Puerto Galera is on the North coast of Mindoro and
South of Luzon. These two Islands are separated by sea and what is
called Verde Island Passage. Here the water flows from the South China
Sea. As the Verde Passage is deep there are strong currents. The water
is clear and excellent for diving. Verde Passage is renown for its
hundreds of species of tropical fish and flora and fauna. There is a
lot of diversity of hard and soft coral varieties.
Puerto Galera
is one of the better dive sites in The Philippines. It offers a 5
kilometer foreshore with world class dive sites with visibility ranging
from 10 meters [ 30 feet ] to 30 meters [ 100 feet ], or better
depending upon water temperature, current and wind direction.
The
typhoon season is from the end of July to the end of November, during
which period there are winds and choppy seas. However there are always
accessible dive locations even during this period. The better times are
during April to September when the sea is calmest, the winds drop and
visibility is best.
Puerto
Galera [‘’ Port of the Galleons ‘’] was founded in 1572 by the Spanish
and was the first Capital of Mindoro. From as early as the 10 Century, Puerto
Galera was a trading center for Chinese, Indonesian and Malay shipping
and trade.
