First time visiting the Philippines next week... Looking for suggestions

[MikeCal]

Thank you sostil and centrals for your feedback.

The trip yesterday was pretty easy though not as cheap as you got sostil. I ended up just taking a motorcycle directly to the hotel in Dauin for 400 when I got to the port which was a great experience as the driver was a safe driver who was the best motorcycle driver I have had in Asia especially since I had my backpack on.

Thanks again!

 

[Volleyball]

Sept-Dec is the octopus mating season in Dauin, and if you stay there, you can also dive Apo Island. There's a dive resort in Duma, called Oceanism, which offers dives in Dauin, Apo, and even arranges Moalboal, but we haven't stayed there yet (planning to in the future). When we visited Dauin, we stayed at the 71% dive resort

With Malapascua, if having electricity 24 hours a day is important to you, check for places with generators that actually use them. It went out every day. Evolution uses a generator, has its own boat, is usually the most expensive place to stay, and is somewhat isolated in the southeast. The center of town (if you want to call it that) is about a 10-minute walk from Evo, and scooter rentals are available. Most resorts are around the SW area, which is where I saw a lot more tourist divers in their 20s (from what I saw at their bar/restaurant, Evo was a lot older). Right off the Blue Coral resort, you can snorkel and see baby black tip reef sharks, as it's a nursery

Here was my itinerary and TR from a year ago, feel free to ask questions or DM

V

Trip Report Thread 'TR: Dauin/Apo to Malapascua/Gato with a stop in Oslob and Moalboal all in a week'

Oct 22, 2024

All the best diving footage in less than 90 seconds!
Disclaimers...YOLO, do what makes you happy which could mean you stay at the same dive location for 3 weeks

Day 1, The GF and I land in Manila, fly to Dumaguete, we check in at the resort 71% Dive Resort at $65/night USD all in, order grab food delivery, hit the pool/hot tub until the food comes, and go to bed early as we were jetlagged. The hotel was great, the room was mixed; the room was 600 square feet but there was only AC in the bedroom. We couldn't take the heat so spent very little time in the living...

• Volleyball
• Replies: 14
• Forum: Philippine Paradise Divers

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[MikeCal]

Sept-Dec is the octopus mating season in Dauin, and if you stay there, you can also dive Apo Island. There's a dive resort in Duma, called Oceanism, which offers dives in Dauin, Apo, and even arranges Moalboal, but we haven't stayed there yet (planning to in the future). When we visited Dauin, we stayed at the 71% dive resort

Thank you for your response and that was basically my itinerary though at a slower pace, 5 days of no diving in Siquijor, and just finished a couple of days diving from Alona Beach to Balicasag and then Pamilacan Island.

 

[ScubaBackpacker]

Thank you for your response and that was basically my itinerary though at a slower pace, 5 days of no diving in Siquijor, and just finished a couple of days diving from Alona Beach to Balicasag and then Pamilacan Island.

I preferred Pamilican island as many fewer boats/divers.

 

[Diversanon]

@Centrals based on what youve been saying, it seems like liveaboard doesn't make sense.

I have about 7-8 days for a Visayas trip and was considering the MY Gypsy (they have a 25% discount) as I wouldn't lose time on public/private transfers since I'm only there a short period. From what the above thread has said, it seems better to just do Dauin/Moalboal for this trip and save Malapascua for later. Do I have that correct?

 

[Centrals]

@Centrals based on what youve been saying, it seems like liveaboard doesn't make sense.

I have about 7-8 days for a Visayas trip and was considering the MY Gypsy (they have a 25% discount) as I wouldn't lose time on public/private transfers since I'm only there a short period. From what the above thread has said, it seems better to just do Dauin/Moalboal for this trip and save Malapascua for later. Do I have that correct?

