16 day trip, 2 novice divers looking for planning/site advice

[daboo9]

Hi everyone,

We are two female divers (novice - approx 15 dives each) who are going to the Philippines for 16 days - starting and ending in Manila - at the beginning of March and have so many questions!
We have read so many threads and books about the diving in The Philippines and quite frankly it's pretty overwhelming to plan a trip that is only for 16 days (there is so much to see). So we've decided to make a post and see what you have to say.

For our experience: I have dived in Carriacou and we both have dived in Roatan.

We'd like to plan a trip that covers a good variety of dive sites (and we were both thinking of getting our PADI AWOD as well) that match our level of experience - or that offer the option of hiring a divemaster 1-to-1 to go with us if the sites are more advanced. It appears as though most places offer the AOWD - any suggestions as to which island/location might be better than another?

We'd love to see some beautiful coral and of course little critters and the thresher sharks would be great (if that is even possible for our experience), whale sharks, and even dugong if we happen to plan a trip in the right area. We are open to just about anything.
We are both social people, but for this trip we'll probably be in bed early to rest up for diving. (we can both sleep through jet engines so being in a loud area might still be alright if that's where the trip takes us for a few days)

As we are two female travellers, we do want to stay in decent areas, but still spend more $ on our diving than our rooms. (Hot water would be good if possible, and if there's no good breeze, then A/C might be in order.)

We have so many ideas but would really like to hear from some people who have been to the Philippines at this time of year and know what might suit our experience level.

I have read a lot of mixed reviews with regards to various islands/sites, but perhaps the fact that we are Novice divers may limit where we should plan on going.
Are these places even within our reach? Malapascua, Puerto Galera (heard it was good for Novices), Palawan (is central better or north if at all for us?), Malapascua, and then there's Boracay which seems (from what I've read here) it's beautiful for the beach, but not at the top of everyone's list for the dive sites - but does that change for us beginners? And the list goes on.....

We'd love to heard from you.

Thank you.

T&R

 

[CODMAN]

Hey there, you gals are going to love the diving in the Philippines!:cool2: You won't want to go back to the caribean (I know I don't...). You seem to really be oriented to the diving more than anything, so here goes my oppinion in what I would do in your shoes...

First let me say that all the places in the PIs (except maybe Tubataha and Apo Reef; liveaboards) will have sites adapted to novice divers. So that's not a problem...

Now since you seem so keen on diving a lot, and want to see lots of places, I would go to the Visayas. It's a short plane ride to Cebu from Manila. From there you can branch out to many great destinations: Malapascua, Moalboal, Dumaguete, Bohol... Choose 2 or 3 of them, that way you can minimise lost time travelling (by plane) and see a few destinations (while still spending 4-5- days at each). If you want the Thresher sharks, well Malapascua is the only place you can see them with good odds...

Each of those destinations have their specific interests, but I'll let more knowledgeable people here fill you in on them. One thing I can say for sure is they will all be great diving and have instructors/DMs to suit your needs.

Hope this helps you a bit!

 

[boljakool]

Since you are starting your trip in Manila, you might want to get your AOW in Anilao first. I'd be glad to get you certified! See my PM.

 

[Joe Cool]

Here's my 2-cents worth: With very limited time, I recommend just flying into Cebu from Manila. Then from there, do Moalboal to the NW part of the island (arrange pick up with the resort of choice) and do lots of diving. Then, take overland transportation over to Malapascua (North tip of island) for Thresher Sharks. You can do a Deep Dive Speciality in Moalboal before you go to Malapascua. You will have to be in deep water while you wait for Thresher Sharks.

Cebu has an international airport so it is possible that you can catch a flight from Tokyo or Seoul or another asian city to there (by-passing Manila). It is not that there I don't recommend dive sites close to Manila but if you are interested in Thresher Sharks, Malapascua is it. If you want critters, nice corals fields, and some pelagic fish, Moalboal has it. I recommend contacting a travel agent that specializes in selling tickets to the Philippines for the best deal. They'll know where to catch international flights into Cebu. Or, you can PM me for whatever information I can offer. Note: I am not a travel agent. Just being helpful.

I have not dived in Cebu before but I am very familiar with the country and several of its dive sites. My knowldege of Cebu diving is from first hand information from friends and family who have experienced it. Cebu will definitely be in my itinerary when I go on another Philippine dive trip (hopefull in the near future). I am definitely going back again mid this year but this trip will be more of a family thing. However, I plan to do some dives in Bohol (one of my favorites), somewhere in Palawan, and possibly Zamboanga Norte.

 

[Centrals]

Ontario must be freezing!!!
My opinion:
1. Spend as little time as possible in Manila. Coming from North America you would be disgusted by the lack of facility at the airport (T1).
2. Catch the plane to Cebu immediately and if possible arrange the airport pick up by the resort from Malapascua. You will be sun bathing on the beach within 5hrs, weather permitted!!! Alternatively, as suggested go to Moalboal first and Malapascua later.
3. There is no point to travel to other destinations around Cebu(Visiyas) as time is tight.
4. You need to bring peso to Malapascua/Moalboal. Changing enough pesoes is your main concern as the exchange rate at the airport is suck!!! Given the strenght of C$ against the green back, lucky for you.
5. You can't beat the White Beach in Boracay but as for diving....
6. Enjoy the diving.

