Trip advice: 2 weeks in Cebu

[willcoles]

Hi all,

This is my first post so I'll start with an introduction.

I completed a Padi Open Water diving course and dived a few times around Australia in 2001 and have due to living in the UK done no diving since.

I'm traveling with my girlfriend to Cebu for 2 weeks from the 21st of October, my girlfriend wants to complete a Padi course and I will be looking to go on a refresher course.

So far the islands that have caught my attention near Cebu are off Bohol and include: Panglao, Pangangan & Cabilao. I realise that Panglao is the largest and most developed of these three but I was hoping that someone would be able to make some recommendations.

We are both in our mid 20's and would be looking to dive for no more than half our time in the Philippines with the rest of the time relaxing and seeing the culture and sights of the Philippines and eating some of the food!

So any advice on where to go would be much appreciated.

 

[Centrals]

Alona Beach on Panglao Island and Camiguin Island(flight from Cebu to Cagayan de Oro and then either fast or slow ferry to the island).
I am afraid Philippino's food is rather bland for me. But fresh lechon(roast pig) is something else.....LOVE it.

 

[timchea]

Sorry don't know any dive operations there, but please post your trip report when you return

 

[Halcyon73]

Hi all,

This is my first post so I'll start with an introduction.

I completed a Padi Open Water diving course and dived a few times around Australia in 2001 and have due to living in the UK done no diving since.

I'm traveling with my girlfriend to Cebu for 2 weeks from the 21st of October, my girlfriend wants to complete a Padi course and I will be looking to go on a refresher course.

So far the islands that have caught my attention near Cebu are off Bohol and include: Panglao, Pangangan & Cabilao. I realise that Panglao is the largest and most developed of these three but I was hoping that someone would be able to make some recommendations.

We are both in our mid 20's and would be looking to dive for no more than half our time in the Philippines with the rest of the time relaxing and seeing the culture and sights of the Philippines and eating some of the food!

So any advice on where to go would be much appreciated.

Hi,
There is a few good dive shops in Bohol (Alona Beach). One of them is Philippine Fun Divers. Check their website. They do all diving courses and refreshers. I also recommend Cebu for diving. Recently I did dive with Kontiki Divers on Mactan Island. Check their website and facebook.
Cheers

 

[Halcyon73]

Kontiki Divers link: scuba diving in cebu | PADI dive courses cebu
Philippine Fun Divers link:scuba diving bohol philippines
I hope you like it.
Cheers

 

[willcoles]

Thanks for the replies!

I've spent the last few days searching through the forums and have found a wealth of knowledge which really has helped my travel plans so thanks to everyone!

It's looking like our itinery will be something like this:

1 night Cebu

6 nights Alona beach - g/f will get Padi licence & I'll take a refresher course possibly stay at Isis

3 nights Cabilao Polaris dive

4 nights Moalboal. Savedra


We thought about going to Malapascua but it is a bit out of the way and looks quite pricey and the Thresher dive is deep so would require another course. Plus there is always the chance that we'd see a Thresher @ Moalboal.

I should have said in my original post that we will be traveling on a budget - this will be our first 2 weeks of 4 months of traveling! So we won't be looking to dive every day.

We've also thought about reversing this schedule and doing the padi & refresher at Moalboal but a Padi O/W is 25% more expensive in Moalboal. Does anyone have a recommendation on where in Moalboal would be the best/cheapest but safe place to get a Padi O/W? I checked the Savedra website and it is $390 compared to about $290 at Fun Divers!

Also a few forums have slated Moalboal as being a bit of a dump. Is this true? We'd like to spend some time in a more lively town where we can go out for a nice meal and a few drinks will we be able to find this in Moalboal?

And finally any recommendations on where to stay in Moalboal, ideally we'd like to be by/close to the nice beach and from what I've read Moalboal sounds like it has 3 beaches with one of these being nice.

Thanks!

 

[scoobydrew]

it could be worth your while looking in to getting to Boracay, that is the must do location in the area, there is a company there called sea world dive centre that speak English, try dropping them a line.

Also don't write off the UK, there are some ace dives there in particular try getting to Lundy island from ilfracombe, can give suggestions if you like

 

[Luko]

Thanks for the replies!

I've spent the last few days searching through the forums and have found a wealth of knowledge which really has helped my travel plans so thanks to everyone!

It's looking like our itinery will be something like this:

1 night Cebu

6 nights Alona beach - g/f will get Padi licence & I'll take a refresher course possibly stay at Isis

3 nights Cabilao Polaris dive

4 nights Moalboal. Savedra


We thought about going to Malapascua but it is a bit out of the way and looks quite pricey and the Thresher dive is deep so would require another course. Plus there is always the chance that we'd see a Thresher @ Moalboal.

