Dilemma, Malapascua or Moalboal?
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That is exactly what drove my decision not the fact that I am new diver but the almost certainty that in December and January the wind blows and as the boat rides are all 30+ minutes to the 'pelagic' sites I was not fancying that too much. Hence I changed to Dauin that is most sheltered. All of the dives in Moalboal are less than 30 minutes boat ride and there is plenty of shore or near to shore diving so suits best people that do not want to spend 2 hours per day just to get to the sites and back
Still I would not understand why once you have done the whole ride you would not dive? Getting out of the water can be tricky but definitely better to dive and not stay on the boat if it gets choppy, the operators are really nice not to charge for the full dives, I would not do that if I was running the dive shop
Still I would not understand why once you have done the whole ride you would not dive? Getting out of the water can be tricky but definitely better to dive and not stay on the boat if it gets choppy, the operators are really nice not to charge for the full dives, I would not do that if I was running the dive shop
ocdiver1
Contributor
The only real "open ocean" dives I can remember at Malapascua are Monad and Kemod. In three trips I personally can't recall any diver on any boat I'd been on in Malapascua pulling out from a dive after the boat ride. I think the worrying over conditions might be overstated a bit. And if Pescador is also considered "open ocean" that dive is really the only dive that stands out in Moalboal where Malapascua has many. Really, Malapascua has the superior diving, I'd say hands down.
OP
andrewlius
New
Hey All,
Awesome replies! Technically, I am a newbie but I've tried different conditions throughout my last 11 dives. With that said, I am not as worried about choppy surface as much as undercurrents...Have not been good at keeping a steady buoyancy during a heavy storm underwater.
I think I'll work out as suggested, Malapascua then Moalboal, if I can make it. I'll be heading to Luzon for the next 5 days before leaving back home.
Will tell you people reports when I'm all done and many thanks!
Awesome replies! Technically, I am a newbie but I've tried different conditions throughout my last 11 dives. With that said, I am not as worried about choppy surface as much as undercurrents...Have not been good at keeping a steady buoyancy during a heavy storm underwater.
I think I'll work out as suggested, Malapascua then Moalboal, if I can make it. I'll be heading to Luzon for the next 5 days before leaving back home.
Will tell you people reports when I'm all done and many thanks!
I've just returned from our Philippines holidays. We spent one week in Moalboal and another one in Malapascua, so I can compare precisely those 2 locations 
Moalboal is nice, if you're keen on macro-stuff and turtles. They're everywhere. Pescador island is worth seeing for "sardines" (technically they're NOT sardine fish), but as written before - 2 dives is enough. IIRC all dives in Moalboal are wall dives.
Also, if you don't want to spend all your time on diving you can hop onto motorbike and see surrounding villages: big waterfall an Tilapia farm in Barili (very nice!), Kawasan waterfalls and river hike, rice terraces, etc.
Malapascua on the other hand has some good night bars and restaurants, but there's not much to do besides beach time if you'tre not a diver. Dive spots are much more diversed, than in Moalboal, Gato Island with underwater/underground tunnel is a must-see, it's usually arranged with trip to Dona Marilyn ferry shipwreck. Personally I loved most wreck dive to Mogami Maru (locally called Pioneer). It's a bit deeper (53m), but with twinset and EAN50 for faster deco you'll have very nice dive with cargo room/engine room penetration (about 25mins bottom time).
I haven't seen thresher sharks, as geting up at 4.00 a.m. is not in line with my vision of holidays but during our stay people saw them at least 4 times.
Cheers,
Piotr
Moalboal is nice, if you're keen on macro-stuff and turtles. They're everywhere. Pescador island is worth seeing for "sardines" (technically they're NOT sardine fish), but as written before - 2 dives is enough. IIRC all dives in Moalboal are wall dives.Also, if you don't want to spend all your time on diving you can hop onto motorbike and see surrounding villages: big waterfall an Tilapia farm in Barili (very nice!), Kawasan waterfalls and river hike, rice terraces, etc.
Malapascua on the other hand has some good night bars and restaurants, but there's not much to do besides beach time if you'tre not a diver. Dive spots are much more diversed, than in Moalboal, Gato Island with underwater/underground tunnel is a must-see, it's usually arranged with trip to Dona Marilyn ferry shipwreck. Personally I loved most wreck dive to Mogami Maru (locally called Pioneer). It's a bit deeper (53m), but with twinset and EAN50 for faster deco you'll have very nice dive with cargo room/engine room penetration (about 25mins bottom time).
I haven't seen thresher sharks, as geting up at 4.00 a.m. is not in line with my vision of holidays
but during our stay people saw them at least 4 times.Cheers,
Piotr
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