Tubbataha or Cagayan Islands?

[Liberty01]

Which one is better?
Is the diving in Tubbataha very deep (40m+) if you want to see big stuff? Do you have to do negative entries in very strong currents or is it mainly drift diving?
Can you recommend a good boat (particularly good guides and rental gear rather than luxury)?
All suggestions are appreciated.
Yours,
Liberty

 

[Liberty01]

Asking again, whether anyone of you has heard about Cagayan Islands.
Thank you.
Liberty

 

[bttmdwllr]

Liberty,

I think you aretalking about Cagayancillo-which is not part of a regular live abaord route. By all means go to Tubbataha. no one will dispute the fact that it has the best diving the Philippines has to offer. Go to www.expeditionfleet.com for schedules and prizes.

 

[Liberty01]

Thank you for your reply. I worry that Tubbataha is too difficult for me, I do not like fast negative entries or places where you have to use hooks because of currents or fighting currents forever.
And I do not like rough seas, particularly at night.
Actually, you can get liveaboards to Cagayan Islands from Sipalay.
Yours,
Liberty

 

[jbb]

Which one is better?
Is the diving in Tubbataha very deep (40m+) if you want to see big stuff? Do you have to do negative entries in very strong currents or is it mainly drift diving?
Can you recommend a good boat (particularly good guides and rental gear rather than luxury)?

I was in Tubbataha last year in May 06. The dive guides sometimes went down to 30m along the walls. Big stuff, the biggest stuff we saw were the turtles, reef sharks and one small whale shark - 7m down at 36m. We did not experience very strong currents. It is mostly drift diving along the walls until you come up to the shallows and safety stop. We had great weather in between squals. At times the water was glassy smooth. A couple of squals came through mostly at night and I didn't even wake up. Currents change with the phases of the moon and storms coming through so you never know what you might encounter.

I went with MY Tristar but the boat sank in Manila Bay during a typhoon last year. I hope the owners get another boat because I really enjoyed diving with them.

 

[bttmdwllr]

Liberty, in the Philippines you will find the most spoiled divers in the world. we drop into the water and drift with the current. We surface and the boat is there to pick us up. No swimmingto the boat or against the current. when you get to the boat, you don't have to climb the ladder with your tank. we remove our weight belts and tank and hand it up, then our fins. Then we climb up. A freind of mine said it was "jewish diving" -he's jewish.

Yvette

 

[Liberty01]

Hi, Yvette!
What you describe, is pretty much standard in most of Asia (and elsewhere).
However, my dives in the Philippines were (on average) about 10m deeper than in Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand, you find more European CMAS divers in the Philippines than elsewhere in Asia...
And it is not a question of service, but of diving conditions like down-currents and surface currents requiring very fast negative entries (like some sites in Northern Kalimantan).
Anyway, who can recommend a safe boat with reliable rental equipment and good dive guides?
That would be more important than a luxury cabin...
Yours,
Liberty

 

[manhattandiver]

A freind of mine said it was "jewish diving"

Why would you post a remark like that on the board? Are you implying that Jews are lazy, cheap or something else? I wouldn't make an insulting comment about your religion. Don't do it about mine.

 

[iris_ice]

Why would you post a remark like that on the board? Are you implying that Jews are lazy, cheap or something else? I wouldn't make an insulting comment about your religion. Don't do it about mine.

she did say it was stated by her jewish friend... sorry if it offended you.

 

[Liberty01]

Manhattandiver, I agree with you about the remark.

Still, I would like to get back to the original issue...
Thank you,
Liberty