It is known to many that Batangas is a popular destination for freedivers, scuba divers and beach enthusiasts. Not only that it is rich with marine and aquatic resources but it is also home to stunning beaches and favorite island getaways. As a result, numerous beach resorts and dive camps are scattered in almost every corner of Batangas that has a beachfront. One of it is Dive7000 resort that offers fun and exciting adventure in the water world. Tell you what, you can never go wrong with this chill dive site in Batangas.
Dive7000 is a resort located in Anilao, Batangas and it is one of the most favorite dive sites of freedivers. Although there are other neighboring resorts, Dive7000 remains a favorite and top pick of most freedivers and coaches. The reason why? Continue reading and let’s get to know this chill dive resort!
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Dive7000 Resort in Batangas
The Resort is every diver’s new dive haven in Anilao, Batangas. I personally recommend this resort to anyone who wants to learn freediving because it’s a very clean and organized place. I’m not only talking about the resort itself but also the reef and the ocean in front of it. As a proof, there are resident sea turtles living by and sightings of a herd of dolphins, manta rays, eagle rays and whale sharks.
Dive7000 resort in Batangas is a resort open door to anyone who loves the ocean. Swimmer or non-swimmer, you will surely love this place. A peaceful ambiance plus a calm sea, this resort definitely deserves a spot on your bucket list.
To give you a bit of information, below are some of the significant things you should know about the resort.
Origin of the resort’s name and logo
Ever wonder why the name Dive7000? One of the coaches we met in the resort said that the name of the resort originated from the islands of the Philippines – representing the 7,000 islands. Hence, the name Dive7000. The owner ow the resort named it after the Philippines’ islands because he envisioned the resort to be the hub of diving in the country.
The logo, as per Coach Jay, was from the manta rays that keeps coming back to the resort. You can spot manta rays happily swimming and jumping. Hence, the logo of the resort.
Brief history of the resort
Dr. Tim Sevilla founded Dive7000 in 1978, providing a dive haven for every swimmer, non-swimmer, freedivers and scuba divers. He is considered by many to be the father of modern scuba diving in the Philippines. Dr. Sevilla is also a former PADI Course Director and has trained thousands of divers from all over the world. In 2002, he became the first Filipino to receive the SSI Platinum Pro Plus Diver Award at the DEMA convention in Las Vegas.
Up to this day, Dive7000 resort continues its legacy to be a dive haven for every ocean enthusiasts in the country. Each day, more and more freedivers gather here to learn, train and dive during their weekend off from their work in the metro. It also remains a favorite dive site for most freediving communities like Vertical Freedivers and No Fins Freediver as it has a calm sea regardless of the weather due to the cove the blocks the wind and storm.
How to get to Dive7000 resort in Batangas
Option 1: Via Public Transportation
To get here, ride a bus (JAM liner) in Cubao or (JAC liner, DLTB) Buendia bound to Batangas Grand Terminal. The travel time is 2-3 hours and the fare is PHP185.00. Then from Batangas Grand Terminal, ride a public jeepney to Mabini Crossing, fare is PHP36.00 and the travel time is 35 minutes. Once you get off in Mabini crossing, charter a tricycle that will take you to Dive7000 resort. The standard rate for the tricycle is PHP200.00 per tricycle and can accommodate 4-5 person. (Updated as of November 2019)
Option 2: Via Private Vehicle
From Batangas Diversion via Bauan – Batangas Provincial Rd and Bauan – Mabini Rd. (50 minutes/26 km)
1. Head southwest on Bauan – Batangas Provincial Rd/Diversion Road
2. Slight right onto Bauan – Batangas Provincial Rd
3. Turn right onto Bauan – Batangas Provincial Rd/Palico – Balayan – Batangas Rd
4. Turn left onto Bauan – Mabini Rd
5. Turn left onto Bauan – Mabini Rd/Mabini Circumferential Rd/National Rd
6. Turn right
7. Arrive at location: Dive 7000 Resort
For better navigation on google maps, click here.
