Boracay's Recompression Chamber

17, July 2009

Thanks to the generosity on an anonymous donor, and the hard work of many B.A.S.S (Boracay Association of Scuba Schools) volunteers Boracay now has its own Re-compression Chamber. The chamber is able to treat one patient and has space for one tender. The chamber is able to conduct Re-compression procedure in accordance with U.S. Navy table #6 which is suitable for Type 1,2 Decompression sickness.

Well Trained Staff:
The Chamber staff was trained in its operation by experienced commercial divers with over 25 year in Re-compression chamber operational experience.

The Chamber is easily accessible by road and by boat and can be ready to operate in a matter of minutes 24 hours a day 365 Days a year. The facility is well stocked with emergency oxygen and compressed air with enough stock to last well beyond a single treatment.

Congratulations to all the divers of Boracay, We finally have our own, new operational Re-compression chamber!

From Advanced to Divemaster in Boracay

I spent two months in Boracay I got my Rescue diver course, Emergency First Responder and My Divemaster course all done here at Bluemango. I learned to save lives underwater and how to lead and supervise actual fun divers. I also got to do about 50 dives on almost all of Boracay dives sites and learned tons of new skills . I made some great friend and became part of the Bluemango family!

Shark Week at Yapak!!

Its another great week of Diving at YAPAK 2 ! Our Divemaster Chad took a great pic or this 2 meter Black tip reef shark cruising around at 34 meters. They also spotted 3 white tips and some tuna! This is why Yapak is always a great dive for divers with advanced or higher certification, you can always find big stuff there!

Get your dive filmed in High Definition!

Wouldn't it be great to get your dived filmed and edited with Music, then put on youtube for friends and Family to see? We can do that for you, for only 1,700 pesos we will film your dive using our Sony Z1 HD camera and make a great memory that will last a life time:

Click here to see our youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/boracaydive

If you have a large flat screen TV and want full HD resolution we can also post your dive on our

VUZE High Definition HD Channel!

Click here to see our High Definition channel:

http://www.vuze.com/user/Profile.htm;jsessionid=16083458E67D0BE97EECC227B840531A.web01?sp=X&sp=l765848&sp=X&sp=1&sp=SAZHOT&sp=SALL&sp=X&sp=X&sp=S&sp=X&sp=X&sp=1&sp=0&sp=SALL

you dont need to install any soft ware for it to play on most modern PC'S orMAC's


Next time you are in Boracay make sure to get your dive filmed it will be a great memory that lasts a life time !

Dustin

Merry Christmas from Boracay!

Merry Christmas and happy new year to all our divers around the world, from Blue Mango Divecenter and Staff!!!!!

Boracays Best Dive Sites

Learn about each dive site Boracay has to offer before you go!


Angol Point

6m-16m Deep
Experience level: Beginner
Expect to be swarmed with thousands of fish at this site! Angol point is a favorite beginner dive site with 2 large coral reef boulders in about 12 meters of water rising up to 7 meters at the top. Because this site is a fish feeding area, damsel fish and angle fish are abundant.


Camia Ship Wreck

18m- 30 m Deep
Experience Level: Advanced

This wreck was sunk in 2001 by the Boracay Diving association. Over the years the wreck has become home to Jacks, Sea Bass, Grouper, Surgeon fish, and Tangs. Just off the wreck you can find pygmy Sea horses and the very rare ghost pipe fish.
Since the wreck was deliberately sunk, it has been cleaned of toxic chemicals and wires that would tangle a diver, it also has large wide swim thru's extending throughout most of the length of the ship.

Crocodile Island

6m-18m Deep
Experience Level: Beginner to advanced

This site has the Best soft coral cover you will find anywhere in Boracay. Over half a hectare of rainbow colored soft and hard corals, table corals, anemone's define this spectacular site. Trumpet fish, fusiliers, garden eels and triton trigger fish can also be found here. Below the soft corals is a 10 meter high wall where small caves, sea fans and whip corals can be found.

