What is the most affordable Live aboard to Tubatha

[415Gem]

Hello. Just wanted to return to the beautiful Philippines and check out Apo reef and Tubatha reef. I am a one star kind of traveller... so I would rather go with an outfit that knows the area well, good food, safe. I am hoping for walk up...last minute rates. $ 100.00 USD a day. Anybody got any ideas ? Kind regards :14:

 

[ishbaby]

pls pm or EMAIL the guy that posted this trip, his is fairly cheaper

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=125860

 

[Spoon]

what is your definition of affordable? most tubbattaha trips cost a minimum of $1000 for 5 days so finding one for a $100 a day will be tough. unless you hire a local bangero to take you to tubbattaha. i doubt if anyone would be willing to do this as tuba is in the middle of nowhere

 

[Hank49]

There are boats that go out that way from Iloilo. 50-60 footers. But they're not supposed to fish there so it's not in their interest to spend a lot on fuel for nothing. Plus you'll need a compressor and tanks. But these guys are good seaman and will get you there and back. It'll be a real cultural experience for sure. I have a friend in Iloilo who went there and some military guys pulled up with M16s and all questioning them I guess to be sure they weren't dynamiting. After some talk and breaking out a cooler of San Miguel, everything was cool.

 

[chip104]

There are boats that go out that way from Iloilo. 50-60 footers. But they're not supposed to fish there so it's not in their interest to spend a lot on fuel for nothing. Plus you'll need a compressor and tanks. But these guys are good seaman and will get you there and back. It'll be a real cultural experience for sure. I have a friend in Iloilo who went there and some military guys pulled up with M16s and all questioning them I guess to be sure they weren't dynamiting. After some talk and breaking out a cooler of San Miguel, everything was cool.

Hank, I would love to experience that (minus the m16 getting pulled - I once got a bolo knife pulled on me by some NPAs but that's a whole other story...), but I was under the impression that you need a permit to run liveaboards out to tubbataha now?

 

[Hank49]

Hank, I would love to experience that (minus the m16 getting pulled - I once got a bolo knife pulled on me by some NPAs but that's a whole other story...), but I was under the impression that you need a permit to run liveaboards out to tubbataha now?

I'm not sure of the law now. My friend has been there a couple times on his 60 foot banka though. (if you want to see his type boat, Victory and Fisheye have boats that he had made in Tiolas, Antique) I would guess that there may be a fee as you said but if one showed up with a few hundred pesos, some San Migs and a few bottles of Anejo...and show respect and clean up.
Regarding M16s: Carabao Isle just NE of Boracay has a few nice spots on the north side. There is, or was, apparently a retired military man of some sort with a house there who figured he was entitled to some of the wealth that Barocay generated, so he imposed a "tax" on any dive boat diving on "his" reef. One boat decided they didn't have to pay so he put a few rounds from an Armalite across their bow as they pulled away. They paid.