Alona, Dauin...Siquijor?

[Benjamin Lloyd]

I'll be spending 3 weeks in Visayas next month. I'm going directly from Cebu to Sogod Bay for 4-5 days of diving. From there I figure it makes sense to cross to Bohol where I'll have about a week before I want to get to Sipalay. What should I do with 7 days? I was thinking I could do 2-3 days of diving at both Alona and Dauin, enough time to do Balicasag and Apo Island once. Neither seem like places I want to spend too much time at, and 1 day of muck at Dauin will probably be enough for me. How does the diving in Siquijor compare? The island itself looks amazing but it would mean missing Balicasag or Apo. Also, any recommendations for dive shops at Alona beach? Thanks!

 

[Centrals]

Sea Explorers.
Cebu - Sogod Bay - Bohol - Dauin(Apo Island) - Siquijor - Sipalay all in 3 wks!!!!
A lot of travelling in such a short period of time. I would leave out Siquijor.

 

[Benjamin Lloyd]

Yeah, it would just be two of Alona, Dauin, and Siquijor unless I dropped Sipalay. Is Sipalay worth the time to get there? Sugar Beach seems like a good place to chill out for 4-5 days. Is the diving better at Sipalay than Siquijor?

 

[Tippytoes12]

Everybody I have met who has dived Sipalay has raved about it. But Siquijor is also highly regarded. I did Southern Leyte and Anda in Eastern Bohol on one trip , which worked really well. Anda is a very beautiful area, but the diving from Panglao is better IMVHO. Any three of the areas you mention will be fab, Southern Leyte being the very best of all. If you haven’t been to the Philippines before , be aware that getting from A to B takes a long time, as does checking in , checking out , fixing bills , arranging transport ...it’s easy to let this eat into te real reason you are there....to dive.

Have a great trip

 

[bshort4]

Yeah getting from Southern Leyte to any of the places you mentioned will be an all day affair if not longer. Ferry from Maasin to Cebu City then another ferry either to Tagbilaron (Bohol) or to Dumaguete (Dauin) if you can make the connection. To get to Siquijor you're probably looking at three ferry rides. Or take a four hour ride to Tacloban and catch a plane to Manila and then another plane to Tagbilaron or Dumaguete. Lots of ferries ply the waters between Cebu City and Tagbilaron all day not quite as many to Dumaguete. I know that some of the resorts in Dauin run day trips to Siquijor if they have enough people wanting to go---I know that Mike's Beach Resort makes the trip but both times I've stayed there no one went over there to dive. From Dauin it's probably another four and a half hour bus ride to Sipalay or maybe four hours with a private transfer--very costly. I went from Dumaguete to Bohol by ferry this past December to dive Balicasag Island and enjoyed it very much. I used Island Adventures--a really small locally owned dive shop--out of five days of diving we went to Balicasag three days. They limit the number of divers that can go there each day and not all dive shops can go each day so make sure you find a op that can go there the day you want to dive. Lots of dive shops--someone is always going so just ask. You'll find Alona Beach area pretty touristy--unlike Southern Leyte or Dauin so be prepared if you go there. After diving Alona you can take the ferry to Dumaguete (maybe a hour and ten minute ride) and most resorts will pick you up at the pier for a fee (like 600 pesos) and take you the twenty minute ride to Dauin or catch a trike for like 350 pesos. I'll be diving in Sipalay this coming November for a week (for the first time) then taking the bus down to Dauin for my Apo Island fix.

 

[Tippytoes12]

No there is a direct bangka type ferry from Southern Leyte to the North of Bohol , it takes two or three hours.

 

[Benjamin Lloyd]

Ok, was thinking I could get a ferry from S. Leyte (Maasin or Bato) to the northern side of Bohol and then get a bus down to Panglao. I saw the other post and contacted Island Adventure already. 8,000php for 6 dives, 2 at Balicasag +1 local & 3 at Pamilican, hard to beat. Thanks. 2nd time in the Philippines but I just did Anilao & PG last time so travel was pretty easy. Even with packing in a number of different spots I should have 16-17 days of diving, good enough. And yeah, really looking forward to S. Leyte.

 

[bshort4]

No there is a direct bangka type ferry from Southern Leyte to the North of Bohol , it takes two or three hours.

That's good to know--I had no idea about a banka ferry from Southern Leyte to Bohol.

 

[Centrals]

Mass tourism has destroyed Alona Beach. In the old days(15yrs ago) there was only one resort built with concrete. Bamboo was KING. Those were the days.
Make sure you check the quality of the gas. Most operators were using the same supplier when I last dived there several yrs ago. Find the few operators who filled their own tank!!!!!!

Sipalay is really out of the way BUT well worth the effort. The place is more or less equidistant from either Bacolod or Dumaguete.

 

[partha]

I did my DM cert last year in Siquijor. I absolutely fell in love with the island. The diving is good. Not as good as the rest of Cebu in terms of sea life but still great. You'll see turtles and snakes and all the other colourful fish. And it's a lot of shore diving so its so so easy. Just walk into the water and 5 minutes later youre at a wall. Super busy and no current. The island itself is now one of my favourite spots and I'll be heading back in may to do my instructor cert. It's not crowded, there are beautiful forests and streams. Great food. Quiet and safe. You can't go wrong. If you do decide to go there get in touch with Bozidar at Dive Point Siquijor.

I've done Alona beach as well. It's super touristy now but the diving is great. You can't blow a bubble without it hitting a turtle bigger than you. If you find a spot on one of the ends of the beach away from the crowd or don't mind a crowd then the diving is worth it. I dived with Alona Divers. A local run outfit and the DM Manuel is great.

There is a direct ferry from Cebu to Tagbilaran (Alona beach) and from there a direct ferry to Siquijor. So you can do both places in with easy connections.

There is also a direct ferry from Tagbilaran to Dumaguete and many ferries a day between Dumaguete and Siquijor so you could also squeeze in Dauin/Apo island if you want.

Diving at Apo is great. It's a bit of a boat ride from the beach to Apo but worth it- great drift diving and lots of sea life. Currents can get extremely strong so not for the inexperienced.

You really can't go wrong with any of your options.

I don't know if it's on your list but if you're in Cebu area you should tick off Malapascua in the north of Cebu for their thresher sharks. And another great dive town is Moalboal beach on the western side of Cebu (about an hour or two bus ride north of Dumaguete).

Happy diving!