TRIP REPORT: Southern Visayas with the Philippine Siren Liveaboard

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nudisusie

Contributor
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Location
Spain
# of dives
I'm a Fish!
I used to work aboard the original Philippine Siren in 2009/2010 so was keen to get aboard and see the new layout but also to revisit some of the dive sites and explore a few new ones. I’ve been coming to the Visayas off and on for 8 years and its interesting to see the area at different times of the year but also to assess the improvements to or decline of the marine life. This year I was leading a group of 8 divers and hosting a mini critter hunt.

Day 1 – I was picked up from a downtown hotel and brought to the Cebu Yacht Club. The operations manager, Sam, was there to greet me and the rest of my group arrived shortly afterwards. With no diving on the first day we enjoyed a beer at the bar as our bags were whisked away to the Siren. After boarding, Enrico our Italian cruise director gave a full boat briefing, cabin tours and we set up our dive kit. Lunch, snacks and dinner were all provided. We departed at around 3pm and cruised southwards to Cabilao Island, off the west coast of Bohol.

Day 2 – Cabilao Island, Bohol (reef dives, temp 28C, viz20m)
Lighthouse ; Gorgonian Wall ; Talisay Tree ; Cambaquiz (night)
Stunning coral walls with gorgonian fans and soft corals, elephant ear and barrel sponges. Hard corals and leather corals on the top of the reef shelf around 5-10m.
Marine life: nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, turtle, orangutan crabs, porcelain crabs, varied species of anemone fish (spine cheek, skunk, clarks, tomato), blue fun trevally, pygmy seahorses, octopus, burr fish, bearded scorpion and devil scorpion fish, varied lionfish species, candy crab, egg cowries, winged pipefish

Day 3 –Balicasag Island, Bohol (reef dives, temp 28C, viz 15m)
Divers Heaven; Black Forest; Sanctuary; Divers Heaven(night)
Steep reefs with sloping reef tops. Hard and soft corals, gorgonian fans, loads of tunicates. Sea grass beds and sandy patches with a few coral bommies in the shallows.
Marine Life: Huge green and hawksbill turtles, giant frogfish, warty frogfish, painted frogfish, nembrotha nudibranchs, yellow fin snapper, varied anemone fish species, scorpion fish and lion fish, moray eels, blue fin trevally

Day 4 – Oslob & Dauin, Negros Island (whale sharks and muck diving, temp 28C, viz 15m)
Oslob ; Mainit ; Caballo (Lipayo) Secret Corner
Marine Life: Whale sharks!!! I counted 8 in one view but we estimate there were 10 or 12 different sharks visiting this morning. Batfish, snapper barracuda, sweetlips
Porcelain crabs, flabellina and nembrotha nudibranchs, thorny seahorses, ghost pipefish, seamoths, flambouyant cuttlefish, mantis shrimp, juvenile sweetlips, catfish eels, koro sap sucking slugs, bobtail squid

Day 5 – Apo Island & Dauin, Negros (reef dives and muck diving, temp 27C, viz 10-15m)
Cogon; Coconut Point ; The Cars; Secret Corner
Hard and soft corals covering a sloping reef and sandy patches with huge barrel sponges, covered in crinoids, tunicates and anemones.
Marine Life @ Apo Island: juvenile box fish, ghost pipefish, marbled grouper, blue fin trevally, moray eels, day octopus, nudibranchs. Juvenile sweetlips, varied anemone fish species, butterfly and angel fish, sweetlips

Marine Life @Cars - Harlequin shrimp, warty frogfish, flambouyant cuttlefish, Donald duck shrimp, ghost pipefish, file fish, short tailed pipefish, moray eels, hawkfish, blue spotted ribbontail rays,

Day 6Dauin (muck diving, temp 27C, viz 15m)
El Dorado ; Masaplod South ; Atmosphere House Reef ; Bahura
Dark Sand slopes with patches of reef, artificial reef, ropes and tyres
Marine Life – blue lined snapper, juvenile sweetlips, shrimps, giant and warty frogfish, juvenile angelfish, banded sea snake, nudibranchs, snake eels, mantis shrimp, leaf fish, porcelain crabs, velvet ghost pipefish, coro sap sucking slugs,

Day 7 – Pescador Island, Cebu (reef dives, temp 27C, viz 20m)
South Wall; West Wall ;Sardines
Walls with overhangs and a small chimney cavern – great for photographers, plenty of soft corals and tube sponges
Marine Life: Giant frogfish, nudibranchs, lionfish, wentletraps, green turtle, long fin batfish, remoras, scribbled filefish, butterfly and angel fish

Overall the trip was great fun, we saw pretty much everything we hoped for and expected to see in the 22 dives we were offered. The weather was not the best, with plenty of rain due to a tropical depression sitting over us but the winds were mild enough that our diving was not seriously affected. The viz around Dauin was not as good as past visits – the shallow waters being sandy got somewhat stirred up – but we were looking for critters so the dives there were still fun and interesting.

