, making sure trash goes into the trash, and using electricity & water only when necessary (water at the resort is tapped from spring water source nearby), among others.

For non-divers, it's also a great place to chill & refresh. There are a few comfortable places around the resort where one can plant themselves comfortable, read a book, sleep, dream, get inspired, paint, whatever. The beach is not a beach of sand, but a beach of stones, so no beach running or sports. The sea is great for swimming, just be extra careful when there are currents. Snorkelling can also be done at some sites.

And no dive trip is complete without the never-cease-to-amaze-me sunsets :)