edpdiver
Contributor
My family and I just returned from a dive trip to Kasai Village Resort. We were there for 12 nights and had 10 days of diving. It was a great trip, and I recommend the resort and the diving in that area wholeheartedly. It is only the second trip to the Philippines (first trip was earlier this year to Bohol). With that said, the diving is really superb, and the resort and dive operation were also first-rate. I went with my wife and 19 year old son. They were equally pleased.
We live in Baton Rouge, LA, and we tried a new route to Asia. Specifically, we flew to Atlanta, which is very easy for us, and from there, we took Korea Airlines to Seoul. From Seoul, it was one more flight to Cebu. The travel was very simple this way, and we were pleased with the choice. We stayed overnight in Cebu at the Shangri La resort. It was pricey, but it was good to relax for a night after all of the travel. The resort had arranged a van to take us to Kasai the next day. It was a 3 hour ride.
The resort is quiet and isolated, but that was fine with us. We had all of our meals there, and the food was good. The bar was also very nice. My son and I also got our AOW certification while we were there. Their training was excellent. The dive guides were very nice and accommodating. My wife has multiple sclerosis, and has trouble walking long distances, or over uneven surfaces. When it was low tide, we had to walk to the boats, and they were great about helping her along (I was otherwise occupied carrying my camera; you know, priorities...) Anyway, they were helpful in the water as great spotters for numerous little critters and well-hidden frogfish, pipefish, scorpionfish, and other critters that were around. The reefs were very healthy, and the shallow reefs were very lush, similar to what I had seen around Bohol. The deeper reefs were a little prettier in Bohol in my opionion, but that could have been related to the lack of much current to carry nutrients to the soft corals. In any case, the diving was still pretty spectacular. The dive sites were all within 20 minute boat rides of the resort. All of the sites were good. Our favorites were the sites at Pescador Island, where the sardines were "running" in incredible numbers. I will post some photos to give a sense of what that was like. The boat we used was a typical Philippines style Bankka (sp?) boat. Not fancy, but fine for the very short boat rides we had. The largest number of divers on our boat was 6, which was quite comfortable. All of our dives were about 60 minutes long. In the dive briefings, they stated that dives were 60 minutes, but they frequently went a little longer. The dive guides did not rush you. The largest number of divers on our boat was 6, which was quite comfortable.
The organization of the dive operation was very good, too. They carried all of your equipment except for your wetsuit and booties, which you wore to the boat. They requested that you set up your gear for your first dive, and they would do it for you on subsequent dives if you wished (which we did). They were accommodating and professional.
On the return, we spent 2 1/2 days in Cebu at the Shangri La. That was a good idea. The food was good, and I spent one day doing 3 dives near the resort. The dives were actually quite good. Lots to see, both in terms of coral and critters.
Here are some photos from the trip (all from the Moalboal area dives). First, some examples of the sardine run at Pescador Island.
and here are some pics of some of the other stuff we saw.
Here is one from Cathedral Cave, also on Pescador Island.
The whole set of photos can be found here.
2009 moalboal philippines - a set on Flickr
If you have any questions, just let me know.
-Erwin
We live in Baton Rouge, LA, and we tried a new route to Asia. Specifically, we flew to Atlanta, which is very easy for us, and from there, we took Korea Airlines to Seoul. From Seoul, it was one more flight to Cebu. The travel was very simple this way, and we were pleased with the choice. We stayed overnight in Cebu at the Shangri La resort. It was pricey, but it was good to relax for a night after all of the travel. The resort had arranged a van to take us to Kasai the next day. It was a 3 hour ride.
The resort is quiet and isolated, but that was fine with us. We had all of our meals there, and the food was good. The bar was also very nice. My son and I also got our AOW certification while we were there. Their training was excellent. The dive guides were very nice and accommodating. My wife has multiple sclerosis, and has trouble walking long distances, or over uneven surfaces. When it was low tide, we had to walk to the boats, and they were great about helping her along (I was otherwise occupied carrying my camera; you know, priorities...) Anyway, they were helpful in the water as great spotters for numerous little critters and well-hidden frogfish, pipefish, scorpionfish, and other critters that were around. The reefs were very healthy, and the shallow reefs were very lush, similar to what I had seen around Bohol. The deeper reefs were a little prettier in Bohol in my opionion, but that could have been related to the lack of much current to carry nutrients to the soft corals. In any case, the diving was still pretty spectacular. The dive sites were all within 20 minute boat rides of the resort. All of the sites were good. Our favorites were the sites at Pescador Island, where the sardines were "running" in incredible numbers. I will post some photos to give a sense of what that was like. The boat we used was a typical Philippines style Bankka (sp?) boat. Not fancy, but fine for the very short boat rides we had. The largest number of divers on our boat was 6, which was quite comfortable. All of our dives were about 60 minutes long. In the dive briefings, they stated that dives were 60 minutes, but they frequently went a little longer. The dive guides did not rush you. The largest number of divers on our boat was 6, which was quite comfortable.
The organization of the dive operation was very good, too. They carried all of your equipment except for your wetsuit and booties, which you wore to the boat. They requested that you set up your gear for your first dive, and they would do it for you on subsequent dives if you wished (which we did). They were accommodating and professional.
On the return, we spent 2 1/2 days in Cebu at the Shangri La. That was a good idea. The food was good, and I spent one day doing 3 dives near the resort. The dives were actually quite good. Lots to see, both in terms of coral and critters.
Here are some photos from the trip (all from the Moalboal area dives). First, some examples of the sardine run at Pescador Island.
and here are some pics of some of the other stuff we saw.
Here is one from Cathedral Cave, also on Pescador Island.
The whole set of photos can be found here.
2009 moalboal philippines - a set on Flickr
If you have any questions, just let me know.
-Erwin
