January – March 2017: Here’s a look at our diving adventures that took place during our 2017 cruising season.
Diving in the Philippines can vary dramatically from ho hum to magnificent, from poor viz to great, and from bleak dynamited corals, to incredible wrecks, to healthy, abundant reefs. We can have a spectacular reef all to ourselves one day, or we can share one with a horde of inexperienced divers that bounce along the reef and seem to take no notice of all the damage they are causing. And neither, it would seem, do their guides. It can be exhilarating, heart wrenching, impressive and depressing, sometimes all melded together on one dive.
The big mystery, as yet unsolved, is what caused the thick dense fog on the Kyokuzan Maru wreck on the north side of Busuanga Island. It was only sitting in the cargo holds. Our buddy Dan immersed himself in it, but even that didn’t help us learn anything more about it.
Our favourite dives? That’s probably a tie between the sharks at Apo Reef and the overall great diving conditions and variety of life we saw at Verde Island.
It’s only too bad that we didn’t take our GoPro and underwater camera along with us on every dive. But we have incorporated those videos and photos we did get into a video that gives you an idea of what we experienced. You really have to get out there and explore it for yourself if you want to understand the beauty of the undersea world in the Philippines.
2017 Dive Log
| Date | Area | Dive Site | Buddies | Highlights |
| January 13, 2017 | Apo Reef | Apo Island, North Mooring | Brian (M/V Furthur) | Stunning reef, clear water |
| January 13, 2017 | Apo Reef | Menor Island Mooring | Brian & Lisanna (M/V Furthur) | Sharks! |
| January 16, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Akitsushima Seaplane Tender | D’Divers | Favourite Wreck |
| January 16, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Okikawa | D’Divers | Another Favourite |
| January 18, 2017 | Coron Area | Calumbuyan Reef | D’Divers | Healthy Reef |
| January 19, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Okikawa | D’Divers; Where did you go Richard? | Night Dive |
| January 22, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Akitsushima Seaplane Tender | D’Divers | |
| January 23, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Kogyo Maru | D’Divers boat with Stephan and Kay | Chris led dive |
| January 23, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Morozan Maru | D’Divers boat with Stephan and Kay | Chris led dive |
| January 26, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Okikawa | D’Divers with Richard, Stephan, Brian and Lisanna; Guides: Dan and Henriette | Night Dive |
| February 1, 2017 | Bacuit Bay | Miniloc Island, Southwest Point | On our own | Meh |
| February 22, 2017 | Port Caltom | Kyokuzan Maru | On our own | Deep wreck dive; strange fog |
| February 25, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Akitsushima Seaplane Tender | D’Divers
Guide: Dan |
Lots of swim throughs |
| February 28, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Lusong Gun Boat | D’Divers | Nice reef and wreck |
| March 4, 2017 | Coron Wrecks | Okikawa | D’Divers | |
| March 7, 2017 | Port Caltom | Kyokuzan Maru | Dan | Nitrox dive |
| March 8, 2017 | Port Caltom | Kyokuzan Maru | Dan and Richard | Nitrox dive; Dan explored the fog |
| March 12, 2017 | Verde Island | Southside Drop Off | South Sea Divers; Guide: Amil; Buddy: Dan | WOW |
| March 12, 2017 | Verde Island | North Side | South Sea Divers; Guide: Amil; Buddy: Dan | More WOW |
| March 26, 2017 | Romblon | Logbon Island Sandbar | Buddy: Brian (M/V Furthur) | Surprisingly great |
For our videos of the Coron wrecks from other years, click here and here.
M/V MOKEN 
Hi Sandra and Chris, As always I am enjoying your blog. This diving video was very special. Would you mind if I forwarded the link to some friends and perhaps reposted on my FB page ? We return to the Philippines on 10/20 for 6 months. Im anticipating also that John and Carol Ross’s 462 will soon be completed. I wxpect to help him with preparations in H K. and then the trip to Subic (I presume). Regards, Dean
Hi Dean and thanks for the thumbs up. Feel free to share this post or send a link to your friends. We’re back in Subic mid October so hopefully we’ll see you soon. Cheers! C&S
Absolutely beautiful!