Taiwan had two consecutive long weekends with the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Foundation Day, so I booked a trip to Manila for a different reason, tho those plans got canceled. While Taiwan was sweltering in heat, the Philippines is experiencing cooler conditions of around 25°C during the day due to the typhoon season. Last year, I joined the dive club on a trip to Palau, and our flight was the first and last one allowed that day due to typhoon in Taiwan. This time, I kept my fingers crossed that conditions would be safe for a weekend dive in Anilao!
- Tech Gear Upgrades – Pelican 1200 and Scubapro Jet Fin
- Dive 230: Mainit Bubble, another Nitrogen Narcosis Story
- Dive 231-232: Twin Rocks and Cathedral, Anilao, Batangas
- Dive 233: Night dive at Anilao Pier
- Dive Costs at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort
Tech Gear Upgrades – Pelican 1200 and Scubapro Jet Fin
My unbranded hard case’s lock broke during a dive in August, and I had been searching for pink jet fins for quite some time. Fortunately, both items arrived before the trip! A tip for anyone purchasing a Pelican case: buy the no-foam (NF) version to save on cost, as the foam is unnecessary. After an extensive hunt, I finally found the pink fins I wanted!
Dive 230: Mainit Bubble, another Nitrogen Narcosis Story
Gerald had an emergency, so instead of a planned two-day dive, we drove down Saturday afternoon and completed four dives on Sunday. We canceled our camping plans at Mt. Batulao to rest at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort and drove back to Manila Monday morning.
Our first dive was a technical dive to Mainit Bubble, approximately 30 minutes by boat from the resort. We conducted a thorough gear check, verified our air supplies, and planned for a bottom time + TTS of 60mins, at a depth of ~50 meters. On the boat, we synchronized our dive computers, conducted our dive brief (S-drill, SAC rate and side-roll procedures), and prepared for descent.
I was fascinated to be diving near volcanic activity, and when we reached depth, I was amazed to see bubbles rising from the sandy bottom. Nitrogen narcosis hit me again, but this time I experienced it differently—my limbs weren’t numb, I didn’t feel lazy or relaxed, but rather overly excited. To maintain focus, I continuously talked to myself and the bubbles while recording video on my GoPro without any issues.
I was satisfied with the dive, so when the team signaled to ascend, I complied even if my bottom time was only 18 minutes and 14 minutes of TTS. What I didn’t discover until after the dive was that our dive guide had brought an empty tank. Ironically, he reminded us divers to independently verify all gear before descent—a timely lesson about not trusting anyone else with your safety.
The ascent was challenging since the dive plan had changed. I relied on my whiteboard notes, but had to transition to following hand signals for air switches, ascent rates, decompression stop depths and durations, and remaining air supply.
Here’s how the dive site looks!
Dive 231-232: Twin Rocks and Cathedral, Anilao, Batangas
What I like about diving with a twinset is not having to switch tanks between dives. My tanks still had 110 bar (×2) remaining after the first dive, more than sufficient for a recreational dive lasting 55 minutes, and I still had 50 bar (×2) remaining. I didn’t bring a deco tank since we were only descending to 30m, though I may include one on future dives to practice decompression procedures.
The second dive site was Twin Rocks, where I practiced macro videography and back finning. We returned to the resort for a lunch break before heading back out at 3 PM for the third site, The Cathedral.
Dive 233: Night dive at Anilao Pier
I didn’t really have a full lunch since it was just an hour break, I ate the fruits we packed so after the third dive, I was famished! I was running to the resort’s restuarant saying I’m hungry!!! I had sisig, which I regret. Diving with a twinset at 6 meters for an hour-long night dive created an unpleasant experience—I could taste the sisig on the way up. Fortunately, the nocturnal marine life was active and entertaining, making the time pass quickly.
Here are my encounters with the creatures of the night!
Dive Costs at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort
Here’s the breakdown of how much the four dive costs me.
| Service | Cost (PHP) | Quantity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Dive | 3,600 | x1 | 3,600 |
| Fun Dive | 1,800 | x2 | 3,600 |
| Night Dive | 2,100 | x1 | 2,100 |
| Equipment Rental/Twin Tanks | 1,200 | x1 | 1,200 |
| Deco Tank | 300 | x1 | 300 |
| Dive Pass | 200 | x1 | 200 |
| Grand Total | 11,000 |
Room rate varies whichever is available and whether there is an ongoing promo. It’s better to talk to them directly to inquire. We got a sea view room this time, an upgrade from last time!
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What a way to end the dive season! Next year on our list – Batanes and Boracay!
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