Itinerary help. Sogod... Bohol? Elsewhere?

[Mr. Sunday]

Thank you bshort4! That is an itinerary I have been considering as well. Apo island and Dauin are so close that could be a nice option. How was Alona topside? I keep reading that its over run with tourism and to avoid.

Cheers!

 

[Centrals]

Mar is great but Apr to May is even better.

1. Sogod Bay + Alona Beach. You have to check with the operator in Sogod Bay for the info on the ferry to Ubay(Bohol).
2. Sogod Bay + Malapascua
My preference is (2). Peter's in Sogod Bay and Evolution in Malapascua.

Another suggestion is Sipalay + Dauin.
There is a very nice wreck SS Panay just round the corner from Sipalay.
Sipalay is more or less equidistant from either Bacolod or Dumaguete. Public bus is very slow(5-6hrs) to cover 160km!!!
Take a look at Artistic Diving.

PAL has daily(?) non-stop direct flight from Vancouver to Manila.

Both Cebu Pacific and PAL have numerous connections from Manila to Bacolod, Cebu City, Dumaguete and Tacloban.

 

[Mr. Sunday]

Thanks Centrals. I will look into Malapascua & Sipalay/Dauin

 

[Luko]

In two weeks I woudl suggest at least to do 2 spots, Personnally I would recommend 3 spots in the Visayas, travel time can be optimized by transferring early morning so that you're in the water the same day in the afternoon. (I have recently manged to dive 4 spots in the same time but the thing is that I already know the spots enabling me to filter for the "essentials").

After a week stay in South Leyte on which I leave others recommending you the places ti stay and dive, I think going to Panglao for diving Balicasag is a must-do there won't be another place in the Visayas where you will see so many middle sized fish schooling, Sipalay included.

Balicasag is a Marine Park with a maximum limit of daily divers, hence slots need to be booked and you won't be able to dive everyday for a week with te same operator, I guess 2 trips to Balicasag will be the max you can expect. You''ll need to book ahead with a quite big dive center like SeaExplorers, SeaQuest or Philippines Fun Divers.(I listed some of the dive centres which are not usually catering that much to Chinese/Korean groups which are biggest threat in that part of the Phils.. that said you may find the odd German, Russian or -god forbids- French group ).

If you want to have some deep tec diving (CCR or Trimix) to see biggies, I can also recommend you stay a few day in Cabilao (2 hours transfer from Panglao/Alona) where Cabilao Sanctuary dive center will happily provide the rental and the guides. The tec dive instructor told me he's seen threshers and lots of really big fish down early morning.
Add on top the place is charming and relaxing, there won't be many people around and it's probably the closest decent dive spot to Cebu city (only 2hrs to privately transfer by sea and car).

 

[Scandi Divers]

Great to here that you are heading this way instead of the Caribbean It's a whole different ball game. if you stick to you plan of coming to PG kindly check out www.scandidivers.com for a nice resort in Big La Laguna.

PS- The owner is from Kirkland and has Starbucks coffee

 

[xrcjdx]

Southern Layte/Sogod Bay.
Being off the beaten path is very appealing. Seems like an unspoiled relaxing getaway.

~Recommended operator?
~Is there any town or are you resort based for the most part?
~Too remote?
~Is the diving good enough for the entire 2 week stay or move to second location?
~If so where?
~How is Sogods visibility? (Most videos and pics I see show somewhat poor vis in comparison to other locations it seems.)

tippytoes, centrals, as always good resources for Sogod Bay in particular and Philippines in general. My 2 cents regarding Sogod Bay:

Southern Leyte is indeed off the beaten path, unspoiled by Philippines standards, and relaxing.
So you got that right. It is also, as tippytoes points out, no longer a pain to get to. It's conveniently tied into the fast transport system and for better or worse, by that measure, no longer remote. Internet access can still be touchy and inconsistent. If you need to be tied into the grid 24/7, you may be disappointed. If not, come on down.
March is a good/great/maybe the best time to visit, and gets better the deeper into March you go. Rain has usually stopped, breeze usually continues off the bay, and the chances of any given day being a washout are virtually nil. It will be hot. But not yet really hot.
As you are not a photographer, i agree with the recommendation to visit 2 spots. Should you take up photography between now and then, by all means consider South Leyte as your one stop. Many have, and I'm unaware of anyone wishing they hadn't.
You will be resort based, with plenty of opportunity to visit the municipality of Padre Burgos, a 2 km 8 peso trike ride away depending where you end up. There you can buy your take home beer, snacks, and other necessaries. Chances are you can rent a small motorcycle for a very fair price to visit the hills or wherever else your heart desires. If you want to visit Maasin (you will arrive there, 45 minutes away) or Sogod city bus is your option.
By all means, and for a dozen reasons, stay at Peter's dive resort - that's hardly even a suggestion. Among the reasons: 2 boats going out daily (although one may be on a whale shark trip), great, truly friendly people who aim to please, more than adequate facilities. Disclaimer - i have no affiliation with Peter's other than than my familiarity. That's not to say there are no other decent resorts in the area. Recommend the duplex, but if you are on a tighter budget the standard with twin beds is good too. You can usually get wi-fi in the standard.
Visibility decreases up until sometime in January, hard to say exactly when, as the water cools and the plankton survives, then slowly improves. Smaller creatures come up from the depths with the cooler water, which is great if you are a photographer, and the whale sharks come in from the open ocean with the extra food. Really poor viz days are few and far between, usually associated with a storm, and you shouldn't expect to have one. Visibility will be fine in March. The whales sharks come and go as they please coincident with the increased plankton (this ain't Oslob), but if the past is any indication they will be around in numbers from December through March into April. They leave when the plankton isn't enough to sustain the tribe. Strays can and do wander through at any time. If you come to Philippines or for that matter virtually anywhere in the coral triangle including Tubbataha expecting Caribbean viz, you will be sorely disappointed.
You will be hard pressed to find the concentrated numbers/variety of hard and soft corals represented in Sogod Bay anywhere else in the world short of a liveaboard.
For all those reasons, plus the densely covered walls and slopes and optional muck should you so desire, S. Leyte is a good choice.
Any specific questions that might not be of general interest please pm, and pm as well if you decide to head that way.