Fridays Rock

12m-18m Deep
Experience Level : Intermediate to Advanced

Also known as the Big Fish dive, this site is famous for its 25-30 resident red bass. The giant bass can be found circling and feeding around fridays rock which rises up from 15m all the way to 8 meters. This site is also home to large surgeon fish, grouper, and the famous bamboo shark. About 15m south west of the rock is a small coral coral garden where large barrel sponges, octopus and giant lion fish can be found.

Yapak 2

33m-38m
Experience Level: Advanced to Technical

This is the most famous and challenging dive site in Boracay. Yapak is a 2 km long wall dive running north to south that begins at 33m meters and drops down to 60 meters. The top of the wall is home to Sweet lips, Jack trevallys, Red bass, Tuna, White tip reef sharks and the occasional Eagle ray or Green sea turtles. This site can have very strong currents and is recommended you have a good amount of experience before attempting this dive with your dive master or instructor.
If you are tech diver certified Yapak 2 is the dive site for you, the wall rises up from 60 meters and is covered with caves over hangs and large swim though crevices. Giant tiger trevallys can be seen at these technical depths as well as resting back tip reef sharks and if you get to the site early enough, manta rays.

Diver Testimonial

What Ryan Kaczkowski says about his Tecdeep Course:

The tech dive course was excellent. Originally, i just wanted to use it as a small stepping stone to Trimix Diving but it has really changed the way i will continue to dive back at home, and has given me a much better knowledge of diving principles. The Dive Tech course is a great beginning to the real sport of technical diving.



How was the package deal for rescue EFR and Tecdeep?

The package was great! I had some technical experience from back at home but i needed to have some extra certificates to continue to technical diving. After discussing my budget and time available on my remaining holiday, Dustin at Blue Mango put together the exact package of training that I needed and wanted to learn, get certified and take back home with me.



How were the tech diving sites in Boracay?


I had heard that there was no Tech Diving on boracay so I had planned to leave for Puerto Galera but after my experience with blue mango i found many sites very suitable for tecnical diving with so many different spots yet to be discovered. there is plenty of oppurtunities for cave and cavern to deep and trimix. I can see that boracay definitely has a future for numerous technical dive locations around the island.

June, Great Weather Update!

Its been a week of sunny skys here in Boracay. Its suppose to be "HABAGAT" or windy and rainy season on the west side of the island. However this Rainy season is actually turning out to be clear and dry with temperatures in the 30 C (82F) range, water temperature is 29C or 81F. Underwater Visibility is ranging from 20 meters (60ft) at low tide to 30 meters ( 100 ft) at high tide.

Start you openwater diver class now online!

With elearning your can start your PADI openwater course at home and save a whole day of your precious vacation! More and more divers are using elearning to get the book work for the open water class done before they go on vacation and spending more time in the water and less time in the class room! Try elearning now and we will deduct the $120 elarning course fee from the price of the open water course, saving you time and money!

Just click on http://www.padi.com/padi/elearning/

PADI eLearning now available!

Start your course right now before you head to Boracay!
Why waste precious time on your vacation when you can get all the book work done for your Open Water Diver right now online.
Just go to

www.padi.com/padi/elearning and begin you dive training right now at home!

Ken Mayer has sent you an Apple iCard

This iCard has been sent to you from Ken Mayer

November Special !

From November 1st to 31st ONLY!

Get your advanced and rescue course fror only

30,000 pesos thats 3000 pesos off the regular price!

Book now and save your hard earned cash!

Digital Underwater Photography

Try our new PADI Specialty course
Digital Underwater Photography this month!
Learn to take great pictures like a pro! Now only
$225 including Manuals, Certification card and 4 dives, you can beat this offer!

Digital Underwater Photography is part of the 5 specialty Master Scuba Diver
Program.

Master Scuba diver includes:

Digital Underwater Photography Diver
Wreck Diver
Nitrox Diver
Deep Diver
Underwater Navigation Diver

New Branch of Bluemango Divecenter

Bluemango Divecenter is expanding again! We recently got a new shop on the other side of the island ( Tambisaan beach ). We dive on that side when the weather is not looking so good on the front beach. We have been shuttling over our diver to the boat on the other side its great!!-Dustin

The Weather is great!

