In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…

What is your name?

Allison Manis

What is the name of your business?

El Galleon Resort/Asia Divers

What is your role within the business?

Marketing Manager/PADI Instructor

How long has the business operated for?

Over 33 years

How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?

Over 33 years. PADI IDC Staff Instructor. I have done training for Tech and Rebreather as well.

What is your favorite type of diving?

I enjoy all kinds of diving but I really do get a thrill out of a good drift dive. Also recently I’ve become very interested in Blackwater diving.

If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?

Wow…I can tell you so much about our business as I’ve worked here for more than 20 years! I think the main thing to know is that Puerto Galera has amazing biodiversity.  Puerto Galera is one of the leading scuba diving locations in the Philippines, offering some of the best diving in Asia. We are located in “The Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor” (VIP) which is known as “the center of the center of marine biodiversity”, the heart of the Coral Triangle. There is no better place to experience this than our spacious dive centre and beachfront resort.

What is your favorite dive in your location and why?

After more than 25 years and 11,000 dives in Puerto Galera  I would have to say that out of all the amazing dive sites here I am truly enthralled by The Canyons. This is Puerto Galera’s signature dive site and divers come here from all over the world to get that big “WOW” moment diving it. The Canyons is well known because it’s quite often an exciting heart-pumping drift dive that brings out all the bigger schools of bigger fishes and you can really get that feeling of flying.

What types of diving are available in your location?

We’re so lucky in Puerto Galera to have so many different types of diving including amazing drifts, gorgeous reefs, wreck, fantastic macro and of course one of the most spectacular dive sites in the world, Verde Island. Our Blackwater diving is getting more popular as well. We have had many world class underwater photographers coming here because of the biodiversity and variety of diving offered.  Asia Divers is a PADI Career Development centre and is well known for its high standard of teaching across all PADI courses, from Bubblemakers for kids to Divemaster and Instructor level courses. We keep new divers happy on easier dives but we also have more challenging dives for experienced divers. For those who like to go a step further, we have a technical diving operation, Tech Asia.

What do you find most rewarding about your current role?

I love to meet people from all over the world and I’m very proud to introduce them to the underwater beauty of Puerto Galera.

What is your favorite underwater creature?

Ha ha….I love so many creatures and critters, but lately I’ve become fascinated by salps. I come from an art and design background and I’m always searching for colours, shapes and textures in the ocean.

Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?

With the “new normal”, our guest’s well-being and comfort is our priority at El Galleon Resort and Asia Divers. All considerations for health, safety and enjoyment are already in place throughout the resort.

Luckily being located right on the ocean and not in a busy area, we have lots of space and room for everyone to enjoy their stay and dive in a relaxing and safe way. It’s very easy to practice social distancing in our resort and dive center. El Galleon has implemented a 3-step room sanitizing process, with disinfectant fogging as one of the steps and many other steps to ensure everyone’s safety.

As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?

COVID -19 has affected the whole world and tourism took a major hit here.  Right now of course it’s getting tourism back to the Philippines, safely. We have everything in place; we just need the government to lift travel bans and to allow people to travel here.

Is your center involved in any environmental work?

Asia Divers has been actively involved in the Project Aware International Clean up day and conduct underwater clean-up dives at least once a month as we are involved in Project AWARE Adopt a dive site. All candidates who are in training to become instructors at Asia Divers learn how to organise Project AWARE Dive Against Debris and use the data to change habits. We also report our data is great detail so it can be used for policy development. Throughout the years we have been working along with local schools for environmental education conducting beach clean-ups along with presentations about environmental awareness.

How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?

We’re lucky here that not only can people go scuba diving, but it’s also fantastic for snorkelling.  Freediving is gaining allot more interest and I can see that this is an area which will grow in the coming years.  Puerto Galera has pristine corals and lots of fish to keep everyone interested in the aquatic world.

What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?

El Galleon Dive Resort and its dive centre, Asia Divers, have everything you need to experience the best of Puerto Galera.  Located on a serene and quaint beachfront fronting Small Lalaguna Beach the resort has 30 air-conditioned rooms that have been constructed in the tropical hillside with stunning views of Sabang Bay and Small Lalaguna Beach.  The restaurant extends to the water’s edge, offering a great value in international  cuisine.  Puerto Galera is one of the leading scuba diving locations in the Philippines, offering some of the best diving in Asia and there is no better place to experience this than at our spacious dive centre.  We are the only dive center in Puerto Galera with a private pier and diving platform and of course you’ll get spoiled by our friendly and outgoing team!

Where can our visitors find out more about your business?

• Website: www.asiadivers.com
• e-mail: admin@asiadivers.com  and instructors@asiadivers.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/asia.divers/
• Instagram: @asia_divers and el.galleon