Thanks for all the suggestions. I decided to go with Moalboal (Club Serena, recommended by relatives) and Dumaguete (Atlantis). Anybody know anything about Philippine Aquaholic Divers in Moalboal @ Club Serena). Any recommendations for other dive operators in Moalboal?
Bohol, Dumaguete, and/or Moalboal?
- Thread starter tannebil
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I have had very good experiences with SAVEDRA Dive Center.. They run 3 dives a day 7:30, 10:15 and 2PM usually at least one will be to Pescador Island..
scuba diving cebu philippines
I have used a few others and all of them have been acceptable, but in my opinion Savedra is very professional and still has a homey feeling..
I think you will find Club Serena to be a nice place it may seem a little remote as White Beach is less developed than Pangsama(most people know it as Moalboal).. It is at least a 20 minute commute to Savedra from White Beach...
Anyway I will be returning to Moal Boal in 2 weeks for at least a few months feel free to PM me before you go, maybe we can all make a dive together...
Cheers
weenerdoggs
Contributor
Hey there Tannebil,
I dove Moalboal and DumagueteAPo last year and i just got back from my second PI trip last week, in which I dove Bohol (Balicasag). To get the best advice I would do what I did and check out bill22 's dive trip reports. But otherwise:
Here is my impression. First: bring your own gear and dive in comfort. The shops all seem to dive the same spots and the main difference is the quality of rental gear. The shop prices vary widely. I would recommend you bring your own gear and go with the shop that has the best price.
In Moalboal the least expensive diveshop is Nelson's.
In Bohol is is the little diveshop in back of the Oops bar.
In Dumaguete I only did a one day safari to Apo, with Adventure Diveshop. They were great, the diving there is the best I have done in the PI. Not to say that Moalboal or Bohol werent good! Its all good there: lumps of life growing and creeping on other lumps of life.
Moalboal:
A quiet but cool place. You can stay at Visyan divers for 800 pesos/nt if you only use the fan rather than AC. I also stayed at a few other spot (the prices range from 700-1500 pesos per night when I was there in 2008). I heard good things about Savedra too. I didn't dive with them but I stayed in their resort for one nt, was nice.
Moalboal is quite quiet. There is really no beach in the main Panagsama area, there is a beach about a mile north that is supposed to be quite nice.
The main dive site is Pescador Island. it is awesome, for diving or snorkeling. I saw lots of sea snakes here too (but no where else in the PI so far). there are a couple little bars around and a few good restaurants. Bring cash as the resorts really gouge the visitor who tries to exchange money (so I personally found). There is a disco party every Saturday, pretty fun there, look out for the girls with the big hands (don't worry its not like Thailand! haha).
Dumaguete is cool, a bigger city, like a small college town. It has bars and nightlife. The people were quite nice. It was easy to get around. We stayed at Harolds for cheap and convenient accomodations, nothing fancy. It is a better place to be a single guy as there are more people and more of a nightlife. Try the WhyNot bar. I met some of the staff there and they took me out to another bar after it closed for more drinks and chatter.
Apo is a great site. I wouldn't stay on APO though, only has power a couple hours a day and REALLY quiet, good place to take your girl though if you need that much quiet.
Alona Beach at Panglao Island, Bohol was really nice. It was great staying at Oops Cottages. 1000 pesos/nt. Basic cottages but clean. The shower/water at the beach is a little brackish but they give you free bottled water. We had a hoot having drinks and shootin the breeze with people there. Ooops we found was the most basic but best priced placed to stay. You get your own shack and they discount your food purchases by 10%. The other accommodation at Alona Beach (the main diving area) was getting upwards of 1800 pesos/nt (and that includes the price break my Filipina gets us) SO oopS WAS IT FOR US. We were there in Off season so nightlife was pretty quiet. I imagine December gets busy.
