Coron coral and fish quality?

[roxolana1]

Thanks so much! Very helpful responses. Per your advice, we’ll be doing Dauin and Alona. Looking forward to it!

 

[akvan99]

Thanks so much! Very helpful responses. Per your advice, we’ll be doing Dauin and Alona. Looking forward to it!

How was the trip OP? I'll have 13 days in PI next month and I'm looking at pretty much doing the same thing, heading over to Dauin/Apo then ferry to Panglao/Alona.
Now I'm wondering if I should only travel to one of those places and replace the other with Puerto Galera?

 

[Centrals]

1. Anilao + PG will save you some travelling time and the cost of the domestic flight.
The only concern at the moment is the "oil".
2. Malapascua + Alona/Moalboal. Two latest trip reports on Malapascua.
3. Malapascua + Southern Leyte unfortunately this one will take time to travel around.

 

[roxolana1]

How was the trip OP? I'll have 13 days in PI next month and I'm looking at pretty much doing the same thing, heading over to Dauin/Apo then ferry to Panglao/Alona.
Now I'm wondering if I should only travel to one of those places and replace the other with Puerto Galera?

Dauin/Apo was fantastic. We stayed at the Atlantis, and highly recommend. Beautiful dives that had a greater density of sealife than Anilao muck diving.

Unfortunately we didn't get to go diving off Alona because there were "gale" warnings that prevented boats from going out for multiple days on end. I think this is fairly rare. On my first day, we did go snorkeling at Balicasag, which was the best snorkeling I've ever done. Massive schools of fish of many different species. We spent hours engulfed in what appeared to be 1000s (10s of 1000s?) of fish. Lots of turtles. But can't comment on the diving.

I ended up skipping PG and staying at Anilao at the last leg of my trip at Buceo Anilao to minimize travel and because it was so lovely and comfortable there. This was much more traditional "muck" diving. We saw fantastic creatures (including amazing flamboyant cuttlefish!), an enormous amount of octopuses, and many crabs. I had my own scuba guide which was fantastic, because he fully catered to my needs.

 

[Johnboy70_99]

How was the trip OP? I'll have 13 days in PI next month and I'm looking at pretty much doing the same thing, heading over to Dauin/Apo then ferry to Panglao/Alona.
Now I'm wondering if I should only travel to one of those places and replace the other with Puerto Galera?

I think the plan for Dauin and Panglao is a good one. Quick ferry ride between means no flight to worry about in the middle. Getting to PG is a hassle when you are already in the Visayas.

 

[bmag78]

How was the trip OP? I'll have 13 days in PI next month and I'm looking at pretty much doing the same thing, heading over to Dauin/Apo then ferry to Panglao/Alona.
Now I'm wondering if I should only travel to one of those places and replace the other with Puerto Galera?

Rather than eliminating either of the two I might actually consider adding a stop in Siquijor between the two. It's right in the middle of the two and the ferry is probably going to stop there anyway. Siquijor is unique place.
If you're set on PG , which is fabulous , (I've done a month there) I would do that first since you can make it from there to Manila airport in four hours and spend the no-dive day on a motorbike on Mindoro or a trip to Tagaytay/Taal volcano which is on the way to the airport anyway. You could actually do all three places on a bit of an accelerated pace.
Bohol---Siquijor--Dumaguete is a good pace for your time frame.
Just the two places is a real nice relaxing trip.
Save PG for your next trip. You'll be back lol

 

[Johnboy70_99]

Rather than eliminating either of the two I might actually consider adding a stop in Siquijor between the two. It's right in the middle of the two and the ferry is probably going to stop there anyway. Siquijor is unique place.
If you're set on PG , which is fabulous , (I've done a month there) I would do that first since you can make it from there to Manila airport in four hours and spend the no-dive day on a motorbike on Mindoro or a trip to Tagaytay/Taal volcano which is on the way to the airport anyway. You could actually do all three places on a bit of an accelerated pace.
Bohol---Siquijor--Dumaguete is a good pace for your time frame.
Just the two places is a real nice relaxing trip.
Save PG for your next trip. You'll be back lol

Agree 100% Siquijor is a great stop. In January I did one week at Alona and one week in Siquijor. Balicasag from Alona is still my favorite but Siquijor was nice as well. I wasn’t bored after being there a week. I stayed at coco beach resort and dove with them at their dive center. it is a really beautiful resort with a nice beach, and the Tubod sanctuary is right in front of the resort.

I did take the day trip to Apo island from coco beach resort, they have a fast modern boat. But if you are going to Daiun as well as think apo island is closer to there. I believe there are ferries that go between all three locations, and you could fly in to either Bohol or Dumaguete and then end up flying back out from Bohol or Dumaguete, so you only really need to take two ferry rides and two domestic flights for the whole trip if you want to start end and at Manila.

All 3 places are doable in 2 weeks for sure, but I found that a week at each place was an idea balance between being able to relax and not move around too much, and not getting bored from diving the same sites over and over.

