Looking for advice on places to dive within the Philippines

[eckoback]

Gonna be spending roughly a month in the Philippines hopping from place to place to dive. I've done a bit of research on places of interest, but looking for some advice on this list or places I may have missed or should consider.

I'm not a fan of muck diving, looking for macro, or wreck diving, so looking only for the best big wildlife and reefs the Philippines have to offer.

Tubbataha -- would love to do this, but don't have the time for a liveaboard this trip

Bohol -- including Panglao and Balicasag

Moalboal -- including Pescador

Puerto Galera -- seems like people come here mostly for muck diving? How's the diving outside of that for my preferences?

Anilao -- seems like people come here mostly for muck diving? How's the diving outside of that for my preferences?

Malapascua

Dauin -- more specifically for Apo Island

 

[Centrals]

Anilao is for macro but Puerto Galera isn't.
Visayas is the area where you should concentrate at. The main port of entry is Cebu City but others are also available(from Manila: Cebu, Dumaguete, Tacloban and Tagbilaran).
I would add Southern Leyte in your list. Both Malapascua and Southern Leyte is isolated.
How to link up all those places is not easy.

PAL has non stop flight from LAX and SFO to MNL. They can also sell you a through ticket to anywhere they serve in the country.

 

[Zef]

Gonna be spending roughly a month in the Philippines hopping from place to place to dive. I've done a bit of research on places of interest, but looking for some advice on this list or places I may have missed or should consider.

I'm not a fan of muck diving, looking for macro, or wreck diving, so looking only for the best big wildlife and reefs the Philippines have to offer.

I thought macro and muck diving were pretty much the same thing. Are you using Macro in contrast to Micro...meaning you are after seeing/photographing larger organisms?

If so it has always been my understanding of the term "macro", in the context of diving, is that one is looking for and photographing small life forms that need a "macro lense" or "macro setting" on their camera to effectively photograph.

-Z

 

[divedrewsf]

Anilao is known for macro outside of the Phils, but locals (like me) know some spots that can be 'black diamond' dives with big current and clouds of fish (not any pelagics however). and i know some gorgeous coral gardens down there as well.

PM me if you want any info on Anilao and/or places to stay/eat in Manila (based on Makati).

 

[Mango's Dive Center]

Wrecks...Wrecks...Wrecks

Easy to get too, 3 hours from MNL or 1.5 hour drive from CRK. Maybe a good 3 days of your trip. You can also fly out of CRK to some domestic destinations.

You'll have a great time. We'll take good care of you.

 

[eckoback]

I thought macro and muck diving were pretty much the same thing. Are you using Macro in contrast to Micro...meaning you are after seeing/photographing larger organisms?

If so it has always been my understanding of the term "macro", in the context of diving, is that one is looking for and photographing small life forms that need a "macro lense" or "macro setting" on their camera to effectively photograph.

-Z

I was using macro / muck diving synonymously.

 

[Centrals]

I was using macro / muck diving synonymously.

So you are not interested in macro/muck and wreck.
Fly into Tacloban, private/public transfer to Sogod Bay(diving), ferry from Bato to Ubay(Bohol), public or private to Alona Beach(diving), ferry to Dumaguete, transfer to Apo Island, back to Dumaguete, ferry and bus to Cebu City, public/private transfer to Malapascua(thresher shark) and finally return to Cebu City to fly home via Manila.
There are a lot of travelling in this suggestion. But you can easily leave out couple of places or add Moalboal on the return journey from Dumaguete to Cebu.

 

[Dan]

I went diving in Visayas sea, around Cebu, for 2.5 weeks (from 19 December 2022 to 5 January 2023). Staying in Evolution dive resort for 6 days and aboard Infiniti liveaboard for 2 weeks back-to-back. I made 48 dives during that trip. We dove around Gato, Malapascua, Kalanggaman, Bohol, southern Leyte, Balicasag and Apo (as shown in the map, below).

The only big animals I saw there were a Whitetip reef shark in Gato, Thresher sharks in Malapascua, schooling of Barracuda & Bigeye Jacks in Balicasag. The rest of the dives are looking for little animals (Macro).

Still editing my video clips & pictures from the trip. So far I just finished the video of diving with Thresher Shark, as shown below and Mandarin fish Mating (which is little animal that you are not interested in).



We tried to see Whale Shark in Panaon bay, Southern Leyte, where the fish often come to filter plankton and other little critters floating in the bay by sending 7 Bangkas (1-man Philippine fishing boat) and 2 Skiffs filled with snorkelers (us), to search for the fish in the bay, but we struck out. No Whale Shark was seen.

If you want to see big animals, dive in Eastern Pacific, places like Galapagos, Malpelo, Cocos and Socorro.

 

[Zef]

I was using macro / muck diving synonymously.

On re-reading your post after your post I can see see the intent of what you wrote. The phrasing is such that it can be interpreted in 2 ways. It was an honest question. Thanks for clarifying.

-Z

 

[Dan]

The Whitetip Reef Shark in Gato Island was seen sleeping on the sandy bottom or in a crevice, under a big boulder. Unfortunately visibility was not very good on the day I was there or other divers had mucking up the sandy bottom.

Its a popular place to dive. Try to be there early, before other newbie's creating sand storm with their fins.