 

[scubajo007]

Diving in the Philippines is wonderful, you will definitely enjoy it.
As said elsewhere almost all places are suitable for new divers and you will easily find suitable accommodations near the dive sites, but do go for a room with aircon, the price will be approx. 1500 PHP per night. To get around and save as much travelling time as possible then I suggest you get out of Manila straight away take the shuttle bus to the domestic airport and go to Dumaguete on Negros do a couple of days there, go by boat to Moalboal on Cebu do your AOW and then you finish your diving on Malapasqua where there are good chances you will see Thresher sharks.

A few tips: change money in Manila International Airport at the Money Exchange at the exit they change to the official rate. If you take a taxi at Manila Airport use the white taxis as the yellow caps tends to charge extra for foreigners. At the airports there are plenty of waiters who will offer to carry your bags even for a few meters, in case then the rate per bag is 20-40 PHP. You should consider arranging your trip through a dive resort, the likes of Sea-Explorers they have dive resorts at all three places and can arrange accommodation and transportation between your dive destinations and you can pay up front.
So ladies have a nice trip and let us know how you got on.

 

[eagerbeaver]

As Malapascua seems to already be on your list, then just let me know if you have direct questions. As the others have stated you'll find the best use of time by flying straight to Cebu and moving around the Visayas.

There are sites here for "novices", but certainly AOW is a good plan no matter what your plans, especially for the Threshers.

Personally in 16 days I'd be looking at a max of 3 locations. A day for travel to each gives 4 days diving in each - a minimum in my opinion to enjoy your trip without being too stressed, and to ensure a sighting of the threshers

Malapascua has AC and hot water...what are your dates? I've just ordered our solar hot water heater so it might take a while!

Don't try to do too much in a short time and enjoy the places you do see instead...and plan a second trip...

HTH,

Matt.

 

[krazymad]

I'm a really novice diver, got OW and AOW certified this past week and just completed dive #13 today. I can't speak to any other parts of the Philippines, but the diving at Alona Beach, Bohol is amazing! In my dives here, I've literally seen thousands upon thousands of fish, sea turtles, a school of barracuda and even swam inside a school of jacks! Fish are up, down, left, right every direction you turn are hundreds of fish. The dive sites are as close as a 3 min boat ride or a 25 min ride to Balicasag (a must do if you come diving here). Do note that the majority of the fish here are smaller in size, main macro, but its a sight to see that many fish all over the place.

Alona beach is a great tourist area with hotels and restaurants on the beach. The locals are very friendly as are all the tourists here. A hotel room on the beach can be had for 3000 php. I'm currently staying at Lost Horizon which I'd rate as a nice 3* hotel. Isis hotel seems to be the popular choice if you can get reservations. Its very safe here, a lot of tourists (mainly european) around and almost every hotel has a security guard. At night, there is always live music at a beach bar or two while a few others play pop music.

I did my OW and AOW with Philippines Fun Divers and can easily recommend them. They run a good operation and the DMs always keeped a close eye on novices. If you take your AOW here, Rento, Michelle and Ogs are great instructors who are just as happy teaching you diving as grabbing a cold one after diving with you. If you do hit up Philippines Fun Divers, tell them Edgar says Hi!

I'll be headed to Moalboal in a few days and will post a trip report when I'm done there.

 

[broadreach]

You mention that you would like to see whale sharks. If I were you I would seriously consider spending a few days in Donsol. Not a place where you can scuba dive, but in mid March you have practically a guarantee to be able to snorkel with a whale shark.

I would then recommend to spend the rest of your time in Anilao in Luzon where you can have some great and really easy dives as well as an opportunity to get your AOW certification and see some cool stuff.

Whichever location you end up choosing (Moal Boal, Malapascua, Bohol, etc... ) you will probably have a great time. The Philippines offer great diving and March is a great time to go.

 

[Rogersea]

I am going to agree with Matt that you want to pick a maximum of 3 locations and the Visayas is a good choice, I would recommend either

1. Moalboal, Dumaguette/APO Island, Alona.
2. Malapascua, Alona, Dumaguette/Apo
or
3. Malapascua, MOalboal, Dumaguette/APO.

Each of these iteneraries allow you to travel without any flights and can be done incredibly cheap, but the cheaper you go the more time it takes....

These Routes(except the Malapascua/Moalboal leg) also help you minimize travel time and you can arrange your transfers so that you dont miss more than a day of diving as a result of transfers..

Taking an AOW is a good idea as some Dive Operators will restrict your depth if you are IN---experienced(a good thing) or have your Advanced "C" card.(every instructor will be happy to have AOW students, it is one of the most enjoyable courses to teach)...

You should feel very safe traveling around the Visayas or Luzon, most of the people you will run into will be incredibly helpful and kind. Everyone here is usually happy to provide assistance...

If you have specific questions feel free to contact me via PM or just reply on the board....

Cheers,
Roger