 

[akvan99]

Rather than eliminating either of the two I might actually consider adding a stop in Siquijor between the two. It's right in the middle of the two and the ferry is probably going to stop there anyway. Siquijor is unique place.
If you're set on PG , which is fabulous , (I've done a month there) I would do that first since you can make it from there to Manila airport in four hours and spend the no-dive day on a motorbike on Mindoro or a trip to Tagaytay/Taal volcano which is on the way to the airport anyway. You could actually do all three places on a bit of an accelerated pace.
Bohol---Siquijor--Dumaguete is a good pace for your time frame.
Just the two places is a real nice relaxing trip.
Save PG for your next trip. You'll be back lol

I know we kind of hijacked this thread but I wanted to report back on my experience.
I did exactly this, Dumagete/Dauin to Siquijor to Bohol/Alona.

Dauin had great muck diving but it was a bit surgey my time there so vis was a little limited and didn't allow for any night dives that would be offered with calmer seas. Stayed at Alona Vida and would highly recommend. Beautiful property and their on site dive shop was top notch, the guides were great at pointing out all the small stuff I would have missed.
The real star of the trip was apo island where vis really opened up. Impressive reef structure and I got to see an electric clam wich was awesome.

Siquijor at the Coco Grove resort was such a beautiful and expansive property, dove the on site reef and saw multiple turtles as well as 2 mantis shrimp. Though at least for my experience the dive shop was a bit disorganized and not on par with the other locations.
Overland siquijor is really a beautiful island so would recommend checking out all that has to offer. highlights were the top of the highest mountain where you can get a 360 view of the whole island. Cambugahay? Falls is such a serene place and shouldn't be missed. I will however caution anyone considering the cantanbon cave hike, that it is not for the faint of heart, its a bit of an arduos hike through some narrow passages that are rather cramped for us larger westerners. i dont regret seeing it but I'd never do it again. Siquijor does also offer trips to apo island as long as there are a minimum of 6 divers interested in going, but timing didn't allow for me to see apo island again from here.

Of the three, Alona beach was the least enjoyable. I stayed on the main drag of Alona beach as I figured it would offer me the most opportunity to check out different dive shops and restaurants at night.
I found the beach was too small with far too many people and nothing but tourist traps. Diving Balicasag island was enjoyable but not nearly as impressive as apo island.
If I were to do it again, I'd stay at one of the quiter resorts along Dumaluan beach or skip panglao all together and spend more time at the first 2 areas.

Thanks to everyone for the advice, I certainly plan to return in the future.

 

[bmag78]

I know we kind of hijacked this thread but I wanted to report back on my experience.
I did exactly this, Dumagete/Dauin to Siquijor to Bohol/Alona.

Dauin had great muck diving but it was a bit surgey my time there so vis was a little limited and didn't allow for any night dives that would be offered with calmer seas. Stayed at Alona Vida and would highly recommend. Beautiful property and their on site dive shop was top notch, the guides were great at pointing out all the small stuff I would have missed.
The real star of the trip was apo island where vis really opened up. Impressive reef structure and I got to see an electric clam wich was awesome.

Siquijor at the Coco Grove resort was such a beautiful and expansive property, dove the on site reef and saw multiple turtles as well as 2 mantis shrimp. Though at least for my experience the dive shop was a bit disorganized and not on par with the other locations.
Overland siquijor is really a beautiful island so would recommend checking out all that has to offer. highlights were the top of the highest mountain where you can get a 360 view of the whole island. Cambugahay? Falls is such a serene place and shouldn't be missed. I will however caution anyone considering the cantanbon cave hike, that it is not for the faint of heart, its a bit of an arduos hike through some narrow passages that are rather cramped for us larger westerners. i dont regret seeing it but I'd never do it again. Siquijor does also offer trips to apo island as long as there are a minimum of 6 divers interested in going, but timing didn't allow for me to see apo island again from here.

Of the three, Alona beach was the least enjoyable. I stayed on the main drag of Alona beach as I figured it would offer me the most opportunity to check out different dive shops and restaurants at night.
I found the beach was too small with far too many people and nothing but tourist traps. Diving Balicasag island was enjoyable but not nearly as impressive as apo island.
If I were to do it again, I'd stay at one of the quiter resorts along Dumaluan beach or skip panglao all together and spend more time at the first 2 areas.

Thanks to everyone for the advice, I certainly plan to return in the future.

Thanks so much for reporting back. Glad you had a good time. Panglao/ alona has gotten very crowded for sure. Great new places are being developed all over Philippines. Enjoy your future trips. PG and Apo reef (not Island) are a good next step. I'm trying southern Leyte my next trip. Thanks again for reporting back

 

[akvan99]

Thanks so much for reporting back. Glad you had a good time. Panglao/ alona has gotten very crowded for sure. Great new places are being developed all over Philippines. Enjoy your future trips. PG and Apo reef (not Island) are a good next step. I'm trying southern Leyte my next trip. Thanks again for reporting back

PG is certaily on the list but now I'm worried if it's going to be such a crowded mess as alona beach. I was actually planning for PG this trip, but with the recent oil spill in the area, I changed plans to go with the original recommendations. Waiting to see the environmental impact over the next few months and how that all blows over.
I'm thinking apo reef/coron and possibly el nido for the next trip.
Leyte sounds amazing but a bit of a pain to get to, I'll have to save that one for later.
Thanks again!