Diving at Puerto Galera

The first of two consecutive long weekends saw me and the family off to Puerto Galera on Mindoro. The weather was variable, and my long-anticipated return trip to Ponderosa golf course to look for Mindoro endemics was washed out by heavy rain on the Sunday morning (best birds were a party of Mindoro Bulbuls, and lots of Elegant Tits).

I therefore concentrated on that wildlife that would not be affected by rain, namely the underwater kind. Nice dives all around the Sabang coastline. Visibility wasn't great, but overall an excellent few dives, with a very large selection of Nudibranchs.

An interesting difference from previous trips was the number of Dolphins seen, with pods seen on three separate days. On the way out on Saturday 3 individuals of a large dolphin sp, with a large, strongly curved dorsal fin, possibly Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephala electra. On Monday a single small dolphin leaping very high out of the water, probably Gray's Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris. On Tuesday a large pod of 20+ animals, probably also Gray's Spinner Dolphin.

Chromodoris willani

Chromodoris lochi

Chromodoris annae

Chromodoris magnifica

Chromodoris tinctoria

Nembrotha cristata

 Nembrotha chamberlaini

Phyllidia ocellata

Phyllidia varicosa

Phyllidiella nigra

Phyllidiella annulata

Halgerda batangas

Hypselodoris iacula

Egg-shell Cowrie

One of several Giant Frogfish on Sabang Wrecks

Common Lionfish

Batfish

 Banded Pipefish

 Blue Ribbon-Eel

 White-eyed Moray

Squat Lobster