Dive Destinations July/august

[wannafly]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to spend around 6-8 weeks during July and August travelling through Asia with the primary goal of diving. Initially I planned to do a dive master internship but after reading several threads here it seems like this is not the right call for my goals: gaining experience (currently I have completed 40 dives), improving as a diver and having a good time without the intention of working in the industry. Therefore I now consider to travel through the region in order to dive in many different conditions with the opportunity to complete some advanced courses.

Ideally the recommended dive sites would be relatively well connected so that I don't have to spend several days in transit. Living and transit cost shouldn't be too high either. I am mostly interested in seeing bigger marine-life (turtles, manta rays, sharks etc.). Further I have already been diving on Bali (Tulamben) and Sipadan so I don't necessarily need to return there. My idea so far was to focus on the Philipines and Indonesia but I'm open to all suggestions!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Centrals]

The Visayas region in Philippines.
International port of entry is Cebu City or via Manila.
Places of interest:
Alona Beach(my least favourite), Dumaguete(Dauin), Malapascua, Moalboal. If you do not mind a bit of travelling then Sipalay and Southern Leyte should be high on the list. All these places are within reach by public transport ie. bus and ferry.
July and Aug is typhoon season but it seldom last for more than couple of days of minor inconvenience. There are exception unfortunately!!

 

[Divebooker.com]

Hi Wannafly,
It seems Philippines would suit you more than Indonesia if

Living and transit cost shouldn't be too high either

If you wish

seeing bigger marine-life (turtles, manta rays, sharks etc.).

we’d recommend to consider visiting Malapascua in the Philippines first of all

 

[wannafly]

Hi,
Many thanks for your input, the Philippines look like the way to go!
Could anyone tell me if it is realistic to reach Raja Ampat from the Philippines in a reasonable time frame? I've read many good things about that site and would have liked to go. However, geographically it does not seem very likely that I could reach it without spending a lot of time on the road / up in the air.

 

[Centrals]

Both Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have flights from Manila to Bali couple of times per week.

 

[MV Dive]

Hi There,

Do some research on the Puerto Galera area, it is easy to get to from Manila with no need for a an extra flight to get here. The Verde Island passage is one of the most diverse diving areas in the Philippines. Let me know if you would like anymore information and i'll be happy to help.

Cheers
Kris

 

[chillyinCanada]

Your dates of July and August are not ideal time for Raja Ampat. Save yourself some time and money by striking RA off your list this time around. If you want to go back to Indo for a bucket list trip, Komodo gets glowing marks.

 

[wannafly]

Looks like I will cross Indonesia off my list for this trip and focus on the Philippines!

Is the following plan feasible? Fly into Manila, head to Puerto Galera as well as Coron and afterwards go into the Visayas region (especially for Malapascua).
If so, what is the best/cheapest way to get from Coron/PG to Cebu? And if you had around 7 weeks to spend in those regions, how would you distribute it over the two areas Coron/PG and the Visayas?

Once again, I'm extremely happy and thankfull for all your suggestions!

 

[Centrals]

1. I would leave PG at the end of the trip because it is nearest to Manila.
2. The airport in Coron is pretty small and I don't think there is direct connection between Coron and Cebu City. You have to go through Manila.
3. There are several big wrecks in Coron to keep anyone happy for at least 10 diving days. However, staying close to them is expensive. Economical accommodation is available in Coron town but the daily trip to the wrecks is boring.
4. Alona Beach, Daiun(Dumaguete), Malapascua, and Moalboal are easily to travel around. But you ought to try Sipalay and Southern Leyte which are slightly off the beaten track.
5. If you like macro then you must try Anilao which is just across the channel from PG.
6. Seven wks should be adequate to cover all those places.

 

[Lemuzzon]

Just some personal advice - I would try to avoid Manila airport if at all possible. It's hard to do because most flights within Philippines have to connect there, but we managed to find a few, for example, that went from Cebu direct to Puerto Princessa, etc. Sometimes they cost a little more, but every flight I had that had a connection in Manila was drastically delayed since the airport there is such a mess and they give priority to the major international flights.

If you aren't in any rush it might work fine for you, but when I was flying from Puerto Princessa to Manila, our flight was delayed 7 hours! We would have missed our connecting flight home if we didn't manage to get on another plane, but that cost us an additional ~$300.