r

 

[bshort4]

Thank you bshort4! That is an itinerary I have been considering as well. Apo island and Dauin are so close that could be a nice option. How was Alona topside? I keep reading that its over run with tourism and to avoid.

Cheers!

I didn't find Alona beach area so touristy that it bothered me a whole lot---but that may change soon. The new international airport on Panglao Island is supposed to be finished this year which will probably increase the influx of Korean and Chinese tourists who are the main visitors now. I was there for the diving and didn't hang around the beach area that much except to eat--plenty of places for that. My first day of diving there I shared the boat with six divers from China that had their own guide and I had a guide to myself--nice. On two other days the guide had several brand new divers doing their first open water dives since getting their certs which I didn't care for a lot---the guide had to pay a lot of attention to them and I pretty much did my own thing while keeping the group in sight. I still enjoyed my dives there and would do it again--the weather was beautiful and the water temp was about 80 in December. But this year I will be diving a week in Sipalay for the first time then travel down the road to Dauin again for my Apo Island fix (all this after a week in Komodo). A few pics from Balicasag.

 

[Luko]

I didn't find Alona beach area so touristy that it bothered me a whole lot---but that may change soon.

It CAN be a bother when you're staying right on the beach, because as of end of april 2018 it was overrun by tourists of all sorts including chinese and koreans: you will have a hard time finding a decent restaurant with space available since they forbid to put the tables on the beach as it was a few years ago.

You will have you ears damaged by the humptieth filipino version of "still loving you". Add on top of that, thanks to the existing demand, the accom prices have skyrocketed, so it's better to stay a bit out from the beach but still walking distance: less expensive, less noise, less tourist passage though only 5-8 minutes walk every morning to your dive center.

 

[Centrals]

First went to Alona Beach over 20yrs ago. And I think Aquatica was the only concrete building on the entire beach. The rest were all built with native material, check out Genesis Divers at Peter's House. Peter's House could well be the only bamboo structure left on the entire beach. Back in those days, you would not find anyone trying to sell you anything!!!!

Atlantis Dive Center - Bohol, Panglao - Home
Kurt has been around ages. This place is favoured by mainly German. And I used to dive with them when they were just beside Genesis.
Another option is Sea Explorers, Felix(Swiss) is an Inspiration(CCR) divers and also has been around for many yrs.
Both places prepared their own gases unlike some others on the beach!!!!

As far as I am concerned, Alona Beach is history.

Having two wks and NOT to dive Sogod Bay is a crime. It is a pity to link up Sogod Bay with Sipalay will take at least two days by public transport!!!!!!

 

[Mr. Sunday]

In two weeks I woudl suggest at least to do 2 spots, Personnally I would recommend 3 spots in the Visayas, travel time can be optimized by transferring early morning so that you're in the water the same day in the afternoon. (I have recently manged to dive 4 spots in the same time but the thing is that I already know the spots enabling me to filter for the "essentials").

After a week stay in South Leyte on which I leave others recommending you the places ti stay and dive, I think going to Panglao for diving Balicasag is a must-do there won't be another place in the Visayas where you will see so many middle sized fish schooling, Sipalay included.

Balicasag is a Marine Park with a maximum limit of daily divers, hence slots need to be booked and you won't be able to dive everyday for a week with te same operator, I guess 2 trips to Balicasag will be the max you can expect. You''ll need to book ahead with a quite big dive center like SeaExplorers, SeaQuest or Philippines Fun Divers.(I listed some of the dive centres which are not usually catering that much to Chinese/Korean groups which are biggest threat in that part of the Phils.. that said you may find the odd German, Russian or -god forbids- French group ).

If you want to have some deep tec diving (CCR or Trimix) to see biggies, I can also recommend you stay a few day in Cabilao (2 hours transfer from Panglao/Alona) where Cabilao Sanctuary dive center will happily provide the rental and the guides. The tec dive instructor told me he's seen threshers and lots of really big fish down early morning.
Add on top the place is charming and relaxing, there won't be many people around and it's probably the closest decent dive spot to Cebu city (only 2hrs to privately transfer by sea and car).

Thanks Luko. I really appreciate the recommendations. Already looking at the Alona operators you recommended. I like that some handle their own gasses etc... Also looking to avoid the Chinese/Koreans groups as much as possible.....Particularly underwater. Cabilao is something I will have to look further into.

Cheers