Visayas Dive Trip

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

manhattandiver

Contributor
Messages
130
Reaction score
0
Location
New York
I'm planning a two week trip to the Philippines for September and would like to do it in the Visayas. Is it worth trying to cram in Moalboal, Dumaguete, Panglao (esp. Balicasag) and Cabilo, or do you think it would be better to skip Moalboal, fly directly to Dumaguete and after a few days of diving there, move on to Panglao? Also, do you think it's worth staying on Cabilao for a day or just diving there on a day trip from Panglao? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
I think they're are just getting up in th PI's. You will get some answers soon.
If you like go over to the introduction forum and make a post so we can welcome you to SB.
introductions
David
 
YAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWNNNNN.... ummm... oh hi there! hehehehe

i can't answer your visayas dive questions but i did have a blast in apo island (dumaguete)... there'll be other (older) divers on this thread soon with a wealth of info...

hope you have a great time!

Jag

PS
forgive me... i truly do prefer to wake up at the crack of noon...
 
When I was in Moalboal about a year ago i was very unimpressed with the diving, with that itinerary in mind I'd give it a miss. I will offer a different order as an alternative though.

Why not start off in mactan, they've been diving in the murk of america and will find it a thrill even though we know it's not the best the phils has to offer. After a day or 2 of them getting used to the conditions and the country (lots of nice places in mactan to gently break them in) you could then do a day trip to Cabilao to show them something even better. After that head to either Dumaguete or Bohol for even better diving. Nice way to build things up if you are looking to really have them goggle eyed by the end!

No matter what you do I'm sure they'll be impressed with the diving in the phils - have fun.
 
Thanks for the advice. The trip is actually just for me. I've been to the Philippines twice before and dove from Panglao the first time and PG the second. PG was great for the hotel (Atlantis), the proximity of the dive sites and the variety of macro life. Overall, however, I preferred the diving from Panglao. More big fish, better visability, more dramatic walls, etc. I was especially impressed with Balicasag and Cabilao, though I remember it being tough to get enough people together in the off-season to organize a day trip to the latter (hence the question of whether it would make more sense to just stay there for a night).

I've also heard great things about Apo, but mixed things about the other dive sites near Dumaguete. How does the diving compare to Panglao and PG? Are there enough good sites in the area to keep me busy for five or six days? (I generally like to do four dives a day, though I don't mind repeating good dive sites). Also, have you or anyone you know stayed in Dumaguete town itself, instead of at the resorts nearby? New Yorkers like myself tend to get a bit stir crazy when we're in a place with a population density of less than 1,000,000 people per square meter. Again, any thoughts would be much appreciated.
 
sorry manhattan, got your post confused with the one nearby requesting tips on where to bring american friends for a dive trip.

If you like walls then sticking to the visayas is the way to go! , living in a place that makes manhattan seem spacious (actually, that really was my thought when i was there a couple weeks ago!) I can sympathize with your concerns about boredom. I think you'll have an ok time in Dumaguete, it is a mid sized city by philippine standards, has a university and a selection of wateing holes, hotels and restaurants. I've found it a nice place to stay - more to do than many places it's size.

If it's just you then you might want to scrap the idea of a day trip to Cabilao from mactan. Most of the dive shops / resorts can arrange a trip but i dont' think its a normally scheduled thing - might be a hefty price tag to do on your own.

have a great trip
 
Thanks again for all of the advice. I really appreciate it. If I were to do four dives per day, how long would you recommend staying in Dumaguete to see its better divesites? How do you think the diving there compares to what's available around Panglao? Also, do you know if any of the dive operators in Dumaguete do pick-ups from town as opposed to the resorts in the south?
 
Hi Manhattandiver -

Was in the region summer 2003 and only partly agree that diving in Moalboal is a disappointment. The spots of the beach are not spectacular, agreed, but there is always Pescador Island, a short banka ride away. Fantastic wall, great viz that easily rivals the walls of Balicasag Island near Pangloa. Lots of action in the blue and at depth there are at least two resident whitetips - the biggest ones I ever saw (and the only decent sized whitetips I saw in the whole of the Visayas in three weeks and 32 dives). The whole itself is packed with small stuff, anything from cool anemone shrimps, boxer crabs and tiny frogfish. If on Cebu and on your way to Dumaguette and Apo overland, I would not skip Moalboal. Also good place to chill out from your travels, its about 3 hours by taxi from Cebu International. Has a good atmosphere, quite some bars on the beach. Not as classy as Pangloa, more budget. I liked it better, especially as it appears to attract a crowd of nice folks (panglao felt more like honeymoonplace? not what you need as a single travelling diver).

