Mermaid Resort

Mermaid Resort is situated on the tropical island of Mindoro, just a few hours from Manila. The dive centre is located on Sabang Beach, a short three-minute walk from the main resort buildings, providing easy access to the local dive sites.

Puerto Galera is renowned for its high concentration of marine biodiversity, with more than 40 dive sites in the immediate vicinity. The area serves as a gateway to some of the most significant marine ecosystems in the Philippines, offering everything from shallow reef flats to deep, canyon-filled walls.

The Mermaid Dive Center is a PADI-certified facility equipped to handle a wide range of diver needs. The centre features spacious areas dedicated to equipment preparation and morning briefings, alongside a dedicated classroom for theoretical training.

Beyond the dive operations, the centre includes a shop and a professional compressor station on-site. The facility is designed to support both recreational fun divers and those undertaking professional training programmes.

The centre offers a comprehensive range of PADI training programmes. Beginners can start with Discover Scuba Diving or the Open Water Diver course, with subsequent levels including Advanced Open Water Diver and Adventure Diver.

More specialised training is available through the Deep Adventure Dive and Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive specialties. For those looking to progress professionally, the centre provides the pathway through to Divemaster certification.

The centre operates twin-engine boats to transport divers to the various sites around Puerto Galera. These vessels are used for daily fun diving, night dives, and longer trips to more remote locations.

For those looking to explore further afield, the centre offers trips to Verde Island, which include three boat dives and lunch. These excursions allow you to experience the Verde Island Passage, a protected marine reserve known for its exceptional clarity and biodiversity.

The dive centre provides a full range of equipment rental for those not travelling with their own kit. This includes regulators, wetsuits, fins, and torches for night diving. You can also rent dive computers on-site.

For gas management, the centre operates a professional compressor station providing both air and Nitrox. Nitrox is available in 12-litre and 15-litre cylinders to extend your bottom time on multi-dive days.

The waters around Puerto Galera are teeming with life, from large pelagics to colourful reef inhabitants. You can expect to see various species of turtles, including Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), alongside large groupers (Epinephelus) and various species of snapper (Lutjanus).

In the deeper sections and along the walls, you will encounter many species of sharks, such as Whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) and Reef shark (Carcharhinus). Schools of fish including Jacks (Carangidae), Tuna (Thunnus), and various fusiliers provide constant movement across the reef.

The hard coral (Scleractinia) and soft coral (Alcyonacea) structures are incredibly diverse, featuring brain corals, staghorn corals, sea fans (Gorgoniidae), and various whip corals. These provide a complex habitat for countless smaller species.

For those interested in macro life, the area is a haven for finding Nudibranch (Chromodoris willani), pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti), and various species of pipefish. You may also spot octopus (Octopus vulgaris), mantis shrimp, and various species of scorpionfish (Scorpaenidae) tucked into the reef crevices.

The diving in this region can include advanced, high-intensity drift dives through deep canyons. These conditions require a certain level of experience and comfort with current.

While the area is highly biodiverse, divers should be prepared for the varying topography that ranges from shallow reef flats to much deeper offshore sites.