Heads up:captngreggs.ph is the official site. captngreggs.com has been recovered and now redirects here. During the compromise, guests reported scam email, WeChat and WhatsApp messages. Verify before paying. Read the recovery notice.
Memory Lane: Old Sabang & Capt'n Gregg's since 1980
The photo wall at the resort now has an online home for family, friends and old guests. Browse the public album, then help us add names, dates and stories where the captions are still thin.
A short history of Sabang Beach, Puerto Galera and Capt'n Gregg's
Quick answer: Sabang Beach sits on the north coast of Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, facing the Verde Island Passage. Capt'n Gregg's opened in 1983 as one of Sabang's early dive operations. The original waterfront resort burned down on September 12, 2021, reopened on April 1, 2022 — the "phoenix" — and continues today as an independent dive resort, restaurant and rooms currently run by four long-time partners.
These notes are deliberately cautious: where a date, name or event is not yet confirmed by public sources, it is marked for owner review.
1973
Before the divers
Before Sabang became a diver's shorthand, Puerto Galera was known for its harbor. Oriental Mindoro's tourism history describes Muelle Bay as one of Asia's safest natural harbors and traces the Spanish-era name to Puerto de Galleon, later Puerto Galera.
Public local histories describe pre-tourism livelihoods as fishing, farming, ship work and household hosting; Sabang's specific fishing-village memory is being confirmed with the owners. A 1973 presidential decree designated Puerto Galera for tourism and Man and the Biosphere research; the UNESCO National Commission separately lists the Puerto Galera Biosphere Reserve under 1977, so the exact decree number, date and UNESCO designation phrasing are being confirmed.
Late 1970s-1983
Capt'n Gregg arrives
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Puerto Galera had moved onto the backpacker and diver circuit. Provincial tourism material says early visitors arrived largely by word of mouth in the early 1970s, and dive-travel writing describes Sabang as a base where foreign divers helped map sites around the bay.
Public hotel listings and a Canadian World Traveller article consistently date the resort to 1983 on Sabang Beach. Capt'n Gregg's is currently run by four long-time partners; the founder's full name and nationality are being confirmed with the owners because they are not yet verified from two independent public sources.
Sept 12 2021
The fire
The fire belongs to recent memory, not distant legend. ScubaBoard preserved a September 12, 2021 report quoting the resort's public Facebook post: the resort was consumed by fire at about 3:30 that morning, and thankfully no one was hurt.
A Chinese-language Filipino community post also reported Capt'n Gregg's burning in the early hours of September 12 and described it as one of Puerto Galera's earliest dive resorts. The exact inventory of what was lost is being confirmed with the owners, but the public response shows the feeling from divers, Hash House Harriers, restaurant regulars, staff, neighbors and returning guests.
1 April 2022 onward
Phoenix: the rebuild
The phoenix is how the team describes what happened next, and the detailed rebuild story is still being gathered from the people who carried it. Public records show the outline: forum updates in September 2021 referenced a commitment to rebuild (names are being confirmed with the owners), the resort reopened on April 1, 2022, and later guest reports again describe Capt'n Gregg's as open on Sabang Beach with rooms, restaurant service and an active dive operation.
Drag the handle to compare the resort after the September 12, 2021 fire (left) with the rebuilt waterfront (right). Owner-supplied photos; angles approximated.
The original wooden waterfront structure, early dive boats, partner names and long-time crew roll call should not be guessed from memory or photographs alone. Help identifying builders, boat crew, kitchen team, dive guides or friends is welcome.
Today
Sabang now, and why the wall matters
Today Sabang sits beside a marine corridor that conservation groups and researchers call one of the richest places for shore-fish and marine life on earth: the Verde Island Passage, between Luzon and Mindoro. A 2014 California Academy of Sciences expedition described it as the "center of the center" of marine biodiversity, and Conservation International identifies the passage as a global center for shore-fish diversity.
That larger story makes the wall matter. These photographs are not just nostalgia; they show the human side of a beach that changed from fishing village and backpacker stop into a long-running dive community, and they help old guests return names to faces.
Public photo album
Old photos from the wall
Publicalbum was rechecked on May 16, 2026. The legacy embedpublicalbum.com host did not resolve in this environment, while publicalbum.org returns a 200 response at /embed/album.js but serves an HTML landing page rather than a JavaScript embed. With no working live embed available, this preview is a local snapshot; open the Google Photos album for the full collection.
Memory Lane will get better as people add names, dates and the stories behind the photographs.
Photos have IDs like #ML-0007 — quote the ID in your email so we can match it back to the album.
If you recognize someone, know where a photo was taken, or have an old Capt'n Gregg's or Sabang Beach photo to contribute, email reservations@captngreggs.ph.
Please include the photo, approximate year, names, location, your relationship to the people in the picture, and whether you give permission to add it to the public album.
Memory Lane answers
Questions about Memory Lane
When was Capt'n Gregg's founded?
Public hotel listings and a Canadian World Traveller article consistently date the resort to 1983 on Sabang Beach. Capt'n Gregg's is currently run by four long-time partners; the founder's full name and nationality are being confirmed with the owners.
Where is Sabang Beach?
Sabang Beach is in Puerto Galera on the north coast of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, facing the Verde Island Passage.
What is the Verde Island Passage?
The Verde Island Passage is the waterway between Luzon and Mindoro, widely cited by marine scientists and conservation groups as a global center for shore-fish and marine biodiversity.
How can I contribute an old photo or name?
Email reservations@captngreggs.ph with the photo, the approximate date, names, location, and permission details so the team can review it for Memory Lane.
