Philippines trip planning

[jeremyl]

Hey all,

While this is of course asked often (even a current thread with similar options - which I am of course following) - my guidelines are different and I didn't want to hyjack someones post... SOOO:

Planning ~3wks trip to dive Philippines starting late March. I'll (likely) fly from Manila -> Cebu City. I plan to meet with a buddy for Easter (~4 days with him but I may do more) for diving in Malapascua. But I have some time before I meet him (I will likely arrive ~22 March but maybe a few days sooner). I have no 'set' end time, but figure after ~3wks I will be tired of travelling. I will be otherwise travelling solo. I just have mask/computer so will be renting gear, to I will have a 14kg bag tho I might store most of that in Manila as it is stuff I do not need for this warm-weather climate... so maybe I can travel light... just a ~6kg backpack. 48yr old fit, experienced PADI AOW diver (~550 dives).

This is my 2nd trip to Philippines but the first (Coron, Tubbataha, PG) was ~12yrs ago... but plan to skip those areas this time and focus around Cebu.
I do not need (nor desire) a big party atmosphere.
Moderate budget. I do not mind travelling a bit to get to the 'best' areas, but also want to streamline the travels a bit. Don't need to hit everywhere, and dont want to spend all my time travelling... this will certainly not be my last trip here (esp now that I have a friend living in Cebu City).

I do love the muck as well as the corals, and the pelagics... so yeah, all of it
Whale Sharks and Threashers are kinda high on the tick list, so Oslob is probably on the list... maybe with an extension down to Dumaguete (and/or surroundings of siquijor, Apo Is, Dauin).

Moalboal is high on the list - perhaps from the fame but it sounds like its still a wonderful place to go.
S. Leyte def peaks my interest.

Obviously there are many great destinations. I'm trying to piece together a good itinerary that makes sense travel-wise and also mixes up the experience a bit.
I could do >3wks but I tend to get a bit tired of travelling solo after that long.

Thanks!! J

 

[Centrals]

Moalboal(Oslob) + Dumaguette + Sipalay.
Both Malapascua and Southern Leyte are quite isolated and need good planning to avoid unnecessary back trekking.

How about LoB to Tubbataha?

 

[jeremyl]

I did the LOB to Tubbataha on my last trip so won't do it this time. Same with Coron - tho I 'may' tack on some time in PG/Anilao at the end if I'm not 'dived out' and it makes sense.

Sipalay had not crossed my radar.

Yes both Malapascua and Southern Leyte are isolated but they are also high on my list. I have time to travel a bit. Talking to my buddy we may not be able to book Malapascua for easter since it's kinda close now and things may be booked - but he is checking - so we may meet up at one of the other spots. But that is why I'm doing this info gathering so I can plan out a route that makes sense.

I think starting or ending in Dumaguette arena makes sense since it is direct back to Manila, and i think this area (including Oslob/Apo Is, Dauin has a lot of diving... not sure how much can be done from one base vs moving around a bit.

Seems there is baggage storage in Manila so I will be able to travel quite light.. just a backpack with some shorts and t-shirts. So that helps a LOT.

 

[Centrals]

Sipalay is about 5hrs from Dumaguete, exit through Bacolod to MNL so there is no back trekking.
You have to place Southern Leyte at the beginning of the trip. It is dead easy for your mate to travel from Cebu to Padre Bugos.

1. Southern Leyte, Moalboal(Oslob), Dumaguete(Apo island), Siquijor(optional), Sipalay. I do not think you would have much time left for either Anilao or PG.
2. Southern Letye, ferry to Ubay in Bohol, Alona Beach, Ferry back to Cebu, bus to Moalboal(Oslob) and finally Dumaguete.
3. There are other permutations but you only have three wks.

 

[jeremyl]

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll see how that works out with his plans. There may need to be some redundant travel due to his availability and what we can book, but overall plan 1 or 2 is my hope, tho I also hope to add in Malapascua somewhere. 3wks can slip if Im having fun and have a good itinerary

 

[jeremyl]

Working a bit more, I need to have an idea how long to dive each area.
IF I went to Malapascua, how many days should I plan? Seems like it takes a little effort to get there (and it is pretty much all backtracking to/from Cebu City for me) so maybe spending 5 dive days?? Seems like beyond threshers I would not be seeing anything I wont see in all the other places I'm going so maybe I end up skipping it. I wouldn't want to make the effort for just 2-3 dive days I think, even tho it seems that's not at all uncommon.

How many days for Moalboal? My (almost firm) plan is to meet my buddy here for 4 dive-days. Should I stay longer?

From there it is down to Dumaguete(Apo island)/Dauin/Siquijor. Seems like there is quite a bit down here - esp if I include day trips to Oslob (or maybe I stay in Oslob for a few days). Is it best to just base in Dauin and take a few longer tips or move a bit. How much time total to devote? I dont want to feel rush and I want to get to dive a goodly bit of the area.

Finally, if I go to Leyte, what are the spots to visit and for how long. This is the part I know least about as it seems there are a few areas - do I just stay in Padre Burgos or other places as well? Do boats in Padre Burgos go all the way up the bay to Libagon?

The final possibility is adding in some diving on Boho. Panglao/Anda/Cabilao. Some possibility I do some of this before Moalboal since i can ferry over from Cebu while by buddy is working. This would very likely be only if I extend my trip, but seeing how many great spots there are maybe i end up doing 4 or 5wk trip . It will likely be a while before im back in Philippines and i have some time on my hands, as long as I keep lodging costs in check.