Why Dive in Dive7000 Resort?
Dive7000 resort in Batangas is a clean dive resort
First thing I noticed about the resort is the cleanliness of the water. Usually, in every dive resort there are pieces of plastic near the resort and it actually annoys me every time I see these garbage. I hate it that some resorts (which I’m not gonna mention) promote their resorts for scuba diving and freediving but they don’t provide proper care for the beautiful creatures living in the very site of their dive camp. We should not be tolerating and supporting these kinds of places, instead we promote dive camps who takes it a mission to protect our ocean.
In Dive 7000 resort, rest assured that there are absolutely no trashes you can see. If there are, these trashes are being washed out in the sea from the neighboring establishments or houses. Freedivers are making it a point to do cleanup dives every time they see trashes. They are taking good care of the ocean and that’s already enough reason to come back here.
Stunning Coral Reef
As usual, I was amazed by the coral reef because it’s just near the jump-off point for freediving and you don’t have to swim far to see beautiful corals. Just a short swim and there’s already a healthy coral reef system. There are lots of colorful fishes and corals. You’ll definitely enjoy practicing freedive here!
Resident sea turtles in Dive7000 resort in Batangas
We were already told that there are resident sea turtles nearby but we didn’t expect to see them on our first visit! They actually live just near the buddha site. There’s a chance that you won’t notice them since they are usually hiding 8-10 meters below and pretending like a rock, haha!
Here’s a cool photo of my buddy swimming with one of the sea turtles we saw!
School of Jacks
There are school of jacks in Dive7000 too! Sometimes they’ll just pass by and sometimes they stick around for a photoshoot with freedivers, lol! Although they are not that many compared to the abundance of school of jacks at Binukbok Point but you can expect this as one of the creatures you’ll see.
Calm sea despite of a bad weather
This is the best part why I personally love Dive7000 resort. Lemme tell you a short story how it went down to Dive7000 as our dive destination! So initially, we planned a visit to Apo Reef in Sablayan Mindoro, however, the weather did not permit us to come. That was mid August and we all know it’s the month of terrible monsoon in the Philippines. So we tried reaching out to our dive sites in San Luis in Batangas, however, the caretaker did not allow us to come since there are huge waves and freediving is impossible due to the murky water too.
Milo, our dive buddy, was able to contact someone in the freediving community who recommended Dive7000 resort to us. So we immediately sent a message and they said that the water is calm in the afternoon. The night we arrived in the resort, you can still hear the strong winds and waves splashing through the side of the resort. For a start, I didn’t believe we can freedive that day. But to our surprise, the water is calm in the afternoon and there’s visibility in the water!
The resort has a cove which blocks the monsoon that’s why there are no huge waves compared to the dive resorts located in San Luis, Batangas. Check out the photo below!
Accessible freediving spots in Dive7000 resort
Compared to other dive resorts that you have to ride a boat or swim far to get to the dive sites, here in Dive7000 the freediving site is just a few paddles away! Like I said earlier, the coral reef sysem is just in front of the jump-off point. Read the list of freediving sites in the next section to know where to go!
Complete with all the basic amenities for freediving
Yoga place, swimming pool, shower areas, name it and they got it. Yes! With all the basic amenities that can help you with your freediving, you can find it in the resort. The swimming pool is just beside the yoga place. You can do pool training for your finning/floating or practice your relaxation breathing in the yoga place.
Freediving Sites in Dive7000
Dive7000 resort in Batangas do not only boasts off stunning coral reef system, they have incredible freediving sites too! Cathedral cross, buddha, jetski, castle and helicopter are the prominent list if sights in Dive7000. You might want these sights to be your goal for depth diving and it may be the challenge that you’re looking for to improve your skills in freediving. Let’s take a look of these famous sites below!
Buddha – 8 meters deep
The buddha is for beginners and also every new freediver’s goal to reach. This is the closest freediving site to the jump-off point. It is 8 meters deep during high tide and 6-7 meters during low tide. Some coaches do night dive in the buddha spot too.
