The dive op, Asia Divers, was outstanding - they had to gear up big time for our group of 47 (!) and the were staffed to meet our every need with lots of guys offering to carry your gear to the boats. Ratio was 1 DM for 6 divers, which proved a problem for me given the *ahem* diverse skill level of our group and the fact there were only a handful of photographers. Diving was mostly from local wooden fishing type boats, bankas, which were spacious and easy to back roll off and had small wooden ladders for easy re-entry. Although they're slow, it's not an issue as most of the dive sites were no more than 10 minutes away. They do have a new speed boat for up to 12 divers plus DM's for the longer trips out to Verde Island or if they needed to combine groups.
The diving was great, especially the macro! We only had so-so vis (20-40 ft max) and the water was unseasonably cold (mid-high 70's), but it didn't matter. The reefs are generally very healthy, although not as lush as some places I've been. Nevertheless, the amount and diversity of fish and critters was great. Crinoids of every color blanketed the reefs. In our 8 days of diving we saw at least 2, maybe even 3 DOZEN different nudibranch species!
There were octopus, cuttlefish and sea snakes almost every day
And great opportunities for other critters as well
I kept my 100mm on for almost every dive, the first time I've really used it extensively and I was pleased I got a decent handle on it. I even tried my hand at some super macro with a wet mount +10 diopter - to execrable results (couldn't even get it to focus!). Although this is primarily macro territory (esp given the vis we had), there were some good wide angle sites, the best being the San Agapito sea mount off Verde Island (a 30 minute ride in the speed boat - we had one dive in our package, additional dives there were extra), the Canyons and Hole in The Wall.
There are also a few wrecks in the bay (sunk by the local dive assn) about a minute from the dock, the best of which (wide angle-wise) was the Alma Jane with schools of grunts, batfish and several lionfish
The best part about the whole thing was it's CHEAP! Our whole package, 9 nights accommodation, 8 days of 4 tanks/day, 3 meals/day, transfers, etc. was under $2000. Extra (ie night) dives $29! OK, the reefs weren't quite as lush as X (a well-known Indonesian dive resort that shall remain nameless), but the accommodations were almost as good and more importantly, the animal life was more diverse and plentiful - at almost 1/3 the cost! I will most definitely be exploring more of the Philippines in the future!
Phil
The rest of the best at http://gallery.me.com/philsokol#100222
