Hi- looking for a short holiday in the Visayas, flying in from Hong Kong. Have about 1 week or so, prefer to move around minimally. If you would pick 2 places to base myself in, which two would you recommend? Panglao looks nice topside with a variety of activities, but how is the scuba there? Or should I go to the other side (Moalboal)? Will be during September/October time frame. Or would you suggest to forget Visayas altogether and go further north like Anilao? Thank you so much!
advice for 1 week in Visayas
- Thread starter cwan
- Start date
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Tippytoes12
Contributor
I would just go to Malapascua....get a pick up from the airport or catch a bus , then spend the week seeing the Thresher sharks and all the other wonderful things. Dumaguete is also very very good , but at that time of year it might be an advantage being on the same island as the airport.
Joe Cool
Contributor
If you have a week and plan to visit the Visayas, I recommend flying directly into Cebu from HK then just head to Moalboal. This way, you only do a land transfer (bus or taxi) to reach your destination. As long as there is no typhoon, September/October offer good weather for diving. You'll just have to live with monsoon rains.
If you decide to do Dumaguete including the air or ferry transfers from Cebu or air transfer from Manila, I recommend staying at Apo Island instead of the main island unless you want to spend most of the time muck diving which could get tiring after a while. Or, you can stay on the main island and then visit Apo Island (45 minutes or so boat ride one way) on some of your dive days. When I dove Dauin, I did the same thing and just visited Apo that depart every other day if the weather is good. Next time, I just plan to stay on Apo Island for a few days just so I can get the opportunity to explore the other dive sites around it.
If you decide to do Dumaguete including the air or ferry transfers from Cebu or air transfer from Manila, I recommend staying at Apo Island instead of the main island unless you want to spend most of the time muck diving which could get tiring after a while. Or, you can stay on the main island and then visit Apo Island (45 minutes or so boat ride one way) on some of your dive days. When I dove Dauin, I did the same thing and just visited Apo that depart every other day if the weather is good. Next time, I just plan to stay on Apo Island for a few days just so I can get the opportunity to explore the other dive sites around it.
Hi cwan!
I guess it just depends on what kind of diving you like and is there anything specific you would like to see?
Diving in Dumaguete/Dauin coast in September/October is very nice, especially if you are into octopi. September-October is a mating season for many octopus we have in the area (blue ring octopus, mototi octopus, mimic octopus, wonderpus, coconut octopus, white v octopus and day octopus) and they are “out and about” more than usually, also easier to photograph. I included the photo from last year, all photos taken by our in-house marine biologist Daniel within a couple of days in early October.
And then there's coral reefs of Apo Island nearby too (around 25 minute boat ride from our place, more when you are staying closer to Dumaguete city). If the weather allows, many resorts are also doing day trips to Siquijor and Sumilon, which gives you even more variety.
Like the others mentioned, the weather is slightly unpredictable at that time. It can be absolutely stunning full on sunshine for days but since it's the typhoon season, we might get some afternoon rain showers too. Dumaguete is located so south that we usually don't get properly hit by typhoons, however, when the tropical storms go past the country the edges of the storm often brings rain for a couple of days. During the storm the weather might also affect on flights and ferries, so I would recommend sparing some extra time to reach your international flight and making sure you don't have too risky schedule on your departure day, where ever you are planning to stay and dive.
Happy holiday planning!
I guess it just depends on what kind of diving you like and is there anything specific you would like to see?
Diving in Dumaguete/Dauin coast in September/October is very nice, especially if you are into octopi. September-October is a mating season for many octopus we have in the area (blue ring octopus, mototi octopus, mimic octopus, wonderpus, coconut octopus, white v octopus and day octopus) and they are “out and about” more than usually, also easier to photograph. I included the photo from last year, all photos taken by our in-house marine biologist Daniel within a couple of days in early October.
And then there's coral reefs of Apo Island nearby too (around 25 minute boat ride from our place, more when you are staying closer to Dumaguete city). If the weather allows, many resorts are also doing day trips to Siquijor and Sumilon, which gives you even more variety.
Like the others mentioned, the weather is slightly unpredictable at that time. It can be absolutely stunning full on sunshine for days but since it's the typhoon season, we might get some afternoon rain showers too. Dumaguete is located so south that we usually don't get properly hit by typhoons, however, when the tropical storms go past the country the edges of the storm often brings rain for a couple of days. During the storm the weather might also affect on flights and ferries, so I would recommend sparing some extra time to reach your international flight and making sure you don't have too risky schedule on your departure day, where ever you are planning to stay and dive.
Happy holiday planning!
CX(early departure and late return) has better schedule than 5J(early departure and very early return) but at an elevated price!
Sept is the low season so advanced reservation is NOT really necessary.
If the weather is foul or unfavourable forecast then head towards Moalboal. Otherwise Malapascua is my suggestion.
Sept is the low season so advanced reservation is NOT really necessary.
If the weather is foul or unfavourable forecast then head towards Moalboal. Otherwise Malapascua is my suggestion.
critterdiver
Registered
Diving in Panglao is quite ok, daytrips to Balicasag, Pamilacan and Snake island are quite nice. But take note that wind direction during that time of year might create a problem for going onto the diving boats. Another great option for around bohol would be Cabilao, small quiet island, great wall diving, macro and wideangle dives. From Cabilao you are still able to do excursions to the chocolate hilss, tarsiers, zipline etc. if you fancy it. Theres a diveshop in Cabilao that also offers boat transfers to Dumaguete with 2 dives in Balicasag, weather permiting. To fly in for this combo you can go Hk-Manila-Tagbilaran and Dumaguete-Manila-HK, or HK-Cebu-HK and take a fastcraft ferry to Tagbilaran, Bohol.
Cheers
Cheers
I would suggest you stay one week in Dauin (including 1-2 trips to Apo island) and one week either Malapascua or Moalboal. You have a good variety of muck diving, just nice reefs and either sardine runs or sharks. Malapascua takes a bit longer in travelling compred to the other 2 locations. If you travel fom Moalboal to Dauin or the other way around you might consider a slight detour and go whale watching in Oslob (although Donsol is more animal friendly for the whale sharks).
Either way, it will be nice diving!
Either way, it will be nice diving!
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