Info Request for APO REEF (reef system off of Mindoro)

[localdivah]

hmm...I would probably fly into duma, stay at Dauin (plenty of resorts to choose from), then ferry over to bohol and stay at alona for the remainder of the trip (lots of resorts to choose from). On the last day you can off gas by checking out choco hills, the tarsiers, and what not. Not only, you can potentially fly out of cebu to get back to Singapore or Shanghai or Narita (not sure of Beijing...).

Dauin dive sites have some great macro as well as Apo Island. A 7 day power trip will look something along the lines of:

* Arrive Duma, get to resort, dive Dauin area
* 1 day to dive Apo Island
* 1/2 day dive Dauin in morning
* 1/2 day travel between duma and bohol (Ocean Jet). Arrive alona beach, chill for the evening (ie romantic date).
* 1 day to dive Alona area
* 1 day to dive Balicasag. if dive op doesn't pack you lunch, have a family on the island cook you fresh fish.
* 1 day to do a tour of bohol
* Leave for manila or cebu to fly out.

hope that helps.

Too funny, that was almost exactly the itinerary I was about to post here!

The airfare from Shanghai - Manila - Duma, then Tagbiliran - Manila - Shanghai is actually quite reasonable: ~275 USD, but requires two different carriers. Cebu Pacific is offering a 30% off across-the-board discount on all fares in Oct.

The only decisions I have left:

1. Stay in Duma or Dauin (Duma has gotten some good reviews as an interesting, laid-back, non-touty city). I think the deciding factor would be whether diving out of Duma would be logistically more painful and costly. Not important for us to be on the beach, since we'll be moving on to Alona later.

2. Who to dive with at Duma/Dauin and Alona Beach on Panglao. We're both experienced divers and mainly looking for by-name recommendations of DM's who can really spot good macro and boat captains that have a good feel for where the pelagics are hanging out. I am surprised a bit by the wide range of pricing for local and Apo/Balicasag diving though.

3. Where to stay at these two locations. Ideally, we'd like to save a bit of money by finding a place that can create a package with accomodation and diving through an affiliated shop. Looking for an independent hotel in the 1200-2000php/nt range. Nicer than a backpacker's, but not some place that has its own spa.

4. Bit off the underwater piece, but I haven't been able to find any contact info on staying overnight right there at the Chocolate Hills (Carmen). Supposedly there was a govt hotel expansion project that ran out of funding midway through...

 

[Pacifica Dive]

Guys,
there is a new resort which offers Apo Reef which is less expensive than other high-end resorts doing the same.
Apo Reef Club is located in Mindoro, near San Juan.
Cebu Pacific among others offer direct flights there from MNL.
The resort is under European management and offers day trips and over-night trips to Apo Reef.
Apo Reef Club

 

[Tdog3261]

i have been to bohal the last three years. The first year the vis was unlimited, truely amazing! This year, july, vis seemed to change everyday. I agree with one of the posts that the wall dives are best and BE SURE to go to Balicasag. My last day at Balicasag included 1000's of barracuda on the first dive, 30 minutes of swiming through jacks on the second, and back in the cudas for the last 10 minutes of the final dive. Seriously thousands in each school, also saw at least a dozen turtles that day. Night dives on the local walls are also great. Check out the oasis resort. The rooms next to the dive shop are brand new. Nights on the beach are relaxing, my girlfriend (who is not a diver) loves the place. good luck!

 

[Hammerhead]

Another option - last year a couple of PPDers and I went from Sogod to Cabilao, Bohol then Alona, Bohol (which included Balicasag) in the about 12 days. IIRC, we spent 4 diving days in Sogod, 3 diving days in Cabilao, 2 diving days in Alona. The rest of the time was spent traveling to each destination. Sogod Bay has pristine corals, Cabilao has amazing macro, and Alona/Balicasag has awesome pelagics. If you and your wife are adventurous travelers, you can consider that route. It should be relatively easy without the dive gear.

Hope that helps.

Good advice here, the PPDers in question included Chip, Zeeman and my humble self.

The diving was great all the way, with a good mix of big and small stuff, the following are a few pics from the tour...

Oh yes, and bigger stuff (I get carried away)...

 

[clgsamson]

No SBS pics, Larry?

 

[Hammerhead]

No SBS pics, Larry?

Chip has those, the little scallywag.

 

[World Wide Diver]

We were told the following by Gunther, Discovery Divers in Coron

Best times to dive Apo Reef - April/May/June for flat water.

November full moon (incoming) for current and pelagics/action. However, we were told you need some good dive experience (esp. currents) to dive this time.

Sure that the Apo Reef Club peoples understand all this better than we do,