I made a planned visit to Bubblemaker Dive and Beach Resort, one of the MANY dive operations in Anilao in the Province of Batanags, the closest dive area to Manila. The business model that they use in this area is that dive resorts don't own their boats and don't employ their own Divemasters/Instructors, but rely on such personnel to bring groups, usually from Manila, to stay in these "resorts" and third-party outriggers (bancas) themselves. These so-called dive resorts, although maintaining a rudimentary "dive shop," are nothing but places to stay and eat at as they try to cater to visiting divers.
I wasn't expecting five-star accommodations with Bubblemaker, yet found them to be sub-par, even for "local standards." Their rooms had air conditioning and they offered Kubo (hut)-style rooms, the one differentiation they may have against the many others available for lodging. As ironic as it was, they didn't capitalize on this during my planned visit, as all the Kubo-style rooms were occupied and I wasn't able to capture the inside for members of Manila SCUBA Divers, a Facebook group. They seem to be much better accommodations than the rooms in their hotel block, which is right next to the one and only street that both noisy motorcycles and massive, industrial trucks use.
As a matter of fact, NO ONE, including the owner herself, wanted to talk about their operations and show us how they do business. They knew I was there to record this informative video for Manila SCUBA Divers. It was extremely slow during the weekday (in their defense, it's the rainy season), but I came back on the second half of the video on a Saturday night, their busiest night with having all rooms booked, and there was ABSOLUTELY no vibe. They're the plain white bread that you wouldn't want to eat, even if you're hungry.
Needless to say, I would NOT personally recommend this lodging place.
#BubbleMakerDiveAndBachResort #Anilao #SCUBADiving #PhilippinesTourism #ManilaSCUBADivers
