May trip to Mindanao and Cebu

[paedur5]

Hi all,
Just planning a trip for May with some friends. We will be flying through Cebu to Davao and then hiking up Mount Apo for a few days. Then we will do the diving part of our trip.

One of our group needs to take her OW course and the others except me are beginners so a decent training centre in an area with good easy dives is vital.
As we will be in Davao and flying through Cebu are there any suggestions for places in these areas? A boat ride to Bohol is fine but we don't want to do too much travelling.

Another concern in the back of our minds is the security in Mindanao, so not all places will be an option for us.

Our trip is 12 days and with the hiking and the dive course we don't have a lot of time.

Thanks in advance

Paedur.

PS I heard there are elections in May. Can anyone tell me when? Just thinking of any possible security implications.

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[Mucksavage]

If you plan to do the diving part around Cebu you have lots of choice but if you want to avoid travel it narrows it down. Malapascua is of course on the of the most famous places in the The Philippines for diving and a great place to learn. Bohol also has lots of choice of centres. Or you can stay right in Mactan and learn. The diving and tuition will be fine if you pick the right spot but you will be giving up the great Filipino tropical experience. Its two hours to Bohol and under an hour to Panglao. 3.5 hours to Malapascua by car and boat and about 3 hours to Moalboal. If you want to dive around Cebu and avoid the urban experience a few hours travel will be needed.

By and large the elections should have little impact on tourism in the Cebu region anyway. It might effect traffic at time as crowds gather for rallies etc and it will mean that many business will have no smaller change because those notes are needed elsewhere . . . They will be on May 13th.

 

[paedur5]

Hi muck savage ,

Thanks for the info.

We are tending towards staying in the Davao area for diving. As it's an extra flight to there, there is less chance that we will return again, so we prefer to stay in that area seeing as we are there for the hiking. Even though the diving may be not as good as Bohol area we want to try it - just as a new place to dive and we will certainly be diving in the Philippines again.

Any suggestions or reservations about Davao and Samal for diving and owd training?

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[annasea]

Not quite in Davao, but nearby is Chris Dearne in Gen San. I dived with him a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. I was already certified so I didn't enquire about courses, but I'm certain he's a PADI instructor.

 

[Centrals]

I had dived with Carabao Divers before and they were fine. They are NAUI and PADI centre so they should be abel to find you a PADI instructor.
General Santos is 3hrs away by road. Both Chris Dearn(Cambridge Farm) and Paul Partridge(Lemlunay Resort and South Point Divers) can take care of your requirement. I prefer Gen San than Davao in term of diving. BTW, the view from Lemlunay Resort is great.

 

[Rogersea]

I also used Carabao Divers in Davao a few years back and they were good, I don't have any experience with their training staff but judging from the way the rest of the operation was run I would expect it to be fine. Here is their FB link https://www.facebook.com/carabao.divers?fref=ts I think staying in Davao is a good choice for easy dives....Cheers,Roger

 

[paedur5]

Thanks guys for your input. Had a look at the Carabao website and they seem fine.

I prefer not to go down to General Santos just avoid too much travel. We are doing too much travelling already.



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[paedur5]

I see that carabao divers are located in Davao city, but the dives are to the south nearer Samal island. Is there any difference in where to stay? I think we would prefer the quiet of the island.

We saw capt hooks red parrot inn which has a good budget and looks nice. Any experience of them?

I'm wondering if it will create hassle if we are not staying close to the dive centre.

I've only been on a diving trip once and that time I stayed at the dive centre.

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[Pearlman]

FYI, should apply to all International travellers: Philippines | Travel advice | Smartraveller: The Australian Government's travel advisory and consular assistance service

--P

 

[paedur5]

Hello pearlman,
Thanks for the info. I've seen this already and will certainly avoid going further West than Mt Apo which is where things get very bad. I've advised my group of the potential dangers and to be alert.

it's a useful reminder though and other travellers should be aware.

Another site Mindanao.com is very local and provides more localised info. They suggest that my travel plans should be ok.

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