Look who’s back

It’s always nice to see friends come back to visit us for many years. Bill Twin, Klaus and Gabi Eschelbach and Sabine Henkel have all been coming here a very long time and we’re always happy to see them having fun here.

It was wonderful to have Ike Subardiaga and the whole family here for the weekend. Agnes and Sabrina made sure that their dad was well looked after underwater.

Asia Divers/El Galleon welcomes two groups from Australia this week

Welcome back to Peter Webster from Vision Divers in Melbourne, Australia. Peter has been bringing groups here for a long time and we surely appreciate it. It’s been fun week of enjoying the superb diving conditions, and good critters. Of course hanging out with this lot has been the added bonus!  Looking forward to seeing you all back again next year! Continue reading

Photo Corner- Tommi Kokkola

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Tommi came here ealier this year to do his PADI Dive Master course with us.  He also managed to have some time to take some really nice photos during his stay.  Tommi has enjoyed taking photos for a long time, but since they moved to Asia 2007 he’s put more effort into photography. Underwater photography has been the main reason to dive for his diving since 2011. He’s been traveling extensively in Southeast Asia, resulting in over 500 dives, including some technical diving. Originally from Finland, but as of now, Tommi is living in Taiwan, thus having good opportunities also for nature and travel photography.

Check out his website: http://tommikokkolaphotography.com

You can contact him at: info(at)tommikokkolaphotography.com

May Live-aboard trip

Rags II has only two open slots on a trip left for this season! May 10-17, 2014 (All around Mindoro incl. Tablas Strait, Boracay and Apo Reef).  This trip has it all! Wrecks, sea caves and big fish! 1550 US $ for six full days of diving and everything included except equipment (nitrox, food, beer, soft drinks, fuel surcharge and all marine sanctuary fees).

Contact instructors@asiadivers.com for details please!

El Galleon hosts the Classic Club’s 1000th Lunch

The Classic Club Lunch #1 started Sunday 2nd October 1994. It was started by Roscoe Thompson, Trevor Griffith and David Austin. Back then, the main purpose of starting the Classic Club was to get half a day off work. 🙂 There were only 5 in attendance on Classic Club Lunch #1, within a few weeks it has quickly grown to averaging 30 Clubbers each week. One of the biggest successes back then and still today, was to bring so many different nationalities together at the one table for some fine dining and wines.

There were 96 Clubbers present at the 1000th Classic Club Lunch at El Galleon Resort on Thursday 24th April with continuous prizes and raffles happening between the superb 8 course lunch which was made possible in a most professional way thanks to the El Galleon Staff.
Wines for the day were sponsored very kindly by Future Trade Inc. Manila.

“The Classic Club wishes to thank the Management and Staff of El Galleon Resort for making our 1000th Classic Club Lunch such a memorable day.”

Photo Corner – Geert van Haegendoren

Geert started making pictures underwater in 2008 (Red Sea, Egypt) and from then on he always had his camera with him: Lembeh, Maldives, Bali, Sipadan, MoalBoal, Puerto Galera (on his flickr site you can also find his PG albums from 2013, 2012 and 2011 and see his progress!) It’s in PG that Ralph Ramirez urged him to switch from the “underwater” to the manual function and to making pictures in RAW format, then followed one external flash, next trip two external flashes, the following trip a macro lens and so on… he has been diving with Asia Divers for five years in a row now, for the “quality and good humor of all the people working in El Galleon and at the dive centre, for the fine operation with four regular dives a day and for the variety of macro life.”

Check out his PG pictures from last February on Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/59735737@N04/sets/72157644060479093/