Liveaboard or land based SE Asia March/April 2025

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CaliDiver14

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Messages
18
Reaction score
4
Location
Southern California
# of dives
100 - 199
Hello I’m a female solo traveler, advanced diver (200+ dives) who has been on several liveaboards in the Caribbean and the Red Sea. Despite my experience, I’m not a photographer and macro critters haven’t grabbed me as much as healthy reefs, swim throughs and pelagics (I’m a sucker for turtles and mantas).

I’ll be in Singapore for a business trip at the end of March and want to maximize being in the region. I’m looking to tack on a week/10 days to the beginning or end of my trip, explore another part of SE Asia and dive. I was considering Tubbataha liveaboard (worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype), Raja Ampat but am worried about being only on the boat and no land time to explore and is a liveaboard necessary?

Should I consider a land based diving trip in Raja Ampat? Worried about the trash and being stuck with new divers that suck their air in 30min on a 60 min dive.

I love liveaboards when they get you to remote sites that not many other boats can get to as well as guaranteeing mostly advanced divers. I’m just not sure if a liveaboard with few resort days on the front or back either mid March before my Singapore trip or right after late March/early April is worth it or is it better to be land based?

Would love recommendations, other threads on this site have been very helpful but the information can be overwhelming.

Thank you all!!
 
Raja Ampat can be done by land resort or liveaboard, however, the Dampier Strait is suffering considerable bleaching right now. I'm heading there in a few weeks and am concerned what I'll find.

I believe March is too early in the season for Tubbataha, and I've heard the quality of the diving is not what it used to be. It can only be done by liveaboard.

Perhaps consider the Philippines.
 
Oh interesting! Thank you for the intel. Anywhere in particular in the Philippines? Cebu? Palau? Sounds like I’m back to square one.
 
Oh interesting! Thank you for the intel. Anywhere in particular in the Philippines? Cebu? Palau? Sounds like I’m back to square one.
I'm going to Puerto Galera, Philippines, in March (first time in Philippines). I chose it because there's supposed to be a nice variety of diving and good trip reports here on SB. A trip to Verde Island provided by the resort (El Galleon) is a worthy trip for good diving. They are also the only resort in Puerto Galera that has a dock. All others are beach entry onto the boat. I'm of the same mindset as you regarding the macro. I don't mind some macro, but I don't want to put my head in the sand for the whole dive. So you'll not want to choose Anilao.

Cebu, then a trip to Oslob for the whale sharks. Malapascua is known for thresher sharks. Also, Dumaguete. Maybe others can chime in for other locations and their experiences.

I started this thread last summer in preparation for my upcoming trip:

You can also use www.undercurrent.org as a resource for destination information.

Outside of SE Asia, you might consider Fiji. March is still the rainy season, but April is better. I am going back to Volivoli Beach Resort in April. The Bligh waters have the most beautiful soft corals of every color of the rainbow. You can fly direct from Fiji to LAX on Fiji Airways in 10 hours.
 
I'm going to Puerto Galera, Philippines, in March (first time in Philippines). I chose it because there's supposed to be a nice variety of diving and good trip reports here on SB. A trip to Verde Island provided by the resort (El Galleon) is a worthy trip for good diving. They are also the only resort in Puerto Galera that has a dock. All others are beach entry onto the boat. I'm of the same mindset as you regarding the macro. I don't mind some macro, but I don't want to put my head in the sand for the whole dive. So you'll not want to choose Anilao.

Cebu, then a trip to Oslob for the whale sharks. Malapascua is known for thresher sharks. Also, Dumaguete. Maybe others can chime in for other locations and their experiences.

I started this thread last summer in preparation for my upcoming trip:

You can also use www.undercurrent.org as a resource for destination information.

Outside of SE Asia, you might consider Fiji. March is still the rainy season, but April is better. I am going back to Volivoli Beach Resort in April. The Bligh waters have the most beautiful soft corals of every color of the rainbow. You can fly direct from Fiji to LAX on Fiji Airways in 10 hours.
Thank you so much! ScubaBoard is always so helpful and you’ve provided so much clarity, I really appreciate it! I’ll check out undercurrent too, did you book directly with hotels or through a dive operator aka Blue Water travel etc?

Noted on the recommendation for Fiji, I’ve actually been there. Studied abroad in Australia and went to New Zealand and Fiji on my return trip home. It was 10000 years ago but I’d love to explore somewhere I haven’t been too, especially if it’s still rainy season. I appreciate the suggestion though and will definitely remember the direct flight from LAX.
 
I believe March is too early in the season for Tubbataha, and I've heard the quality of the diving is not what it used to be. It can only be done by liveaboard.

Perhaps consider the Philippines.
Tubbataha is in the Philippines.

@CaliDiver14
If you haven't already booked for Tubbahata then you're too late, all slots are most likely taken as the season is from March to June.

Why not try Komodo for Mantas as well as sharks and turtles
 
Thank you so much! ScubaBoard is always so helpful and you’ve provided so much clarity, I really appreciate it! I’ll check out undercurrent too, did you book directly with hotels or through a dive operator aka Blue Water travel etc?

Noted on the recommendation for Fiji, I’ve actually been there. Studied abroad in Australia and went to New Zealand and Fiji on my return trip home. It was 10000 years ago but I’d love to explore somewhere I haven’t been too, especially if it’s still rainy season. I appreciate the suggestion though and will definitely remember the direct flight from LAX.
I have a complex itinerary with diving in 4 countries consecutively over two months; three weeks in Indo (two land-based resorts-Cove Eco Resort and Raja Ampat Dive Lodge; and a liveaboard-White Manta), 10 days in Philippines (El Galleon), 12 days in Western Australia (Perth and Ningaloo), and 12 days in Fiji. I used Bluewater Travel for the core planning and to get the best pricing, but BWT doesn't have a lot of experience in WA, so I booked that independently. I've used BWT for independent trips and I've joined one of their group trips, too. It's been a year of planning and it's finally going to happen in three weeks!
 

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