A Good 1st Time Philippine Dive Trip?

[FT]

If you truly want to be a bit more rural / off the beaten track, then Dauin (south of Dumaguete) or Apo Island itself should float to the top of your list. We learned to dive at Apo so it will always have a special place in the heart, but it definitely meets your requirement of "not the Caribbean." Bohol and Puerto Galera have superb underwater offerings but are a little more developed topside, if far from five-star. Anilao is hard to get to without a private vehicle and caters to the weekend visitors from Manila, but you'll notice how often fine macro photos come from there. Malapascua is also rural, with a youthful expat beach vibe; might be just us but I didn't think the coral or fish life was as nice as the others, although yes, the thresher sharks are unique. It requires significantly more travel time than the others.

 

[Ardy]

Hi all don't want to hijack, but I am thinking about a trip to Philippines as well.

Is there much for a non-diver, avid snorkeler around Mikes place in Dauin? My partner is not a diver and has sat around some pretty boring places whilst I have been diving. Would be good if there was something around here for her...

 

[Worldwide Dive and Sail]

Hi All,

I am an amateur underwater photographer and like shooting everything from wide angle to macro (but I suck at macro). Both my wife and I like a diversity of reef fish, pelagic's, healthy coral, and (some) macro subjects. What we really want to see is new "stuff" we don't see in the Caribbean.

Ideally, we would like to plan a trip for January or February. I am looking for any suggestions.

Hi Dennism52

Certainly if this is your first time out of the Caribbean you will find plenty of new stuff. The Indo-Pacific region has the highest variety of fish species so you are of course on a winner with any destination you choose and the Philippines is thought to be at the heart of the coral triangle which means its has some of the highest records for marine diversity - both fish and corals.

If you are not so into macro then places such as Anilao or Dauin would likely not appeal as they are both very focused on that, though time spent there might help in improving your macro photography skills? From Dauin you can also visit Apo Island which has stunning corals and a wider variety of fish such as red tooth triggerfish, butterflyfish, angel fish and schools of trevally.
Moalboal, would be a good option - whilst local sites have macro and shallow reefs the off shore island of Pescador is known for schools of sardines and here divers can also see thresher sharks and whale sharks.
Malapascua - where you might see thresher sharks and possibly manta rays would also be good too
both Moalboal and Malapascua are easily accessible from Cebu City (International airport = Mactan) so perhaps you would combine diving in both areas- dependent on the time that you have available and both have reasonably priced accommodation.

The best place for a variety of fish, corals and some macro would be Tubbataha Reefs, however the park is not open until late February /early March so likely would not be suitable for your dates.

As Beaverdivers mentioned, there are also liveaboard options, if you would like further information on the trips we provide then please feel free to pm us.

Best wishes for some fun diving in the Philippines,
Siren Fleet

 

[Mantra]

Ardy, if you are wanting exciting topside stuff, I don't think Dauin is ideal. Unless you are a sexpat, there doesn't seem too much to do there. There are some lovely lakes up in the mountains and so on, but I wouldn't travel all that way to see them. The action was definitely underwater. We did a day trip to see the sights before flying out and it was enjoyable, but not too memorable. This is one instance where I would recommend Bohol over Dauin. Lots of world-class topside stuff like the chocolate hills and Tarsiers there.

Contrary to Sirens advice, I would be careful with Moalboal. We didn't have a great time there. Partly this was because we went with one of the larger shops there, and the diver/guide ratios were appaling. 17 divers to one guide at one point. You can imagine the cluster&@&*. I'm usually happy without a guide, but a good critter spotter makes all the difference in some places. Also, unless a miracle has happened, the main draw card there is gone. The sardines are no more (or at least they weren't in January). The story was that a single supertrawler took the lot. That meant the central plank in the food chain was gone, so all the larger Pelagics (Threshers etc) that fed on the sardines were gone too. The remnant (fractional) of the school was just off Cebu city in Jan/Feb. We left after three days, and a number of other divers we met there were doing the same. Moalboal for us was about a lot of shops who were taking very poor care of the environment (we stayed with some of the UN Green Fins crew there, who were trying to turn this around, but boy did they have some stories) and, more poignantly, was about seeing an ecosystem that had just suffered a catastrophic blow. I'd check the latest news on the sardines and the conditions. Someone on the board here might have a clearer idea of what Moalboal is like now - we were there not long after the sardines vanished, so rumors abounded. There was some good wall diving at Pescador, mind you, and the house reef was pretty great- including Mandarin fish who come out a bit earlier before dusk than they do at Lighthouse at Malapascua.