Two days in Moalboal, 4/5 dives on Pescador would have you see it all and move on to Dumaguette. You have to get the ferry from southern cebu, took me better part of a day to get to Dauin south of Duma on public transport where the El Dorado resort is, one of the places from where you can set sail to Apo Island. People rave about the place, I didn't think it was that special, lots of coral gardens; like you I prefer walls. There is good muck diving around, and mandarin fish are guaranteed. I thought the resorts were, again, catering to the honeymoon crowd, got bored quickly and left. Maybe its better at Peter's resort on Apo Isl itself, dunno.

I also did some diving on Siguijor which you can skip without missing a heartbeat, waste of time (although I got trapped by a school of big barra's - scary dudes that came close in 14m of water. That was one of the highlites of the trip, actually, but Siguijor on your own would be too much for even the true einzelganger, nothing happens there). Romantic place though.

Moved on to Southern Leyte - now there's some walls! Around Limasawa Island there is steep walls virtually untouched. check www.leyte-divers.com for more info. Difficult to get to though - I overlanded from Panglao to east Bohol (messy place) and took the boat to Maasin on Leyte. True frontier diving.

Did Malapasqua on the way back (via Cebu which is a 6 hour sail or so from Maasin, fun to cruise the archipel by ferry on a bunk, liked it) and that was fun. The treshers are amazing, biggest sharks I saw yet. Dunno whether the chance of spotting them is still the 50.50 is was at the time. There is some fun diving at Gato Island near malapasqua with lots of rocks, swimthroughs etc, good fun and lots of cool stuff (saw my first juvenile sweetlip there - so cute!). Also hear that the reefs around malapasqua are good for muck diving and mandarin fish, didn't try as I had to race to get plane back.

Let me know if you want some further pointers. Happy travels.

Arie
 
Bombarie:
Hi Manhattandiver -

Was in the region summer 2003 and only partly agree that diving in Moalboal is a disappointment. The spots of the beach are not spectacular, agreed, but there is always Pescador Island, a short banka ride away. Fantastic wall, great viz that easily rivals the walls of Balicasag Island near Pangloa. Lots of action in the blue and at depth there are at least two resident whitetips - the biggest ones I ever saw (and the only decent sized whitetips I saw in the whole of the Visayas in three weeks and 32 dives). The whole itself is packed with small stuff, anything from cool anemone shrimps, boxer crabs and tiny frogfish. If on Cebu and on your way to Dumaguette and Apo overland, I would not skip Moalboal. Also good place to chill out from your travels, its about 3 hours by taxi from Cebu International. Has a good atmosphere, quite some bars on the beach. Not as classy as Pangloa, more budget. I liked it better, especially as it appears to attract a crowd of nice folks (panglao felt more like honeymoonplace? not what you need as a single travelling diver).

Two days in Moalboal, 4/5 dives on Pescador would have you see it all and move on to Dumaguette. You have to get the ferry from southern cebu, took me better part of a day to get to Dauin south of Duma on public transport where the El Dorado resort is, one of the places from where you can set sail to Apo Island. People rave about the place, I didn't think it was that special, lots of coral gardens; like you I prefer walls. There is good muck diving around, and mandarin fish are guaranteed. I thought the resorts were, again, catering to the honeymoon crowd, got bored quickly and left. Maybe its better at Peter's resort on Apo Isl itself, dunno.

I also did some diving on Siguijor which you can skip without missing a heartbeat, waste of time (although I got trapped by a school of big barra's - scary dudes that came close in 14m of water. That was one of the highlites of the trip, actually, but Siguijor on your own would be too much for even the true einzelganger, nothing happens there). Romantic place though.

Moved on to Southern Leyte - now there's some walls! Around Limasawa Island there is steep walls virtually untouched. check www.leyte-divers.com for more info. Difficult to get to though - I overlanded from Panglao to east Bohol (messy place) and took the boat to Maasin on Leyte. True frontier diving.

Did Malapasqua on the way back (via Cebu which is a 6 hour sail or so from Maasin, fun to cruise the archipel by ferry on a bunk, liked it) and that was fun. The treshers are amazing, biggest sharks I saw yet. Dunno whether the chance of spotting them is still the 50.50 is was at the time. There is some fun diving at Gato Island near malapasqua with lots of rocks, swimthroughs etc, good fun and lots of cool stuff (saw my first juvenile sweetlip there - so cute!). Also hear that the reefs around malapasqua are good for muck diving and mandarin fish, didn't try as I had to race to get plane back.

Let me know if you want some further pointers. Happy travels.

Arie
Arie Hello my name is Kevin. I am going to Visayas in oct. - and Nov.. What was the name of the ferry from Maasin to Cebu? I will be there for 5 weeks and want to do a safari. I appreciate your post...especially the bits about being at resorts which cater to hooneymooners. I wish to be among divers and locales ,other travelers. Not among people splurging on a wedding. Any more tips about accomadations in the Visayas ...I would appreciate it. Kind regards. Give the Netherlands my love. Kevin :crafty:
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom