Diving Experience in Panglao

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So I went for my next day of dives with the Dive shop on the beachfront. We wet to 'the sanctuary' just of Alona beach. The clarity was amazing and the variety of fish just brilliant. I was calm and serene watching the fish swim by.
Then my breathing became very difficult - from my training I realised it was likely to be C02 not being removed from the aqualung, so I breathed deep and calm. It just got worse until I could not breathe. I made this clear to my instructor and unfortunately he didn't realise that I was having big problems. I knew I needed a clear air supply and the feeling I had was so bad. I then grabbed him and he still would not give me assistance. He then decided to make a controlled ascent, I surfaced slowly, the breathing got easier but I was very rattled and confused.
The instructor went back down to the others and I just waited.
Back at the dive shop, the instructor said to me - you were hyperventilating. I knew this was a possibility, but I had a feeling it was not the reason I had problems. Undoing the regulator from the cannister I saw the reason - the air passage was blocked full of salt crystals!! The regulator hadn't been cleaned and/or checked properly. I was furious. I said to the German 'how did this happen' - he just said 'I dunno'!!! At that point I decided never to dive again with an instructor who's arrogant and look for another dive shop.
Found another dive shop - Sun Divers - and immediately clicked with the guy running it. I also dived with some swiss guys - who were really sound - went for a load of Ale with them later and many Cerveza Negras = my favourite ever beer!

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