One last thing about Mikes. It would be a gorgeous place to stay, and if you can afford it (it is reasonably priced for the great quality) go for it. If you are a bit tighter on your budget, you can stay next door in OK rooms for about $25 a night. We had blown our budget by the time we arrived, so elected to do this (Mike kindly made the arrangements for us) and dove and ate with Mike next door.

 

[Centrals]

Slightly off the beaten track: General Santos and stay at Lemlunay Resort(South Point Divers).

 

[Krazytomdiver]

Come to Bohol,Panglao,Alona Beach to dive plus great topside accomadations and activities. Easy access, fly to Cebu,Oceanjet to Tagbilaren,taxis to Alona Beach. This area is just the right size with nice places to stay for any budget,several nice resturants American & local,safe family enviroment,no hustlers,ladyboys,or sex trade. You have a choice of many islands & dive sites very close by,a chance to see whalesharks,and do island trekking. There is a reason why alot of expats live here including me. Check out Seaquest,Go Scuba,Sundivers for diving. Birdwatchers & Helmuts Place for food and entertainment. Alona Burger,Alona Pizza,Yellow Submarine,Aussie Steak BBQ,will not dissappoint.
Dive safe,have fun!

"living life without a hard bottom"
KT

 

[drbill]

I've only done Anilao (Club Ocellaris) and Sabang-Puerto Galera (Action Divers) so far, but intend to return to the Philippines to try other locations. You will find that this region offers far more in terms of biodiversity than the Caribbean. No lack of subjects to shoot.

 

[Worldwide Dive and Sail]

Also, unless a miracle has happened, the main draw card there is gone. The sardines are no more (or at least they weren't in January). The story was that a single supertrawler took the lot. That meant the central plank in the food chain was gone, so all the larger Pelagics (Threshers etc) that fed on the sardines were gone too. The remnant (fractional) of the school was just off Cebu city in Jan/Feb. .

Hi Mantra

The sardines are 100% back



Photography in the Visayas - Siren Fleet

Best wishes,
Siren Fleet

 

[scubajo007]

Ardy,
Yes your partner can do some good snorkling with Mike's in Dauin. There are good snorkling sites from the white beach at Apo Island and if you get a trip to Sumilon Island, about an hour and a half east of Dauin by boat, there you should be able to snorkel with juventile whale sharks they are fed by local fishermen, we did that Feb. 2012. There is a kind of Lagoon at Sumilon very nice for snorkling where the boat anchors. That is next to where divers do the East wall.

 

[dennism52]

Contrary to Sirens advice, I would be careful with Moalboal. We didn't have a great time there. Partly this was because we went with one of the larger shops there, and the diver/guide ratios were appaling. 17 divers to one guide at one point.

My wife and I both dislike the larger "cattle boats". Our best experiences have been going with a smaller shop and diving off a panga with 6 divers max. Last time in Tobago, it was just my wife and I for most of the week. We are pretty good with our air, and also like the ability to max. our bottom time, especially when doing shallower dives.

---------- Post added July 26th, 2013 at 09:18 AM ----------

Thanks for all the suggestions; much appreciated. Malapascua and/or Bohol sound like good possibilities and I will be researching these extensively. I haven't ruled out a live-aboard on Siren, but this may stretch my budget a bit too far. The whole area around Cebu sounds interesting to me; as previously stated, all I've heard about before now was Puerto Galera and Dumagetti which are highly advertised by local dive shops in California.

My wife is a bit concerned about the transportation required between Manila and Malapascua or Bohol. We have traveled to many destinations in Central America and are comfortable getting around there, but since this will be our 1st trip to the Philippines, it is an unknown quantity. How difficult is it, and what is a typical fare for the hopper flight to Cebu? Is there a weight limitation less than 50 lbs? Has anyone taken the ferry or is this a dumb idea?