Palawan, Philippines dive holidays
Sangat Island Dive Resort
Set in a picture-postcard beachfront paradise, Sangat Island Dive Resort is perfectly located for diving the historic wrecks of Coron Bay.
Fringed by a 300 m span of white sand, with tropical waters and vibrant coral reef gardens, Sangat Island Dive Resort has swiftly become a favoured destination for eco-conscious travellers and scuba diving enthusiasts worldwide
The resort occupies nearly the entire southwestern cusp of Sangat Island. There are 22 ecologically ‘low-impact’guest accommodations, with restaurant and bar facilities, and an internationally renowned scuba diving centre. The resort is committed to green and clean practices and can proudly claim they are the only resort in the Philippines that is 100% powered by solar energy.
A unique highlight for scuba diving guests is the island’s proximity to 11 World War II era wrecks. Of these, ten are historically significant Japanese war and supply ships, sunk during the ‘Battle of Coron Bay’ in 1944. Impressively, eight wrecks lie at just a 5 to 30-minute boat ride from the resort’s beachfront!
Hotel Services/Facilities: Sangat Island Dive Resort has 22 native-style guest accommodations, with restaurant and bar facilities. As well as scuba diving and snorkelling, the resort also offers a wide variety of on and off resort activities, including paddle boarding, sea kayaking, island hopping, sightseeing tours and more.
The resort has satellite internet, so it is quite reliable, but it is only available in the main restaurant / bar area of the resort.
Food, Beverage & Entertainment Facilities: The resort’s open-air, beachfront restaurant and bar offers a wide selection of tasty regional and international dishes, as well as many beverage options, served throughout the day and well into the evening.
The resort is situated on a private island with only one restaurant where healthy and delicious global fusion meals are freshly prepared. All buffet dishes are meticulously prepared from the freshest local ingredients. In addition to their fixed buffet meal schedule, the restaurant also offers afternoon snacks, and you can help yourself at the tea and coffee station. Picnic lunches can also be prepared for island hopping excursions.
After a ‘hard day’ scuba diving, there’s no better place to relax and share the days’ adventures than in the intimate Sangat Island Bar or in the over-water Rock Bar. Both bars are fully stocked with a good selection of international wines and beer, plus the locally crafted beer on tap.
The Sangat Island Bar includes a comfortable conversation lounge and a regulation size pool table. The Rock Bar offers ample open-air seating with calming panoramic views of the resort’s lovely beachfront by day, and an endless blanket of stars by night.
Transfers: Guests need to arrive at Busuanga Airport* (USU). A driver from the resort will be waiting for guests holding a sign that reads ‘Sangat Island Dive Resort’. The drive to the resort takes between 30-40 minutes by minivan.
* International flights to Manila, followed by a domestic flight from Manila to Busuanga. Diverse Travel will provide you with a quote for a complete holiday itinerary that includes international and domestic flights, plus any extra hotel nights required to fit in with flight schedules.
Sangat Island Dive Resort offers a diverse range of native-style accommodations including Beachfront Cottages, Beachside Chalets, Hillside Cottages, family-friendly Bungalow Suite units, Hilltop Chalets, and the exclusive tri-level Lambingan Villa with a mezzanine and its own private white sand beachfront location.
Each accommodation reflects the extraordinary beauty of the island, constructed using local techniques and materials like hand-woven bamboo wall panels, split-bamboo flooring, and exclusively Nipa Palm roofing. All units are well-ventilated with mosquito-netted windows, ceiling fans, ample lighting, 220-volt electrical outlets, and wet-room styled bathroom facilities.
Please note that all resort chalets are either on stilts with up to nine steps, or located on hilltops with additional steps. At the time of writing, the resort does not have easy access rooms available.
Beachside Chalets
10 beachside chalets offer a spacious living and bedroom area with two double beds and spacious western-style bathroom facilities. Each chalet has a terrace from which to relax and enjoy the spectacular views across Coron Bay.
The chalets are well ventilated by large mosquito-netted windows, with an overhead ceiling fan, electrical lighting fixtures and 220-volt electrical outlets. Outside, there is shaded hammock directly beneath the structure.
Hillside Chalets
10 hillside chalets feature a spacious living and bedroom area with two double beds, large mosquito-netted windows for natural ventilation, and ceiling fans to keep you cool. The chalets also offer wet-room style bathrooms, ample lighting, 220-volt electrical outlets, and a generous outside terrace.
Nestled at the base of semi-timbered limestone cliffs, these rooms provide a lush, forested environment that is tranquil and often filled with the soft melodies of tropical birds in the morning.
Just a 30-second walk from the grass-edged beachfront, each chalet also features a shaded hammock lounge beneath the structure, perfect for relaxing in this peaceful natural setting.
