Bangkok to Manila - Where to find great diving on the cheaper end of the scale?

[Centrals]

How about El Nido in northern Palawan and Bohol - Balicasag island.

How would those compare to Malapascua? Diving, travel and price?

Thanks again for the advice!

Getting there is half the fun for El Nido especially by road!! The top side natural beauty is much better than those that I encountered under water many yrs ago. Dynamite fishing was rampage then. Any improvement nowadays?
It might be cheaper to dive at Balicasag which is good but Malapascua is better.

 

[adamtodd]

In PG you can score a cheap backpacker room for 600 pesos. The diving prices have slightly raised there but are comparable to Thailand, and you can find great prices if you spend some time shopping. They generally charge for renting equipment (the last time I was in Thailand, they usually did not)
$2 street food is easy to live on, but the quality of street food is not nearly as good as a $2 Thai street vendor's.

The Philippines can be as cheap as Thailand, but it can take a bit more work IMO...

Sea Riders and Tina's Reef divers have pretty cheap prices for fun dives in PG.

 

[Big Apple]

Fun dives at my shop are P1100 with free gear rental, new gear and expat Divemasters of many years experience. Returning customers or groups get a discount on our regular rates.