I should have said in my original post that we will be traveling on a budget - this will be our first 2 weeks of 4 months of traveling! So we won't be looking to dive every day.

We've also thought about reversing this schedule and doing the padi & refresher at Moalboal but a Padi O/W is 25% more expensive in Moalboal. Does anyone have a recommendation on where in Moalboal would be the best/cheapest but safe place to get a Padi O/W? I checked the Savedra website and it is $390 compared to about $290 at Fun Divers!

Also a few forums have slated Moalboal as being a bit of a dump. Is this true? We'd like to spend some time in a more lively town where we can go out for a nice meal and a few drinks will we be able to find this in Moalboal?

And finally any recommendations on where to stay in Moalboal, ideally we'd like to be by/close to the nice beach and from what I've read Moalboal sounds like it has 3 beaches with one of these being nice.

Thanks!

It is very untrue to state Panagsama/Moalboal is a dump! :shocked2:
Though it might not be a white beach resort town, I like the mix of relaxed almost village life in day time and more bar oriented mood in the night time. I like this much better than Panglao for instance, Panagsama is so small that after 3 days you know almost everyone.
Probably it lacks a worldclass sand beach to compete with Siquijor or Malapascua as a family holiday destination, although white beach 2km up north has a decent stretch of white sand.

For staying in Moalboal it depends on your budget : the most comfortable you can have is either Turtle bay Resort, it a little bit out of town but the grounds are really nice, and you can esaily get in Panagsama in 10 minutes cyclo, or on the "lively" Panagsama, it would be Cabanas Resort located 50 meters to Savedra dive center.
If you want to be on a sandy beach, then there is Serena resort as a good option.

For budget accoms, I would say Savedra's bungalows if you dive with them, perfectly located on a splendid house reef. I suppose there are also cheap accoms on White beach, but I cannot recommend as I am not focusing on this kind of bungalows.

Check out this webpage for a description and links to the accoms in Moalboal (though Turtle Bay Resort is not yet included, probably too new) : http://www.moalboal.org.uk.

As for the dive prices, you should check first what the price includes for each dive center (Books, PADI license, boat dives, equipment, etc.).
I have been diving with Savedra and had with them my IANTD EAN40 license, They're of very good quality and really focused on safety first.

If you want to experience local village life, I would state Malapascua would be your best bet, it might be worth going. Even though you're staying in bungalows like "exotic island" for instance there almost located within a fisherman's village.
On the other hand, my personal feeling is that Panglao is more of the usual touristy resort place, a ghetto with not much filipino life around, to find the real life, you must go outside of the gringo enclave.

 

[Pao]

I second Phil. Fun Divers at Alona beach I dove with them last summer and had a great time. But in order to dive and appreciate the more spectacular (emphasis on more) sites I think you need to have a few dives under your belt. Most are drift/deep wall dives and the current can sometimes rip esp. at Balicasag. However the "house reef" at Alona is quite OK, expect some mild current though. Alona is quite isolated and establishments close early. For the culture part you can do a day tour of the rest of Bohol island. There is an old church (Baclayon), the tarsiers, the chocolate hills and don't miss the Loboc river "cruise". The food is not that great but the view is spectacular and if you are lucky you might even get to be serenaded by the Loboc Children's choir (I think they have won a number of local and international choral competitions).

You might also like to research about Anilao (pure awesome diving but zero nightlife) or Puerto Galera (awesome diving with lots of nightlife and restaurants). Anilao and PG offer more varied sites for every level of diving. PG also offers a wider range of accommodations and a wider range of entertainment options.

I hope I was able to help

 

[BabyFugu]

Moalboal is SMALLLLLLL. I stayed there for four nights too, as my husband was doing his OW course, and although the diving was just absolute, the topside entertainment is almost non-existent. Four nights there and you will get soooo bored. Along the beach there is one main strip, and almost every place is a dive shop with some bungalows. It's the kind of place that you will know like the back of your hand by the second day (and all the locals will know who you are too!). It's very pretty and there are restaurants and a few drinking holes... but really it is very, very quiet and small. You could hop on a tuk-tuk and check out the main town but there is not much to see. FYI, we dove with Quo Vadis and stayed in their bungalows too, which were very nice and clean. The diving is great there, and Pescador island is not to be missed. But if you are looking for a more lively atmosphere, I would suggest 3 nights in Moalboal, maximum. Maybe even 2 nights and leave on the third day in the late afternoon.

If you are in Bohol, maybe make a side trip (non-diving) to go see the Chocolate Hills?

I also second Scoobydrew -- Boracay has a LOT more action, lots and lots and lots of bars and restaurants and discos and shopping etc. etc. etc. And, gorgeous beach!