Bohol Island--Panglao, Balicasag Island diving.
- Thread starter bshort4
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OP
bshort4
Contributor
Bill, Its easy to get to Bohol from Cebu City--just take the ferry over on Fast Jet (think it's called Fast Cat)--takes about one hour and costs about $12 and they have several departures each day (just Google ferry to Bohol). Then you can take a taxi van from the pier to the Alona Beach area which is about another $12 for the whole van--they'll be people at the pier where you get your luggage to get the van for you.
Coming from somewhere on Cebu to Southern Leyte?
This "somewhere" can be tricky!! Depend where in somewhere.
1. If you travel from Northern Cebu Island eg. Malapascua then you don't really need to go back to Cebu City to travel to Leyte. But the trip is time consuming and tedious.
2. A lot easier if you start your trip from Cebu City especially if you can catch the ferry to Maasin which is only a short distance from Sogod Bay. But the ferry schedule is NOT that frequent, once or twice a day at most. Therefore you really need to find out the schedule in advance to plan the trip. Let the dive operator to arrange the pick up from Maasin particularly if the ferry dock at night or you can use public transport(jeepney) to Padres Bugos and then motor-trike to the resort.
If for some reason you could not catch the ferry to Maasin eg, last minute cancellation or whatever. You can catch the more frequent ferry to Ormoc and then either bus or "shared van" as far as Maasin. On shared van there won't be any room for your luggage and you have to buy extra seat for it. You will understand the meaning of "packed like sardine"!!!
Hello, I would like to join this discussion. I am a very beginner and I never tried to collect some info on Bohol or close to it, I will be there in May
By now I am planning to dive in 2 famous places, Balicasag and Cabilao
I also would like to try diving in Anda, even though it is more famous as a beach (at least as far as I know)
I am looking for information on the places mentioned above, and any other you consider Worth it for example I can see Dauin seems to be very nice
Some people spoke me about Getafe (where there are luminous sea horses) and Danajon Bank a rare double barrier reef off the North coast of Bohol
Do you know these places, or any other lesser known places to go snorkeling and diving in Bohol?
By now I am planning to dive in 2 famous places, Balicasag and Cabilao
I also would like to try diving in Anda, even though it is more famous as a beach (at least as far as I know)
I am looking for information on the places mentioned above, and any other you consider Worth it for example I can see Dauin seems to be very nice
Some people spoke me about Getafe (where there are luminous sea horses) and Danajon Bank a rare double barrier reef off the North coast of Bohol
Do you know these places, or any other lesser known places to go snorkeling and diving in Bohol?
OP
bshort4
Contributor
I've dived at both Anda and Balicasag and liked Balicasag much better. Never dived at Cabilao but heard it's ok with a few resorts that have their own dive shops. The other places you mentioned I've never heard of at all. Anda is a small "village" which is at least a two hour drive in a private car from Tag
bilaron and even longer by public transportation like a bus. The diving in Anda is mostly wall diving and the vis wasn't near as good as at Balicasag. But we did dive it in December and January and the weather wasn't the best--lots of rain. We really liked the Anda area as it has a lot less people there compared to Alona beach or Panglao island in general. As far as beaches go in Anda pick your hotel or resort wisely. The village of Anda has a very nice wide beach right in town with a few budget hotels to stay in. A little ways out of town are some more upscale resorts--I've stay at Blue Star Dive Resort (NO beach at all) and stayed twice at J & R Residence (very very nice) which has a great beach but no dive shop. They do use the services of Amun Ini resort for diving just down the road (very expensive resort). There are other beach areas on Panglao you can stay with less people compared to Alona Beach but you may need to travel to Alona beach to a dive op to do your diving. The first pic is the "beach" at Blue Star Resort. The second pic is the beach in front of J & R Residence Resort with very shallow water out to about 150 meters in front of the resort
Thank you very much for your feedback
I am gathering information, and even though I don't know the places I will share it with you
In Bohol as far as I know the most known places are the following:
1) Alona Beach (in Panglao): nice but there is mass tourism now and it is not really a diving spot
2) Balicasag (off the coast of Panglao): nice for diving and snorkelin
3) Pamilacan: nice to watch dolphins
4) Cabilao: diving and snorkeling
5) Getafe: marine sanctuary off the coast; known for the luminous seahorses (it can be reached from some towns in the North of Bohol)
6) Anda: nice beach, some people do snorkeling and diving
7) Danajon Bank: off the coast, between Cebu and Bohol. Should be about 1 hour from Bohol by boat; it is a double coral reef
Other places not in Bohol or off the coast of Bohol but still relatively easy to reach:
8) Apo Island (Dumaguete): snorkeling and diving
9) Siqujor (Dumaguete): snorkeling and diving
10) Malapascua (Cebu): beach and diving (not so good for snorkeling)
11) Moalboal and Pescador Island (Cebu): good for snorkeling and diving
12) Oslob (Cebu): whale sharks watching (some people find it too crowded though)
I am gathering information, and even though I don't know the places I will share it with you
In Bohol as far as I know the most known places are the following:
1) Alona Beach (in Panglao): nice but there is mass tourism now and it is not really a diving spot
2) Balicasag (off the coast of Panglao): nice for diving and snorkelin
3) Pamilacan: nice to watch dolphins
4) Cabilao: diving and snorkeling
5) Getafe: marine sanctuary off the coast; known for the luminous seahorses (it can be reached from some towns in the North of Bohol)
6) Anda: nice beach, some people do snorkeling and diving
7) Danajon Bank: off the coast, between Cebu and Bohol. Should be about 1 hour from Bohol by boat; it is a double coral reef
Other places not in Bohol or off the coast of Bohol but still relatively easy to reach:
8) Apo Island (Dumaguete): snorkeling and diving
9) Siqujor (Dumaguete): snorkeling and diving
10) Malapascua (Cebu): beach and diving (not so good for snorkeling)
11) Moalboal and Pescador Island (Cebu): good for snorkeling and diving
12) Oslob (Cebu): whale sharks watching (some people find it too crowded though)
Luko
Contributor
Don't waste your time in Anda, I dived there 3 days last year at Blue Star resort, I find this is really subpar compared to Alona, Balicasag, Cabilao, Dauin or any other place you can access easily from Bohol.
I wouldn't recommand the place at all, except if you enjoy the sanatorium kind of place for holidays and if you are really new to diving, I wasn't impressed with the dive spots. If somebody tells me it's good for macro, I'd assume he hasn't dived enough places yet! Even the guides from Dauin were struggling to find out some few critters.
Last edited:
Similar threads
