Tubbataha, Anilao & Donsol trip report, April 2009

[escapedia]

Hello everyone,
First to say thank you to people who helped me last year with some info about diving in the Philippines.
I got to the Philippines last April for a diving trip. I spent 8 days in Tubbatha and Puerto Princesa, 3 days in Anilao and 2 days in Donsol. Well..it also took some time to get from one place to another.
You can read my report in it's English short version in my site:
Tubbataha Liveaboard, Anilao & donsol,The Philippines, April 2009 | Escapedia.com

Enjoy!

 

[frank707]

Hi ,
Very nice tripreport , thx Frank

 

[bill22]

Very nice... thanks!!!!

 

[AndyT]

Great report and pics !! I think you have just made up my mind to try Tubbataha next year.
If that is what you managed in a few days in Anilao, I can't wait for my 8 days there. Thanks for posting.

What camera setup were you using?

 

[escapedia]

Great report and pics !! I think you have just made up my mind to try Tubbataha next year.
If that is what you managed in a few days in Anilao, I can't wait for my 8 days there. Thanks for posting.

What camera setup were you using?

It was the maiden dive of my D80 with one DS125, Tokina 10-17mm and Sigma macro 50mm. I didn't take the camera on every dive in Tubbataha due to ear problems and currents (so I've "lost" great shots of near sharks, rays and turtels). As for Anilao: it's a great place for relaxed macro dives, you'll get tones of great macro shots. 8 days? you'll enjoy it.

 

[xariatay]

Wonderful report & beautiful photos! Love the rainbow/s at Anilao!

 

[chip104]

Thanks for that. I love the wide angle shots. Sorry to hear about Donsol. Try Sogod Bay next time for the whalesharks, it's a bit more low key with better viz. The trade off is that you might not be guaranteed whaleshark sightings but the pristine diving makes up for it.

 

[cim72lando]

Thanks for the nice report and great pictures. Having been to 2 of the 3 places mentioned myself, this report is a good update. I agree the Stella Maris is the boat of choice for diving Tubbataha. Anilao is worth at least 7 nights stay and is a macro heaven. If I were to go to a 3rd destination in one trip, it would be to cross over to Puerto Galera, Mindoro after I dive Anilao to avoid wasting time to allow for adequate surface interval between dives and airplane rides, drying your equipment, etc. My usual trip is to go to 2 resorts only as I hate packing and unpacking. Of course, if you have more than 2 weeks to burn , that's another story. Anybody has recommendations/impressions about resorts in Sogod Bay?