 

[YYCLuke]

Oslob is about 2 hours south of Cebu City so you'll want to do it before Dumaguete.

Malapascua is 4-5 hours transit north of Cebu City, but worth 2-3 days diving. The benefit of taking buses and ferries means you can dive and then leave when you want, no waiting for no fly time.

I've spent weeks in Moalboal, always lots to do both topside and underwater. I'd recommend Savedra or if you are not as budget conscious, the Cebu Seaview Resort is really nice.

Bohol is definitely worth it if you can dive Balicasag. It'll depend on the time of year, I had no issues doing it daily in low season with Philippines Fun Divers, but high season is a lottery type system. Email and inquire before you go.

Generally 3 days is a good enough start to any place for diving, though Moalboal you could do a week no issues and I'm sure Dumaguete/Dauin is a week or longer. I'd recommend either Malapascua or Bohol (depending on season) but not both, long ways to transit to do it twice.

I'd probably fly into Cebu, head to one of those two, then back to the city. Take the bus to Moalboal for a week or so, then bus to Oslob and stay overnight and do the whale sharks in the morning, then catch the ferry to Dumaguete as the terminal is just south of Oslob.

 

[diveUAE]

We just returned from Philippines- this time we did Dauin (Bongo Bongo - highly recommend if you’re ok with small/basic room, atmosphere at the place was fantastic and dive center was good) 9 nights, then Moalboal (Cebu Seaview - spacious room, strong ac, bed a bit hard, wonderful staff. Dive center was not up to par, would look elsewhere if/when we go back) 4 nights.

In 2019 we did Malapascua and Bohol.

Of these 4 places malapascua is my favorite by far - so much more than just the threshers! So many nudies, seahorses, frog fish, ghost pipe fish, shrimps, octopuses (including blue ring), sharks, eels - I could go on. (We were lucky and had a fantastic dive guide, sadly the resort we used did not survive the Wuhan virus)

Dauin ended up great - the first 3 days we had different guides - all were quite different in style and ability to spot stuff. In day 4 we had Eric and requested him to be our guide for the remaining time as he was fun, caring, a great spotter and seemed genuinely excited every time he found something new for us- saw lots and lots of stuff.

Bohol/Panglao was good - Balicasag has beautiful coral and fish life and we saw some nice stuff on the walls at Panglao. But to us not as good as Malapascua or Dauin.

Moalboal I don’t know… the sardines were awesome to see and Pescador was beautiful, but the dive guides were just not good - yes, they did find frog fish and some nudies + orangutan crabs, but honestly they seemed bored/uninterested in a way that I actually don’t recall ever experiencing with dive guides. We felt our 4 nights were just fine and actually enjoyed the “town” itself with great food and massages.

If I had 3 weeks I’d spend 1 in Malapascua, 1 in Dauin and split the rest between Bohol and Moalboal.
Have not been to south Leyte, but it sounds great, so maybe a week there.

 

[JonnieB]

If you decide to add Bohol, you may want to consider diving in Anda. It's a few hours up the coastal road from Panglao Island. There is very good open water (whale sharks) and macro dive sites. Magic Oceans dive resort is great but there are others in the area too. There are YT videos you can check out to get a feel for the area.

 

[YYCLuke]

We just returned from Philippines- this time we did Dauin (Bongo Bongo - highly recommend if you’re ok with small/basic room, atmosphere at the place was fantastic and dive center was good) 9 nights, then Moalboal (Cebu Seaview - spacious room, strong ac, bed a bit hard, wonderful staff. Dive center was not up to par, would look elsewhere if/when we go back) 4 nights.

In 2019 we did Malapascua and Bohol.

Of these 4 places malapascua is my favorite by far - so much more than just the threshers! So many nudies, seahorses, frog fish, ghost pipe fish, shrimps, octopuses (including blue ring), sharks, eels - I could go on. (We were lucky and had a fantastic dive guide, sadly the resort we used did not survive the Wuhan virus)

Dauin ended up great - the first 3 days we had different guides - all were quite different in style and ability to spot stuff. In day 4 we had Eric and requested him to be our guide for the remaining time as he was fun, caring, a great spotter and seemed genuinely excited every time he found something new for us- saw lots and lots of stuff.

Bohol/Panglao was good - Balicasag has beautiful coral and fish life and we saw some nice stuff on the walls at Panglao. But to us not as good as Malapascua or Dauin.

Moalboal I don’t know… the sardines were awesome to see and Pescador was beautiful, but the dive guides were just not good - yes, they did find frog fish and some nudies + orangutan crabs, but honestly they seemed bored/uninterested in a way that I actually don’t recall ever experiencing with dive guides. We felt our 4 nights were just fine and actually enjoyed the “town” itself with great food and massages.

If I had 3 weeks I’d spend 1 in Malapascua, 1 in Dauin and split the rest between Bohol and Moalboal.
Have not been to south Leyte, but it sounds great, so maybe a week there.

I'm surprised at the DMs in Seaview in Moalboal. I know the manager of the resort and the head instructor Koz, and that shocks me. Though I've never dove through the resort, they're also affiliated with Savedra and it was a really well run operation last summer. The DMs were fantastic.

I'll pass that along next time I talk to them, important info if their guides aren't doing much guiding.