If you want to see and photograph nembrotha nudibranchs then June /July is certainly a great time to visit. Balicasag’s Black Forest had hundreds of them, whilst at other sites there were also plenty.

There seemed to be a frogfish bloom. I don’t know their mating cycles but this was certainly the most frogfish I’ve seen during any trip. There were several giant ones at Balicasag and Pescador whilst in Dauin we pretty much saw at least one hairy, warty, painted or giant froggie on every dive. The most I saw in one dive was 10 (I think).

We lucked out on the octopus front – seeing day octopus and a few others but no blue rings, wonderpus or mimics- they are apparently around late September through to early December when its mating season.

I was super happy to see the harlequin shrimp. Having seen 2 on only 1 prior occasion (Padre Burgos Pier in Leyte) this was a trip highlight for me.

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About the Philippine Siren Liveaboard:-

The Cabin - My husband and I had a double bed cabin at the bow (#1). It’s a little smaller than other cabins, but still spacious. The bathroom I thought was bigger than others – its sloped so a little bit of water leaked into the main cabin after a shower but with a towel on the floor it was never a problem. There was plenty of storage – some a little awkward to get to but fine for our needs. Robes, fresh towels and linen changes were all provided. The a/c worked well – but we ended up rarely using it and switched to the fan. Entertainment system was easy to use and with plenty of choice. A nice place to rest and chill between dives.

Dive Deck – I picked the starboard side corner (#10) which I’ve had before and is easily my favourite spot on the boat. Personal storage was easily accessible and the crew put our suits out before each dive and hung them upafterwards. Deck towels were provided and Maureen the housekeeper dried and heated them throughout the day when it was rainy.

Sun Deck – used a few times. With the rainy weather it was more a cloud deck but still comfortable and clean. We didn’t need to put the sun shade up.

Dining Area – Functional, comfy and great for groups. We ended up with everyone on the outer part and no one in the middle so no one had their backs to others – very nice and open. I’m happy to jump over so tended to sit more in the corners which some would find a bit blocked in – but no one of our group had an issue with this. Enrico and the guides used this area with the flat screen for dive briefings also. Much of the time we had the rain covers down but with fans blowing it didn't get stuffy.

Lounge / bar – So spacious and comfortable. Big sofas, plenty of seating for everyone. I was able to use the big screen for a presentation and everyone could sit and see easily. I don’t think anyone ever watched a movie but many times we were in there just relaxing, looking at photos and reading. Ceiling is low but after many times on Siren I’m used to it – and I don’t recall anyone bumping their head on this trip.

Camera Area – 3 tables and plenty of storage. Only 1 person had an SLR this time, the rest of us compacts or gopros. So space was not an issue. Only recommendation would be a brighter strip light over the central table like they have at the other 2.

The Food –I was a tad disappointed. Breakfasts were typical, lunches very tasty and quite varied but the evening meal was somewhat of a letdown in comparison to other Siren yachts. It was still good just not as varied or interesting as meals had in Fiji or Indonesia. My comments have been noted already by the owners and I am sure they will look into improvements. Salads and fresh fruit at meal times was great.

Overall – The boat looked fresh and well maintained. Small scuffs and the occasional flaking paint which is only to be expected after much time at sea but you can see the crew take care of her upkeep. Deck bathrooms were lovely – always clean, with fresh towels and a huge mirror. Due to the weather we never got the sails up.

The Crew – This was a true team. Everyone working together to ensure the trip ran smoothly and all the guests were happy. Nothing was too much trouble and each small request was listened to and acted upon.
Cruise Director Enrico – Great! Fun on board and in the water. Very attentive to less experienced divers. Detailed and interesting briefings. Lovely bloke.
Dive guides Rey and Donato – My group dived with Rey and he was awesome! An excellent spotter, good fun on board and in the dinghies plus underwater he really took care of us. One of my group had less experience than the rest and he was always keeping a good eye on her without interfering or crowding.
Deckhands & Dinghy drivers – friendly guys who did a great job, not much by the way of interaction but they were always there and very supportive, especially when I was on the surface with one of the guests who was having some difficulties. Made us feel very safe. Tank pressure always 200bar or a little more, nitrox fills 30-31%
Chefs – Helpful and friendly, dinner briefings could have been a little clearer and a bit more creativity needed but overall pretty nice.
Host / Housekeeper – both super stars, though Maureen tips it as her massage is just sooo good. She started back when I was cruise director and is just brilliant!
Captain & Engineer– Always there – and Captain Russell was ever present – even to bring us a beer after the night dive. Its great to see the Captain of a yacht prepared to pitch in and gave a great feeling of camaraderie to the team.

I'd probably rate this trip 8/10 due to the weather and the disappointing food.
 

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