Information Overload! Two weeks in November - where to go?

[fuggler]

Flowerpecker, I'll also be there for 16 days in November. With the help of the regulars on this board, I was able to narrow it down to 2 areas. I ended up picking Puerto Galera and Bohol. (5 days of diving in PG and 5 days of diving in Bohol) We're hoping we can do Verde Island (which is near PG) and Apo Island (3 hour boat ride from Bohol) which everyone says are "must do" sites. I picked PG because I've been told that they have everything there - from macro to wreck dives, drift dives, etc. Really wanted to check out some WWII wrecks in either Subic or Palawan but we just don't have enough time. You don't want to waste too many days traveling. It can get exhausting for sure. I'm already dreading the 4-5 hour trip to PG from Manila. In any case, if you end up picking PG and Bohol and want a list of the resorts/dive ops there, let me know. I think I've bookmarked every damn shop there when I was doing my research.

 

[gravity]

As you can see, the wide range of opinions are going to contribute to more information overload. I'll do my best to confuse you some more Basically, it is difficult to go wrong, but I am going to chime in for the Dauin/Bohol/Siquijor area. Based on your criteria (wrecks at the bottom of the list) avoid Coron and Subic. I think for a two week trip travel convenience is extremely important to maximize dive time. Malapascua, Puerta Galera, Anilao, Moalboal are a few examples of places where you will spend three or more hours in a car after your flight.

Dumaguete/Dauin is a place that has many flights from Manila, then a 30 minute ride to Dauin. The resorts will all pick you up at the airport and you will be in the water before you know it. From there getting to Siquijor or Bohol isn't a super quick trip, but it is far more comfortable since the traveling is on a large ferry instead of packed into a car or bus.

 

[flowerpecker]

Everybody, thanks for the input. I'm leaning, still, towards some combination of Anilao/Bohol/Dumaguete-Dauin/PG, but I also really like the idea of going to Palawan, largely because it sounded like a place I could both dive and enjoy a couple topside things I'm interested in. I don't see many people waxing poetic about Palawan for diving in general (other than Coron for wrecks). Anybody have some input on Palawan for non-wreck-centered diving? Or just Palawan in general?

 

[gravity]

I loved El Nido. The diving there was fine, but not amazing. It is incredibly beautiful and scenic, and has amazing waters for snorkeling in. It is worth diving if you are there, but probably not a good as the other options. I was there in July '08, so it is possible that certain aspects of the diving are seasonal and you will see many things I didn't.
I looked in to going to El Nido this past April, and the problem I ran into was getting a guaranteed flight reservation. Apparently all the airlines but one have canceled service to El Nido. The one airline that still operates shares owners will El Nido Resort, and they only guarantee a flight will operate on a given day if you stay for a certain number of nights at their resort. Otherwise you find out the day before whether the flight has enough reservations to run the next day. I think the other option is to fly to Puerto Princessa and take a bus to El Nido. I did that last year and had a bad experience. I am sure renting a car is an option also.
Coron town is not at all appealing to me. Not a beach environment at all, just a dirty town. Wrecks for me are not as appealing diving as great reefs, but the diving on the wrecks is still interesting and fun. I think there are very nice resorts on Busuanga, near Coron town; but generally they were way out of my price range (eg Club Paradise).

 

[chip104]

If you want the top side things, easy to travel between, like bigger fish, and plan 6 days at each location I agree with gravity's reco:

* apo island/duma
* bohol (topside stuff is great)

The travel time between the 2 is decreased since it's only a 1 hour boat ride away from each other.

For palawan, check out Bill22's trip report. I love the diving and topside adventures in Coron, but would agree to forgo this trip if wrecks are not your main focus. The viz can be hit or miss - I was blessed with 20ft viz on the wrecks this July. The previous week I was told the viz was only 2ft.

Palawan's scenery tops my list on the beautiful scale, but apo/duma and bohol offer great scenery as well (hi, choco hills).

 

[joebubbles]

When divers say bohol, they usually mean staying at Alona Beach, Panglao Island. The best dive spot is Balicasag, but try to do Cabilao Island as well. It's quite far from Alona Beach, but well worth it. Probably the best example of hard coral in the Philippines.

 

[flowerpecker]

Hey guys and gals, thanks for all the great input! I'm seriously thinking about dropping Palawan from my list - much as I think I'd like it for the general "nature" aspect, it sounds like I'll get more out of my time in PI by going other places. So, now I'm looking at Anilao, Dumaguete-Dauin, and Bohol. Would it be possible (in terms of reasonable travel times by air) to go to all three of these places or should I stick with my original plan of hitting just two regions?

 

[chip104]

You could do a day trip to Anilao...but I'd probably just stick to Duma and Bohol (Alona).

 

[bill22]

I concur... Anilao and Puerto Galera.... I've got a little to compare (see my profile) Based on what you are saying... I think you'll really enjoy 2 weeks split between Anilao and PG. That was the exact trip I did last year and I have no regrets.

 

[bobshreve]

You can get between Bohul and Dauin/Dumaguete by ferry in a couple of hours. By Philippine Air, you have to go via Manila. Getting to Anilao (or Puerta Galera) means flying to Manila and then getting a bus or a private car to drive you to Batangas/Anilao.

I recommend Dumaguete and Bohul. There are all kinds of diving around there (except wrecks maybe). From Dumaguete you can ferry to Siquijor which has some good diving, you can take a day trip to Apo Island (1 hour each way), one of the best diving areas in the PI.

Bohul has Alona Beach (on Panglao Island). From there you can take day trips to all kinds of islands (there are supposed to be 11 different species of cetaceans around there). My favorite dive sites from Alona Beach are at Balicasag, a marine sanctuary. As someone mentioned, you can catch a liveaboard (SeaQuest) from Bohul that will take you to their sister resort at Moalboal.

Regards,
Bob