My personal opinion.
If you prefer dive safari(covering several areas) then the itinerary offers by MY Gysy looks very attractive.
Travelling in Philippines is never easy even by private transport.
However, if you only have 7-8 days in Visayas then Moalboal(2 days max) and Malapascua is my suggestion. The school of sardine in Moalboal and the threasher shark in Malapascua are hard to beat. Dauin is nice for macro but there is no VOW factor.
Southern Leyte, best in the winter, should be on your next visit in Philippines.

If you have time then the LoB to Tabbbataha is the best in the country. However, the season is limited to about 4 months(mid Mar to mid June). But I won't go there in the beginning or at the end of the season to avoid any weather intervention.

Have a nice trip.

 

[Diversanon]

My personal opinion.
If you prefer dive safari(covering several areas) then the itinerary offers by MY Gysy looks very attractive.
Travelling in Philippines is never easy even by private transport.
However, if you only have 7-8 days in Visayas then Moalboal(2 days max) and Malapascua is my suggestion. The school of sardine in Moalboal and the threasher shark in Malapascua are hard to beat. Dauin is nice for macro but there is no VOW factor.
Southern Leyte, best in the winter, should be on your next visit in Philippines.

If you have time then the LoB to Tabbbataha is the best in the country. However, the season is limited to about 4 months(mid Mar to mid June). But I won't go there in the beginning or at the end of the season to avoid any weather intervention.

Have a nice trip.

Got it. Thanks for the helpful response. I dove Tubataha last year in 2024, and it was pretty underwhelming given the warmer temperatures and some bleaching zones. I've worked in the dive industry in Raja before and have a love for coral biodiversity but Tubataha didn't scratch that itch.

I am a big fan of muck diving and enjoyed Anilao (though I prefer Lembeh over it) and hence thinking Dauin/Apo for the bulk of it. Also the octopous mating sounds interesting too. Would you recommend southern Leyte over all of the sites you listed?

 

[Centrals]

@Diversanon
Tubattaha is huge so it is difficult to pin point the best area because of this ie hit and miss(depend on your luck). In Apo Island the sanctuary is pretty small so divers do not have far to swim around.
If you like macro than perhaps Dauin is better. Do not spend too much time in Moalboal.
Save Malapascua and Southern Leyte for your next visit but need more than 10 days to cover both places because of travelling. I still remember the first solar-powered nudibranch I saw in Southern Leyte.

 

[Diversanon]

@Diversanon
Tubattaha is huge so it is difficult to pin point the best area because of this ie hit and miss(depend on your luck). In Apo Island the sanctuary is pretty small so divers do not have far to swim around.
If you like macro than perhaps Dauin is better. Do not spend too much time in Moalboal.
Save Malapascua and Southern Leyte for your next visit but need more than 10 days to cover both places because of travelling. I still remember the first solar-powered nudibranch I saw in Southern Leyte.

That's a good point. Will need to go back to Tubattaha at some point then.

I am potentially leaning towards either doing the liveaboard or doing the Dauin/Moalboal route then. Thanks for the guidance.

One last question, I saw your posts about Palau in another thread. Was debating the bumphead spawning liveaboard/resort vs a Visayas trip. Do you have any sense of coral health and reef biodiversity between the sites in Visayas vs Palau? Would be helpful to help narrow

 

[ScubaBackpacker]

That's a good point. Will need to go back to Tubattaha at some point then.

I am potentially leaning towards either doing the liveaboard or doing the Dauin/Moalboal route then. Thanks for the guidance.

One last question, I saw your posts about Palau in another thread. Was debating the bumphead spawning liveaboard/resort vs a Visayas trip. Do you have any sense of coral health and reef biodiversity between the sites in Visayas vs Palau? Would be helpful to help narrow

In the last two months I have been in Palau and Southern Leyte. Coral health and invertebrate diversity is better in Southern Leyte. Fish abundance and diversity, particularly of medium size and larger fish, is much better in Palau. Hold onto your wallet in Palau- no crime but 3x as expensive.