The Weather is great here in Boracay! We got a little rain and wind from typhoon Man-yi but it cleared up nice. Rocky,Doug and Chad are out Diving the wreck and Fridays rock. Hopefully they will get that great after typhoon visibility! Its great to be back in the water again! Heres a pic of our shop today!

Diver pictures

Here is a picture taken by Daniel Ye! Hope to see you guys soon back in Boracay!

Maniguin 360 and video

Maningning Trip update

The trip was fantastic! First dive 30meter visibility, giant clams, stone fish and a huge school of surgons! Then lunch on the island with the locals who cooked us up some fresh Mahi-Mahi or dorado fish. Second dive we saw a napoleon wrasse, 2 giant cuttle fish and large jacks! A great dive! see the pictures on http://www.myspace.com/boracaydive

We are going back in two weeks!

Dive Safari to Maningning! March 16th

All the instructors are taking the morning off to go to Maningning (Maniguin) Island. Its the best diving in the Boracay Area. 40 meter visibility, Rays, Sharks, Napoleon Wrasses are common. We will do one dive and lunch on the island and Hike up to the Old light house built in 1909. after the luch and hike its back into the water for a another great dive. I will post more picture when we get back!

Giant Pregnant Pufferfish !

Today Svenya completed her Open water dive 4 a Crocodile Rock! We wanted to see the best soft coral in boracay and we did. The water was 27C degrees much warmer now and the vis about 15 meters! What a great day to be diving in Boracay! I have to say when Svenya did one of the most impressive mask removal and replacements I have ever seen, she had her mask of for about 2 minuets, because it got tangled in her hair! But she kept her cool and remained calm and cleared it no problem! Good work Svenya! A Giant pregnant puffer cruised by, it had to be a foot and a half long. We also saw pipefish and some large grouper! Total dive time 53 minuets , another great dive in paradise.-Dustin

Rescue Class

Another Rescue class is in the works here at Bluemango !
Today, Jay took his divers out to Angol to do the Paniced diver under water and unconcious diver underwater. I brought the video camera along to document the training. After the dive we reviewed the footage and made suggestions as to how the Rescues could have been better. Over all they did great job Simon and Erick!!

2 Octopi at Balinghai!

Mark, Doung and myself went out to Balinghai today on a mission to check out the artificial reefs.
The "reef balls" as they are called were put down March 2005 by the Boracay Scuba association. They are doing very well now with some soft and hard coral growth. Mark spotted a Octopus peeking it head out of one of the reef balls. I Looked inside myself and saw not one but 2 Octopi scrunched up next to each other on the ceiling of the reef ball! Cool!

Getting Wrecked in Boracay!

Day 2, of Serena's WRECK Specialty class on Boracays Camia wreck ! I put down some cave line for our wreck penetration dive just to demonstrate the skills required. Then It was her turn to put into practice the line laying techniques we tried back at the shop. She did great! No snagging the line and not much silting, good job Serena keep practicing! For divers who like wrecks the wreck specialty class Is a great way to develop skills and do 3 awesome wreck dives !-Dustin

Fruitless search for virgins, but it's all good

Now that I have your attention... heh heh... Rob, Joe & I went looking for Virgin Drop, a 20-40 meter site somewhere between the Camia and Friday's Rock. Well, we didn't quite find it until the end, but we had a fun dive none the less. There were lots and lots of nudibranchs today. The highlight, however, was a juvenile hawksbill turtle sleeping under a rock. It couldn't have been more than 1 year or 2 old.

Conditions today were great. The sun is out again and it is warm! We had flat water and light current. We could do with fewer jellyfish in the water, though! Total dive time was 39 minutes, maximum depth was 21.9 meters.

Mabuhay!

Busy week of training

We'd no sooner returned to lovely Boracay from our trip to Puerto Galera when Dave & Blanche arrived, ready to start their open water training. The class was an engagement gift from Dave to Blanche. My hat is off to these two. By the time that they were finished, both of them completed not only their open water certification, but also their advanced open water certification as well! All in about a week! We dove Angol Point, Lobster Rock, Friday's Rock, The Camia, a night dive on Friday's Rock and a rip roaring high voltage Channel Drift dive, just to name a few of the 10 dives (in addition to the training dives). Dave elected to do a photography adventure dive and took some really good pictures. That's a real challenge when you're brand new to the sport.

