Philippines in May

[Melee]

Hi Funkyspelunker,

Sorry that you get seasick. So none of the pills, bracelets, etc. work for you? Some of the best diving around Malapascua is about an hour's boat ride to the dive locations. However, Moalboal has some great diving, where the boat rides are about five minutes to the dive sites. Go with Blue Abyss Dive Shop and ask for Klemens. Also Apo Island, and go to Paul's Diving Shop. However, either of these locations don't really compare to Malapascua.

Cheers,

Mel

 

[BeckiLeigh]

Hi Funkyspelunker,

Glad to hear that you decided to give the Philippines a try! And sorry to hear that you get seasick. =(

I have to agree with Mel about Malapascua being the best! The boat ride does take less than an hour to the dive sites, but both times I was there, the water was not rough at all. I dove with DiveLink at Malapascua (DM Danny is great at finding the sharks and other interesting critters...there's also a dive sight where you can see the Mandarin fish within a 5 minute boat ride....also a good night diving spot).

In Cebu, I dove with Aquamania at Maribago Bluewater Resort (they also took me to Bohol, Malapascua, and Apo). The rooms are a little pricey there, and dives run about $25/dive....overnight trips to other islands was about $150 which included transpo, meals, a room, and 2 dives/day. You can dive right off Mactan Island at Cebu on the house reefs, and there is Marigondon Cave, a small sunken airplane, and a mermaid/fish feeding station within a 5 minute boat ride. Although the viz is usually decent here, it is not as good as you would find around some of the other islands.

I have to say that in over 50 dives in the Cebu region, I never did any shore dives (except a couple of my training dives where we just dove in front of the resort). Everything was just a fairly short boat ride away. The only place we ever ran into any rough water was around Apo Island.

I wish you luck on your trip!! Happy Diving!! We would like to hear a report of your adventure when you return!! =)

Becki

 

[tangfish]

Thanks a load Becki, I will definitely take up some of that advice. I will give a trip report on the flipside! So you think that staying in Cebu is the right thing to do rather than on each island as I go diving there?

 

[BeckiLeigh]

How long will you be there?

You could start at Cebu to get your feet wet (like I mentioned in the other thread, Hiluntungan and Nalasuan are superb dive sites that are close -- 30 min by boat through calm water most likely!..there is also Tingo Point that is off Olongo Island that's within 30 min ride....they say there is a chance to see threshers there early in the morning, although I didn't see any on either of the dives I did there. =(

But I would certainly recommend Malapascua. You will want to stay there as it will be too far to commute back to Cebu. To get to Malapascua, you will drive to the north end of Cebu Island (about 3-4 hours) and then take the boat across (less than an hour). You will be able to find a room there easily once you get there and rooms are fairly cheap ($20/night). I would spend at least a couple of days there!! And make sure you do the tunnel dive at Gato!! =) You may run into mildly rough water on one side of Gato, but shouldn't be too bad. The boat will usually stay in the calm water for entry.

Bohol is also great diving around Balicasag and Cabilao. If time allows, you could stay a couple of days here as well. You will likely have to take a ferry to get there (this time from the south end of Cebu Island). I stayed on Panglao Island at Coral Point where rooms are again about $20/night. The instructor (Eme) that runs Aquamania owns Coral Point, so he could get you there and get a boat there for you. To dive Balicasag and Cabilao from Panglao is again about an hour boat ride. There is also a place called Bohol Beach Club there, but I don't know much about it.

If you are travelling on a budget and aren't much into the frills of a "resort", you might check out a Pension House while staying in Cebu. It's just a small hotel with modest rooms (perfect if you aren't planning on spending much time in a room). They run about $20/night (as apposed to $100+/night at most of the resorts). You should be able to find one on Mactan Island. If you plan to stay in Cebu City, you can expect about a 45 minute taxi ride back to Mactan for diving.

Hope that helps!

Becki

 

[tangfish]

I now officially have 12 days in Philippines (2 of which have to be spent in manila), now can you guys tell me if Cebu area is hands down better than Puerto Galera or Palawan for diving and topside fun? I don't think I'll have enough time to go back and forth, I heard that Puerto Galera is not the best conditions in June but then someone else told me it was great this time of year. Please advise.

 

[Mortlock]

I have to say that Purto Galera (on Mindoro) isn't too flash for diving IMO. If you were going to be around Mindoro you'd be best either going to Pandan or getting a liveaboard trip to Apo island and reef. Topside, Galera is a nice, quite little town with plenty of action at some of the nearby beaches at night.

 

[tangfish]

does 1200 USD for 12 days of 2 tank boat dives plus unlimited 'house reef' shore dives and and accommodation, plus $25 additional for transfers between islands sound like a good deal? this is the package Sea Explorers is offering in the Visayas. I am wondering, do you guys think its better to book the whole trip with one company or to do it individually and on your own. Those prices sounded kind of steep for PI.

 

[Melee]

Whoa! That's way steep. Besides I heard some bad things about Sea Explorers. Safety comes first, right?

Mel

 

[tangfish]

Mel, can you tell me about the things you heard? Please share as I'm about to book my trip there, and I don't want to book with a bad company, PM me if you want.

thanks