Castle – 16 meters deep
If the jetski – which is the next closest to buddha, is a bit deep for you, you can go for the castle which is 16 meters deep during high tide season. The dive site for the castle is a bit off the cove so expect a little waves during late afternoon. Though it’s not that big and during afternoons the sea is calm. Hence, best to check it out when the sun is high up in the middle of the sky.
Goal achieved: November 22, 2019 Freediver: Milo Quinantoto
Jetski – 20 meters deep
The jetski is closest to the buddha’s dive site. It’s 20 meters deep during high tide and 18 meters deep during low tide. It’s one of the closest dive site in the jump-off point so maybe you can try to check this out after the buddha dive.
The Cathedral Cross – 20 meters deep
The cathedral cross is the same as the jetski. It’s 18-20 meters depending on the season and it’s one of the most favorite dive site of the freedivers who keeps coming back to the resort.
Helicopter – 24 meters deep
This is the deepest dive site of all and can be really worth the finishing dive on your list. Maybe make it your trophy if you want to check ’em all. It’s 24 meters during high tide season and 22-23 meters on low tide season.
Where to book your freediving lessons?
Is freediving one of your long time frustrations? Worry no more because Vertical Freedivers got you!
Dive7000 resort is also the basecamp of Vertical Freedivers. They are a freediving community that teaches the basics and intro to freediving to all swimmers and non-swimmers. I highly recommend Coach Jay of Vertical Freedivers if you wish to learn how to freedive because I guarantee that they will aid to your training and you will learn more about the human capabilities that you never thought is possible. You can rate yourself from 0 to 10 for your swimming performance level, it doesn’t matter because with Vertical Freedivers you will surely learn how to dope freedive!
INQUIRE HERE: VERTICAL FREEDIVERS INTRO TO FREEDIVING
For recommended freediving fins, I highly recommend Aquamundo’s Lalum long blade fins. It’s best for beginners and I’ve been using it as my freediing fins too. Click the link below for my review about Aquamundo’s freediving fins.
READ HERE: AQUAMUNDO FREEDIVING FINS REVIEW
Rates and Accommodation
Planning for an overnight stay at Dive7000 resort in Batangas? Below are the standard accommodation rates and other information:
- Private room – PHP4,590.00 good for 4 person (with AC and own bathroom); additional PHP1,275.00 for extra person
- Bedspace – PHP832.00 (with AC) minimum of 4 person
- Day tour entrance fee – PHP 364.00
- Tent pitching fee/Hammock – PHP550.00 (bring your own)
- Food: Breakfast (PHP180 – PHP200.00) Lunch and Dinner (PHP200.00 – PHP300.00)
- Gear Rentals: (to update soon)
FAQs and tips from Joansfootprints
- Dive7000 operating hours: Open daily, just reserve a slot if you wish to do an overnight stay during weekdays
- Are there gear rentals? YES. You can rent basic dive gears like mask & snorkels, fins, buoy and belt weights.
- Is there a restaurant? YES. Breakfast/lunch/dinner meals are available for order.
- Other freediving amenities are available for training like swimming pool and yoga place.
- Is there a wifi? YES.
- Is there a parking lot? Not inside or outside the resort since there’s a 2-3 minutes walk from the nearby parking lots. Overnight parking may cost PHP100.00 – PHP150.00.
- For socials, go there every weekends since there are a lot of freedivers and basic training every weekends
- There are rooms for rent, but if you’re a budget traveler like me you can pitch a tent or bring a hammock since there are public restrooms you can use
- The sunset is the best at Dive7000 resort
- How much is the cost for a day tour? The entrance fee for a day tour is PHP364.00 per person (not inclusive of meals).
- How much is per meal? Per meal costs PHP180.00-PHP300.00 depending on the food.
- Are walk-ins allowed? YES
RELATED ARTICLE: AQUAMUNDO FREEDIVING FINS REVIEW
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