Leyte .. or not ?

[badmamajama]

i will be in southern cebu for 2 months starting Aug 3rd. tired of diving off of mactan resorts and moalboal. I need to get out someplace secluded for relaxation. any tips to places close to cebu. i have a really bad back and i dont like to take buses too much. i usually just rent a taxi for the day. I am also taking my own equipment there. all scuba pro, any place to get it serviced to extend warranty? if not, good servicing is all i need. i love diving cebu but when i get done with oslob this aug, i want to branch out. also, need tips on good places to stay. i will have my female friend with me too, she does not scuba dive and she appreciates nicer places where she has something to do other than facebook while i'm out diving. so please keep that in mind. but, if it means she sits by the pool getting more lagoom and i get better diving. please focus on my better diving, i like her brown anyway. haha

 

[Krazytomdiver]

From Cebu,Go to Pier 1,take the Oceanjet to Tagbilaren(2 hours),taxis to Alona Beach(30 mins). The beach is big & beautiful with many great places to stay,eat,beach bars and live music. Diving is fantastic with many sites very close by plus access to several islands. Lots of non-diving activties like renting a scooter and sightseeing all the resorts,shopping centers,and Chocolate Hills,Bee Farm,Aliens Disco,old churches. Come by Helmut's Place or down on the beach at Birdwatchers Hotel & Beach Bar,we will show you a great time and have all the local info you'll need. If you want to travel to South Leyte,taxis or van to Ubay,ferry to Massin,taxis or multicab to Sogod Bay.
Dive safe,Have fun!
KT

 

[Centrals]

i will be in southern cebu for 2 months starting Aug 3rd. tired of diving off of mactan resorts and moalboal. I need to get out someplace secluded for relaxation. any tips to places close to cebu?

In southern Cebu the ferry crossing to Dumaguete can take less than 30mins. You can either stay in town or at Dauin where both places offer diving.
Siquijor is another hr away(from Dumaguete) by fast craft. Diving is also available there. Island of the "witch", your lady friend might like it!!!!!

 

[frank707]

Quote
"Diving is fantastic with many sites very close by plus access to several islands."

We see to have a different view on fantastic diving , the divesites in front of alona beach are not very good , diving at Balicasag Island is oke.
Diving on Leyte was head and schoulders above Alona beach.
Frank

 

[pughio83]

Diving off Alona beach is ok, some nice little macro seen. Balicasag was a beautiful dive but less macro, but made up for beauty. IMHO southern Leyte is hands down the winner re diving quality as it has good viz usually, healthy reefs, loads of macro sites, and also whalesharks in season. But there is much more going on in Bohol in terms of restaurants and on land activities. Leyte has padre Burgos pier night dive...nuff said!!

 

[bvarn1]

I dove in Southern Leyte last month and the diving is very good. This is the third time that I have been there. I like to stay at Peter's Dive Resort when I am there.

 

[Dive-Boarder]

Absolutely worth going to!!! Napanthau is a fantastic site. Stayed a Pete's Dive Resort. Very comfortable. Was travelling alone. Not much to do at night, but there is a local pub just up the road for a beer and good food. Take a flight to Tacloban, over night in the new Go hotel there, and take the bus straight down to PB. It stops right outside the dive resorts and costs only a few hundred peso. Stunning scenery over the hills as well. You can extend your travels by taking the ferry over to Surigao very easily too.

 

[Wantonmien]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ph...ogod-bay-some-words-pics-may-june-2013-a.html

 

[jbb]

Diving off Alona beach is ok, some nice little macro seen. Balicasag was a beautiful dive but less macro, but made up for beauty. IMHO southern Leyte is hands down the winner re diving quality as it has good viz usually, healthy reefs, loads of macro sites, and also whalesharks in season. But there is much more going on in Bohol in terms of restaurants and on land activities. Leyte has padre Burgos pier night dive...nuff said!!

I don't think you are giving Alona beach enough credit myself. I like it more than Balicasag. I have found a lot of life in my three visit there. I like the variety of moray eels - only place I've seen Golden (Dwarf) morays - great eyes, blue with a black slash in the middle. On the macro side I enjoy the challenge of getting a decent image of the mushroom coral pipe fish and the not so challenging hairy pipefish (local term). It is also the only place I've seen the marbled shrimp you have as your avatar.

 

[pughio83]

Jbb I agree the diving is good in Bohol and maybe u r better to comment than me as I have only been twice. I loved Bohol, the beaches great, chocolate hills n tarsiers. I liked the dives around Alona with decent macro yes. Marble shrimps are found in many places just in crevices often so hard to find. I would defo return. Balicasag was beautiful but didn't see a lot of macro as mainly drift dives,and nothing big, and pamilican island was ok ( weird topography). But Southern Leyte just offered more variety and better macro which I like, plus whale sharks if lucky. I would def do both as they r very different and Bohol offers much more on land.