Lambingan Villa
For those seeking their own private slice of paradise, the ultra-secluded tri-level Lambingan Villa, with its truly private white sand beachfront location, is the ultimate choice. The villa is nestled in a limestone cove, 200 m from the nearest neighbour and accessible only by kayak or a hanging footbridge.
Upon arrival, guests are greeted by a spacious open-air common area with a hammock lounge. The villa includes a beach-level entry foyer, open-air lounge, and a Balinese-style ‘rock shower’. One of the villa’s most talked-about features is the stunning rock-enclosed, Balinese-inspired shower grotto. With a cascade of fresh water flowing from a fissure in the rocks, washing away the salt, sand, and sweat of the day. On the second floor in the master bedroom, with two queen size beds joined together you’ll find another, more modern, and private bathroom and a small coffee and tea station. The mezzanine offers a double and single bed, with stunning ocean views through large windows. Also, on the second floor you’ll find another bathroom for a little more privacy.
The villa is well ventilated by large mosquito-netted windows, with an overhead ceiling fan, electrical lighting fixtures and 220-volt electrical outlets.
The private villa is ideal for honeymooners seeking maximum privacy or nature lovers drawn to the villa’s surrounding wildlife, including monkeys, monitor lizards, tabon birds, kingfishers and Palawan hornbills, Lambingan Villa promises an unforgettable stay, surrounded by nature and tranquillity.
Robinson Crusoe Cottage
Nestled on a secluded 100 m stretch of white sand beach on the southeastern edge of Sangat, the Robinson Crusoe Cottage is the perfect off-resort hideaway for those seeking maximum solitude in a rustic, tropical setting. For this ‘back-to-basics’ experience, you have the option to catch your own food using the resort’s native-style fishing equipment, or you can pre-arrange with the resort to purchase any food supplies you may need for your stay.
This special accommodation, perfectly suited for one to three guests, includes one queen size bed (one additional bed is available upon request), a kitchen area with a gas-fired cook top, utensils and an icebox, a tiled wet room-style bathroom, and a shaded terrace overlooking Sangat channel and Apo Island.
Additional features include overhead ceiling fans, lighting fixtures, solar-powered 220-volt electrical outlets, table and chairs located on the front terrace as well as woven cotton lounge hammocks.
You’ll have a personal kayak for transportation, or for a small fee, you can schedule drop-offs and pick-ups with the resort.
This unique getaway is ideal for those who love outdoor activities like camping but appreciate the added comfort of a bed, electricity and running water – perfect for a relaxed escape to nature!
Sangat Island Dive Resort has a comprehensive on-site dive facility with all the equipment you are likely to need during your stay. The dive centre also teaches a wide range of PADI diving courses.
Newly rebuilt in 2018, the dive centre offers a wide range of top-quality dive equipment (tanks, wet suits, masks, fins, dive computers, and more) from internationally-recognised manufacturers, as well as an air and Nitrox filling station (powered by dual BAUER K14 compressors) and a new LW 280 unit which is combined with a 280 Coltrisub nitrox membrane.
The dive centre has a great selection of boats to get you to your dive sites as quickly and safely as possible: seven Go-Fast craft, a large capacity outrigger, a 12 m motor yacht and a 12 m trimaran.
The most popular and historically interesting dive locations around Sangat are the wreck sites. Just a few of these fascinating pieces of war-time history include Japanese gun boats and sub chasers, cargo and supply vessels, a sea plane tender and more.
Please see PDF here for more information: Sangat Wrecks Palawan, Philippines
All the reef dive sites, as well as many others throughout this region, are the exquisite yet delicate habitats of countless varieties of coral, spectacularly coloured tropical fish, lobster, crab, seahorses, turtles as well as many pelagic species including Tuna, Barracuda and Spanish Mackerel.
Sangat Island Marine Park & Sangat Dive Resort House Reef
In 2004, the waters and reefs surrounding Sangat Island were officially designated as a protected marine park. As such, Sangat Island Dive Resort plays an ongoing role in the management, protection and rehabilitation of all marine wildlife areas located within the confines of the Sangat Island Marine Park.
As the official conservators of this sanctuary, Sangat Island Dive Resort frequently hosts marine research volunteers to assist in the monitoring and care of protected habitats through reef health studies, coral planting projects, removal of natural reef predators (most notably the Crown-Of-Thorns Sea star), and more.
Dive Conditions
Coron Bay, fed by the tropical tides of the South China Sea, offers year-round water temperatures ranging from 28 to 30 degrees. The only body insulation needed in these bathtub-warm waters is a 3-to-5-millimetre tropical wetsuit.
Dive visibility in and around Coron Bay typically varies according to tidal strength, but generally ranges between 7 and 30 metres. Maximum water clarity is generally encountered during a 1/4 to 3/4 moon phase – please contact us for more information on moon phases to coincide with your holiday.
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