Along the way, I had some other guests as well: Ingrid from Queens -- we have a common friend in Rickie Cui, the head instructor at Mermaid Divers, one of our favorites shops in Sabang. I also got to know Jim from Oakland. Jim started out in the same open water class as Blanche & Dave, but finished on a different schedule. That's one of the advantages of training at Blue Mango Dive Center, we can custom tailor your dive experience to your individual needs. I also had the pleasure of teaching Tom & Nicole of Switzerland the Enriched Air Nitrox specialty. They learned how to extend their bottom time by using mixed gases. It's a surprisingly easy course to complete during your vacation. You can complete the classroom work in about half a day! Whew, I'm exhausted just writing about it all.

Maybe more later; there's a full-moon party at Red Pirates tonight. Gotta jet!

I found 500 Pesos

I was at Angol Point with Lee and Ms. Fong. It was a Great dive!!!!!! It was cool because the water was clear and my divers were comfortable. Ms Fong was a certified as scuba diver and was only diving for 4 months. She was very excited to be in the water. So excited she swam so fast. I tried to ask her to slow down but i think that she didn't know my sign for it. I was hanging on to her tank to slow her down a little for the other divers. Holding her hand only worked for a little while. While we were touring the reef, I spotted a piece of paper underwater that looked like money. I got Ms. Fong's attention and stopped her for a second. I went for the paper and to my surprise it was money!! 500 pesos. I really don't think anyone else would have noticed it, so I think it is safe to say that it was mine! Everyone agreed.

Yeah!!! Sunken Treasure!!!
Woohoooo!

I was doing Open Water Dive 2 with Keven at Angol Point 2. It is a new site for me because we just installed the buoy there. Kevin completed the skills effortlessly. After the skills we went to check out the site. It was great! It had more brilliantly colored corals then Angol 1. I thought the dive was excellent!
max depth was 7.6m
dive time was 31 minutes. Keven uses the average amount of air for a OW student.
water temp was 27C A bit cold for me. *snicker*

To everyone who reads this,
Happy Diving!

Angol 2 Rocks!

Larry and I checked out Boracays newest dive site Angol point 2 and It was awesome!
We were greeted at the site by a very large Mantis shrimp, which let us get unusually close to him. Larry and I headed west out to 3 horn rock as I call it where we saw a small yellow spotted trevally chasing down the small schools of silversides that populate angol. Oriental sweetlips/ many spotted sweet lips were also there at he new side, we never see those at the old Angol Point dive! Just when I thought the dive couldn't get any better a banded coral snake slithered thought the water in front of us, I looked back at Larry and he was smiling and flashing his ok, letting me know he was stoked to be on the dive! So for the first dive on this site I would rate it as a success

It was my new open water student diver Kevin and I on Open water dive 1 at Angol Point. I was kind of rainy, windy and cold, but we wanted to get in the water anyway. When I say cold the rest of you wouldn't think so. About 27 degrees C. Well we did some fish feeding and something strange happened. All of the fish spooked, bad! I looked around to see what might have spooked them. Nothing. We carried on and the fish came back. They spooked again. Now I was convinced that now something was chasing them. maybe a Jack or Barracuda. Something... I know it wasn't a shark. Anyway, we continued the dive and didn't see the "thing" that spooked the fish. Oh well. The rest of the dive was great!

New Dive site

As of January 1st Bluemango Divecenter was given the task of maintaining Boracays dive site buoys. As of today we have redone the Angol point buoy and the Camia East buoy. Our latest addition in the Angol Point 2 buoy, done today Jan 15, 2007. We put this one in because of the increasing popularity of Angol as a dive site, its common to see 4-6 boats tied up to the buoy during busy hours. This puts strain on the buoy line and, lets face it why crowd together its a huge ocean! The new Angol 2 buoy is cool, right when you get in if you head west you can check out 3 large rocks and the fish life is great! We will be upgrading the dive site with a chain later in the month. For now enjoy! -Dustin