Diving Cebu

[Matthewyui]

Hi,

I am still a newbie with 50 dives and thinking about diving trip to Cebu for 8 days. I like macro diving and have been to Puerto Galera, Mabul and Bali. Can anyone recommend if Cebu is good for macro as well? I was thinking about Moalboal/ Mactan - are they good?

 

[Tippytoes12]

Maolboal is great for macro , as is Malapascua. However the two best places , IMVHO , are Dumaguete and Anilao. Dumaguete also has excellent coral in nearby sites and Anilao has the most amazing numbers and varieties of nudis imaginable.

 

[xrcjdx]

other than getting to/from the airport, skip mactan completely.

 

[Centrals]

Diving from Mactan is not that bad. The problem is whether the operator is willing to accommodate you! The best sites are miles away and not really suitable for beginner.
On the other hand, Moalboal is more suitable for beginner diver.
Nelson dive shop(Ocean Safari Philippines) is the place.

 

[diver 85]

Did Moalboal a couple years ago, as our 2nd stop in the PI--- stayed @ Turtle Bay Resort...Did Pura Vida(on Negros) as the 1st stop-then a 4 hour boat ride to get to Moalboal ....GREAT diving with a great sunset mandarinfish house reef dive @ TBR......Also, be sure & get the whaleshark dive in there----@ Oslob ~ 1.5 hours from Turtle Bay Resort......

 

[Lemuzzon]

My advice...go to Moalboal for a few days, then go to Oslob for the whale shark dive on your way to the south tip of Cebu Island. You can then take the short ferry across almost directly to Dumaguete.

The whale shark dive is quite touristy and busy, but it's 100% worth it in my opinion. I had always dreamt of seeing those things and it basically guarantees you will see them.

 

[Mucksavage]

Malapascua has great macro with the added bonus of daily Thresher Shark sightings and occasional Hammerhead sightings.

 

[Matthewyui]

Thanks for the great advices!
What about Dumaguete? Is it as good for macro diving? Our thinking is that moalboal is easier to access for we can fly direct to Cebu.

 

[Mucksavage]

Dumaguete, or Dauin 20km south, has excellent macro diving. It is mainly black sand with some corals and lots of weird and wonderful creatures. You can also access Apo island by day trip for hard corals, turtles etc. You can fly direct from Manila or Cebu or take a bus and boat from Cebu in about 6 hours.

 

[Fun & Sun]

Hi !

I am actually operating dive center in Mactan (as well as other places such as Dauin & Malapascua), and I can say that Mactan is clearly under rated as a diving destination.Excellent macro destination in my view. What you will not likely to see on a regular basis are the "larger" marine life such as sharks, turtles. I like the proximity of the sites (all within 10-30 minutes by boat). Definitely worth discovering