Balicasag Island (THE MAJOR DIVESITE FOR bOHOL) was quite good for diving. The reef was in good condition. We dove with the little diveshop behind OOps, forget the name but utterly easy to find it. My buddy and I had the boat to ourselved, with a divemaster. Cheap at 2000 pesos/each for a 2 dive outing. Better than the 2900 pesos price quoted next door at Peter's place (and the money went to the locals: local owner, local staff, and a local divemaster and boat crew). It was nice to not be on an overun boat. Quiet relaxing dives for as long as the air lasted.
Hope you enjoy your dives!
Jason
I dove Moalboal and DumagueteAPo last year and i just got back from my second PI trip last week, in which I dove Bohol (Balicasag). To get the best advice I would do what I did and check out bill22 's dive trip reports. But otherwise:
Here is my impression. First: bring your own gear and dive in comfort. The shops all seem to dive the same spots and the main difference is the quality of rental gear. The shop prices vary widely. I would recommend you bring your own gear and go with the shop that has the best price.
In Moalboal the least expensive diveshop is Nelson's.
In Bohol is is the little diveshop in back of the Oops bar.
In Dumaguete I only did a one day safari to Apo, with Adventure Diveshop. They were great, the diving there is the best I have done in the PI. Not to say that Moalboal or Bohol werent good! Its all good there: lumps of life growing and creeping on other lumps of life.
Moalboal:
A quiet but cool place. You can stay at Visyan divers for 800 pesos/nt if you only use the fan rather than AC. I also stayed at a few other spot (the prices range from 700-1500 pesos per night when I was there in 2008). I heard good things about Savedra too. I didn't dive with them but I stayed in their resort for one nt, was nice.
Moalboal is quite quiet. There is really no beach in the main Panagsama area, there is a beach about a mile north that is supposed to be quite nice.
The main dive site is Pescador Island. it is awesome, for diving or snorkeling. I saw lots of sea snakes here too (but no where else in the PI so far). there are a couple little bars around and a few good restaurants. Bring cash as the resorts really gouge the visitor who tries to exchange money (so I personally found). There is a disco party every Saturday, pretty fun there, look out for the girls with the big hands (don't worry its not like Thailand! haha).
Dumaguete is cool, a bigger city, like a small college town. It has bars and nightlife. The people were quite nice. It was easy to get around. We stayed at Harolds for cheap and convenient accomodations, nothing fancy. It is a better place to be a single guy as there are more people and more of a nightlife. Try the WhyNot bar. I met some of the staff there and they took me out to another bar after it closed for more drinks and chatter.
Apo is a great site. I wouldn't stay on APO though, only has power a couple hours a day and REALLY quiet, good place to take your girl though if you need that much quiet.
Alona Beach at Panglao Island, Bohol was really nice. It was great staying at Oops Cottages. 1000 pesos/nt. Basic cottages but clean. The shower/water at the beach is a little brackish but they give you free bottled water. We had a hoot having drinks and shootin the breeze with people there. Ooops we found was the most basic but best priced placed to stay. You get your own shack and they discount your food purchases by 10%. The other accommodation at Alona Beach (the main diving area) was getting upwards of 1800 pesos/nt (and that includes the price break my Filipina gets us) SO oopS WAS IT FOR US. We were there in Off season so nightlife was pretty quiet. I imagine December gets busy.
Balicasag Island (THE MAJOR DIVESITE FOR bOHOL) was quite good for diving. The reef was in good condition. We dove with the little diveshop behind OOps, forget the name but utterly easy to find it. My buddy and I had the boat to ourselved, with a divemaster. Cheap at 2000 pesos/each for a 2 dive outing. Better than the 2900 pesos price quoted next door at Peter's place (and the money went to the locals: local owner, local staff, and a local divemaster and boat crew). It was nice to not be on an overun boat. Quiet relaxing dives for as long as the air lasted.
Hope you enjoy your dives!
Jason
jigo
Contributor
i think the dive shop behind oops bar is baywatch. owned by father vernon and son butch (guy with dreadlocks).
h2odragon1
Contributor
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