Help me PPD - liveaboards for New Year

[Geoff_H]

Hey guys and gals.... issuing a plea for help! I've been to Puerto Galera half a dozen times but have not yet experienced the joy of diving elsewhere in the Phillipines...

A group of friends are looking for somewhere to go over New Year, approximately 27th Dec to 6th Jan. Personally I like macro stuff but they're also interested in big ticket pelagics too - sharks, big fish, whales etc etc.

Can anyone recommend a liveaboard or land based operation for us? Are there whale sharks around this time of year? We're all living in Japan so it's just a short hop over for us.

 

[shugar]

Hey guys and gals.... issuing a plea for help! I've been to Puerto Galera half a dozen times but have not yet experienced the joy of diving elsewhere in the Phillipines...

A group of friends are looking for somewhere to go over New Year, approximately 27th Dec to 6th Jan. Personally I like macro stuff but they're also interested in big ticket pelagics too - sharks, big fish, whales etc etc.

Can anyone recommend a liveaboard or land based operation for us? Are there whale sharks around this time of year? We're all living in Japan so it's just a short hop over for us.

sadly tubbataha is still out of season at that time of year...

apo reef might be up, check Home - Liveaboard Scuba Diving in the Philippines, Palau, Truk Lagoon or Scuba Diving Philippines | Puerto Galera @ Asia Divers as they have fairly regular apo reef trips...

expedition also has an exciting looking visayas LOB w/c would give you an excellent sampling of local diving...

shore based you can try bohol or dumaguete

big ticket of course there's: thresher sharks in malapascua w/c i hear also has good diving outside of shark waiting...

Jag

 

[Geoff_H]

Thanks... I emailled Expedition to see if they have any spaces, but I couldn't find anything on Asia Divers apart from a couple of Galapagos trips. The "Best of the Visayas Safari" looks perfect.

Malapascua is on my list for next year... but I heard most of the best dives there are the thresher shark dives (early start) and the other diving is not really to write home about? I thought maybe a 3 days in Malapascua and the rest in Cebu?

Any other pointers for liveaboards, in case Expedition is booked up?

 

[shugar]

sorry... the only other liveaboards i know are not as "posh" as expedition fleet's boats...

asia divers... victory divers in boracay... also mermaid resort in boracay... they may have safaris in the visayas as well...

since these boats are smaller your group may end up chartering most (if not the whole) boat so that would be better for you overall - you get to go where you wanna go...

anyway, start with victory divers...

Jag

 

[clgsamson]

you may want to look at this (see under Palawan tours)
TUBBATAHA Moonshadow liveaboards Tubbataha. Moonshadow boat tours Puerto Princesa - El Nido - Puerto Princesa. Moonshadow live aboard Tubbataha. Moonshadow boat trips Puerto Princesa - El Nido - Puerto Princesa.

 

[Babydamulag]

Victory Divers can set you up a pretty good trip into our area. You have to dive Maningning Island, Batbatan Island, and Mararison Island before you leave this Earth. Just hook up with the good folks at Victory Divers (Boracay Island).

 

[Geoff_H]

you may want to look at this (see under Palawan tours)
TUBBATAHA Moonshadow liveaboards Tubbataha. Moonshadow boat tours Puerto Princesa - El Nido - Puerto Princesa. Moonshadow live aboard Tubbataha. Moonshadow boat trips Puerto Princesa - El Nido - Puerto Princesa.

thanks... that looks nice! Sadly the dates don't quite work for us 23/12 to 2/1 and 5/1 to 13/1 when we can dive 27/12 to 6/1. Definitely one to consider for another time though.

Thanks for both Babydamulag and shugar for the Victory Divers suggestions, I've dropped them a mail and see what they have on offer! What kind of diving could we expect at Maningning Island, Batbatan Island, and Mararison Island?

 

[Mike Veitch]

try Diving in the Philippines - Dive Philippines with Sea Explorers and enjoy visayas island hopping adventures as well visayas/cebu trips, quite good

 

[Geoff_H]

try Diving in the Philippines - Dive Philippines with Sea Explorers and enjoy visayas island hopping adventures as well visayas/cebu trips, quite good

Cheers Mike, I dropped them a line too.

 

[chip104]

for macro and whalesharks, try Sogod Bay. A couple of us have stayed at sogod bay scuba resort. Simple but nice.

Also, Malapascua has the mantas and threshers as well as macro. Then there's also Dauin/Apo Island for schools of fish and great macro.