Some advice needed Anilao/Dauin/Malapascua

[mitphys]

Hi guys
Two of us want to do about 6-7 days of diving and are a bit stuck in narrowing our list. We LOVE macro/muck diving (several times in Lembeh, Dauin etc.) but also love big stuff (Balicasag, Palau etc.) This time around our list has has very confused:

-Malapascua: Obviously we want to see the threshers, but our short itinerary really means we are going to be there for the entire trip. Is there enough other diving to keep us busy? I know there is some good macro, but enough for the remaining dives after the Threshers?
-Anilao: We have been here once before a few years ago and enjoyed it but saw nowhere near enough of the cool critters that people seem to talk about seeing there (from Mimic octopi to Rhinopias....) Maybe we just had a bad guide. But willing to give it another shot if the macro diving has been high quality. Would like advice on resorts with good spotters where we can do 4 dives a day without bottom time limits.
-Dauin; Appealing since the macro is good, but can also combine with a day trip to Balicasag/Apo island for good big stuff.

We don't get a lot of vacation time so unf dont want to take the risk this time of going somewhere and being bored with the diving. Don't really care about the nightlife etc, just want to be able to do a lot of good diving.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Dauin is a known quanity for us, its more Malapascua and Anilao we'd like some advice about..

 

[travelpro]

Well, since you've been to Dauin (several times?) i would tell you to explore a different place.

There is a large variety in Malapascua. I doubt you will be bored in Malapascua. I was there 5 days in 2010 and after having good luck with the Threshers the first 2 days; I skipped those dives the last 3 days and was not at all bored with the diving. I had mixed feelings on some of the dive sites but others were fantastic. I will be there again next month for 5-6 days and, for me, its long enough. Though I base that on only 1 visit to the island. Others here know the island much better than I but you can't go wrong with Malapascua.

Some of the most popular dive shops are not inside a resort; such as Thresher Shark Divers and Evolution. Other popular ones such as Exotic have their own resort and Sea Explorers are in the new Ocean Vida Beach resort.

Just my 2 cents. Others here can give you more detail information.

 

[exposure]

+1 for Malapascua even if I didn't see the Thresher sharks. It is a lovely place for diving. Otherwise, close to Anilao, you have Puerto Galera but that's not so quite as Malapascua.

 

[eagerbeaver]

Hi Mitphys,

I think you'll find no shortage of good dives to keep you busy...many of our divers enjoy just returning to the house reef and hunting out new crazy critters. We'll try and get you out to some wrecks, Gato island, Kimud shoal in January also...so there's plenty. You know where to find me if you have more questions

---------- Post Merged at 08:01 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 07:58 AM ----------

Some of the most popular dive shops are not inside a resort; such as Thresher Shark Divers and Evolution. Other popular ones such as Exotic have their own resort and Sea Explorers are in the new Ocean Vida Beach resort.

To clarify we do have 4 rooms on the beach right now, and 6 new rooms under construction, so we can take care of everything for you. Plus The Craic House bar and restaurant on site serving cold beers, and great food! We think of ourselves as a "resort", we're just small and friendly!

 

[Fun & Sun]

Malapascua has indeed lots to offer apart from the Threshers . Some of the local guides know the sites like the back of their hands, which is a must. Myself, I always share my wish list with our staff when I dive in Malapascua. They love this kind of challenge and usually manage to find most of the stuff.

 

[travelpro]

I stand corrected Matt.