Monday, October 22, 2012

The Wrecks of "Sabang Bay" - Puerto Galera - Philippines



Puerto Galera the main tourist destination in Puerto Galera, has three wrecks sunken on purpose.

They make up a fantastic habitat for all sort of strange and unusual creatures.

This coastal town is well known among tourists for its numerous pocket beaches and many snorkeling and Scuba diving spots.

The area was designated a Man and Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO in 1973 and has some of the most diverse coral reef diving in Asia.

The marine environment has benefited in recent years from the influx of tourist dollars.

This has seen a huge reduction in the number of fishermen in the area, as they gain higher revenue from tourists.

Puerto Galera is a listed by the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World, and is the only bay in the Philippines to be listed there.

Among the famous beaches in Puerto Galera are Sabang Beach and White Beach, which have an active nightlife with numerous bars and restaurants.

Both beaches also have an array of first-class and economy-class accommodations.

Sabang beach is the main destination for foreign tourists, while White Beach remains popular with local travelers.

Big La Laguna Beach and Small La Laguna Beach are considered part of Sabang with resorts lining the beaches.

Big La Laguna Beach is popular for local swimmers and snorkelers.

Since 2001 White beach has seen uncontrolled development.

New restaurants and places to stay are rapidly encroaching on the beach itself and little remains of the once charming beach.

Puerto Galera town is a pleasant but sleepy Philippine town with few attractions.

It has a large central catholic church and a Pier area, with a selection of bistros and cafes.


The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands with a total land area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers (116,000 square miles).

Its 36,289 kilometers of coastline makes it the country with the 5th longest coastline in the world borders the Philippine Sea on the east, the South China Sea on the west, and the Celebes Sea on the south.

The island of Borneo is located a few hundred kilometres southwest and Taiwan is located directly to the north.

The Moluccas and Sulawesi are located to the south-southwest and Palau is located to the east of the islands.

The Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean.

Taiwan lies north across the Luzon Strait. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest separates it from the island of Borneo and to the south the Celebes Sea from other islands of Indonesia.

It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea.

An archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, the Philippines is categorized broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The capital city is Manila.

Puerto Galera is the north-westernmost municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines.

It is located at the south-western end of the Isla Verde Passage, about 130 kilometers (81 mi) south of Manila.


Puerto Galera
Municipality
Sabang Bay
Sabang Bay
Map of Oriental Mindoro showing the location of Puerto Galera
Map of Oriental Mindoro showing the location of Puerto Galera
Puerto Galera is located in Philippines
Puerto Galera
Puerto Galera
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 13°30′N 120°57′ECoordinates: 13°30′N 120°57′E
Country Philippines
Region MIMAROPA (Region IV-B)
Province Oriental Mindoro
District 1st District of Oriental Mindoro
Founded 1574
Barangays 13
Government[1]
 • Mayor Hubbert C. A. Dolor
Area[2]
 • Total 247.85 km2 (95.70 sq mi)
Population (2010)[3]
 • Total 32,521
 • Density 130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code 5203
Dialing code 43
Income class 1st Class; Partially Urban[4]
Website www.puertogalera.gov.ph

 

 

 

Barangays

Puerto Galera is politically subdivided into 13 barangays:[4]
  • Aninuán
  • Baclayán
  • Balatero
  • Dulangán
  • Palangán
  • Población
  • Sabang
  • San Antonio
  • San Isidro (or white beach)
  • Santo Niño
  • Sinandigan
  • Tabinay
  • Villaflor

Demographics

Population census of Puerto Galera
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1990 17,200 —    
1995 19,485 +2.36%
2000 21,925 +2.56%
2007 28,035 +3.45%
2010 32,521 +5.55%
Source: National Statistics Office[3]

The National Statistical Coordination Board of the Philippines characterizes the municipality of Puerto Galera as First Class based on household income.[4]

The population was 32,521 in the 2010 Census of Population conducted by the National Statistics Office.[3]

Economy

The town has a number of business and commercial establishments.

Candava Supermarket, New Virgo Grocery, Parkway Supermarket, Castillo Store are the popular supermarkets in Puerto Galera.

Major banks include Allied Bank, Rural Bank of Puerto Galera, Maxbank, and other microfinance banks.

In addition, Mindoro is quickly becoming key location in the development of renewable energy in the Philippines.

With several large wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal projects under construction, the island hopes to be a net exporter of electricity by 2016.[5][6]

Telecommunication services are provided by Digital Telecommunications (Digitel), Smart Communications, and Globe.

Cable and satellite television operators provide access to local and international broadcasts.

Broadband Internet services are likewise available through the numerous internet cafes located in all barangays.

Community radio stations Beach.fm and Flazh Radio also operate in the municipality

Environment

In the summer of 1998, extensive coral bleaching occurred around Medio Island and a large section of a shallow coral reef system (referred to as 7,107 islands) died.

Since then the coral has regrown with a larger diversity of coral species replacing the prolific table corals.

Corals in Puerto Galera were largely unaffected by the 2010 El Niño event.

In 2006 two super typhoons damaged the shallow reefs around Escarceo Point.

Many of the faster-growing coral species were destroyed to a depth of 6 metres (20 ft).

This represented about 5% of the coral reef in the area. Extensive signs of new coral recruitment were noted in mid-2008.  

Acropora species (staghorn and table coral) rapidly recolonized the area so that most of the damaged coral has been replaced with new growth.

Tourism


White Beach
This coastal town is well known among tourists for its numerous pocket beaches and many snorkeling and Scuba diving spots.

The area was designated a Man and Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO in 1973 and has some of the most diverse coral reef diving in Asia.

The marine environment has benefited in recent years due to income from tourism.

This has seen a huge reduction in the number of fishermen in the area, as they gain higher revenue from tourists.


Puerto Galera is listed by the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World, and is the only bay in the Philippines to be listed there.[7]

Among the beaches in Puerto Galera are Sabang Beach and White Beach, which have an active nightlife with numerous bars and restaurants.

Sabang Beach is the main destination for foreign tourists, while White Beach remains popular with local travelers.

Big La Laguna Beach and Small La Laguna Beach are considered part of Sabang with resorts lining the beaches.

Big La Laguna Beach is popular for local swimmers and snorkelers. Since 2001, White Beach has seen uncontrolled development.

New restaurants and places to stay are rapidly encroaching on the beach itself.

The town proper has relatively few attractions. It has a large central Catholic church and a pier area with some dining outlets.

Behind the beaches are the huge and generally unexplored mountain ranges of central Mindoro.

A particular local attraction is the 9-hole golf course perched on the hillside above White Beach which commands spectacular views over Puerto Galera's natural harbor and the Verde Island Passage.

Mangyan tribes are scattered over the mountainsides - some of the more remote tribes have virtually no contact with the outside world.

Of the eight tribes on Mindoro, the Iraya are the largest.

They are based in the Puerto Galera area.

Puerto Galera is among the top diving destination in the Philippines.

 Excellent diving is found less than 5 minutes from Sabang Beach.

The diving generally focuses around the areas either side of Escarceo Point.

Marine life is highly diverse. 180+ species of nudibranchs are found in the area and many species of fish can be seen.

A variety of wrecks have been sunk over the years in addition to the one wreck of an engine of a WWII Japanese patrol boat.

Puerto Galera is also one of the main technical diving destinations in Asia.

Technical Diving International - [TDI] has many dive centers in the area, offering the full range of TDI courses from Basic nitrox to advanced trimix.

 

 

Source: Wikipedia.org



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