Challenges at Malapascua, Cabilao, and Dauin

I am considering joining a dive "safari" to these three places in May 2016 and I'd like to find out the degree of difficulty of the diving and using the bancas in the Philippines.

1) First, it was mentioned that there are physical challenges getting on and off the banca. Although we are in good physical shape for our age (we exercise regularly), we're late 50's / early 60's and we're pretty bad on upper body strength. We did some dives off of a rigid inflatable a few years ago and I hated getting on and off it. I'm 6'6", 250 lbs (that's almost 2m, 109kg). Can someone describe how you get on the bancas?

2) The thresher shark dives at Malaspascua -- how deep are they? We're AOW certified, but we usually stay less than 60 ft (20m) or so. We're not averse to going down to about 100 ft, but we always use nitrox so we'd like to stay within that range.

3) What about currents? Frankly, we're pretty bad with currents.

That may not be much information but I'm hoping that some of the comments here will help us assess whether we should sign up for the trip.

Thanks,

Bill & Emily

Bill, I'm early 60's so can relate. The diving in Malapascua is excellent, not just for threshers but for macro as well.
From memory, the depth for the threshers is around 60' & the current is fine. Getting on & off the banca is okay,
with helping hands - usually you walk on a narrow 45 degree plank. I think if you ask your guide for help I'm sure he
will understand. Hope that helps a little.

finbob:

Getting on & off the banca is okay, with helping hands - usually you walk on a narrow 45 degree plank. .

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Ugh, that sounds awful.

Thanks for your comments.

- Bill

IMO, you'll have no problem--------2 years ago, wife & I @ age 59 & 60 dove Dumaguete(Dauin)---@ Pura Vida Resort for 5 days then went on to Cebu, Turtle Bay Resort for 5 days of diving........Never had a problem with exiting/entering dive boats & never had a problem entering/exiting boat from beach(Dumaguete) & the dock(Cebu)........You should have a blast------enjoy the trip.................EDIT:...IF you get the chance, be sure & do the whaleshark dive @ Oslob, Cebu------IMO, you'll have ANOTHER blast........

billt4sf:

I am considering joining a dive "safari" to these three places in May 2016 and I'd like to find out the degree of difficulty of the diving and using the bancas in the Philippines.

1) First, it was mentioned that there are physical challenges getting on and off the banca. Although we are in good physical shape for our age (we exercise regularly), we're late 50's / early 60's and we're pretty bad on upper body strength. We did some dives off of a rigid inflatable a few years ago and I hated getting on and off it. I'm 6'6", 250 lbs (that's almost 2m, 109kg). Can someone describe how you get on the bancas?

2) The thresher shark dives at Malaspascua -- how deep are they? We're AOW certified, but we usually stay less than 60 ft (20m) or so. We're not averse to going down to about 100 ft, but we always use nitrox so we'd like to stay within that range.

3) What about currents? Frankly, we're pretty bad with currents.

That may not be much information but I'm hoping that some of the comments here will help us assess whether we should sign up for the trip.

Thanks,

Bill & Emily

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Malapascua - we dove with Evolution and they were first rate. They have several boats and in/out is easy - no one had a problem. Its back-roll off and on is as difficult as strip the bc, hand it up and walk up the ladder. No problems.

The threshers? Well they are amazing. On one occasion we had three - one of which was huge - circling within touching distance. The dive is to a shelf drop-off where the ops have laid a cable at the edge of the drop off. You may hold the cable if you wish, but its no problem to just hover in place. The controlling factor is the threshers will leave if you venture off into the blue, rather than stay on the shelf at the line.

The max depth was 67fsw on our dive and the total dive time was 72 minutes. Time in was 5:39 AM - its an early dive day. Forty minutes was at/near the max depth. Basically you descend to the line a wait/watch. We did the dive 3 days and 2 were amazing and one was a single thresher that swam inches from me. The currents were minimal on our dives.

And when you have seen the threshers there are still the mantas to see.

You will enjoy yourselves.

BTW - I'm senior to you.

1. To board the banca from the resort you usually walk up a wooden plank without gear. The gear(bc + tank) will be loaded by the staff. You just bring your own personal equipment ie. camera/video, computer, fins, mask and weight blet(non-integrated).
2. To get back onto the banca after the dive can be tricky!!!!! Usually you first hand in your weight belt, then bc and finally the fins. You just climb up on the ladder. However if you are diving from a big banca, eg those using in Malapascua, you probably hand in your gear to the guy who is standing on the ladder first. If the surface is rough then.....
3. It is giant stride from the big banca while it is back roll from a smaller one.
4. Discuss it with the dm FIRST about any issue that concern you.
5. Never ever try to walk/climb back onto the banca with full gear if you have history of back problem. Let the staff handle everything and you just tip them well afterwards.

If you havent dived the Philippines before you won't have met Philipino boat crew...they truly are the very best in the world in terms of getting their clients into and out of the water. The ladders are stairs really and are extremely easy to get up. You can either do the giant stride in , or backward roll. Given the destinations you mention I assume that you are planning on travelling with Sea Explorers who are awesome. The threshers are at 30 Mts and if you use Nitrox then you will get a very nice length of time with them.

Tippytoes12:

Given the destinations you mention I assume that you are planning on travelling with Sea Explorers who are awesome. The threshers are at 30 Mts and if you use Nitrox then you will get a very nice length of time with them.

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Yes, Sea Explorers. I just realized that it be Sea Explorers for the entire trip. Thanks for pointing that out. I had heard about them before. We gotta sign up for this thing!

Thanks, all.

- Bill & Emily

The most challenging boat issue for me was in getting to Malapascua in the first place. There's a boat transfer from the tiny port of Maya. Wade into the water, board a skiff, then walk up a board from the skiff to the larger banca; or, in rougher water, wait for the two tossing boats to get close in level, and make a big step up. At Malapascua itself, depending on tides, the banca may run up on to the beach, in which case you walk the plank. Or you do another skiff transfer. As mentioned by others, surer-footed Filipinos are carrying all your stuff and will gallantly guide, push and pull you as needed. At age 56 (at the time), and almost as heavy as you, I mostly found this hard on the knees. It would have been hard on the dignity if I still had any.

Dauin should not have the boat-to-boat transfer feature that I found so challenging at Malapascua. Did we mention the planks generally have crossboards to help your footing?

Climbing back up the ladders on to the bancas is dead easy. You will already have handed everything heavy to the boatmen.

No issues with currents in our Malapascua dives, just -- gaah! -- dynamite fishermen at Gato Island. I never, never want to see again an unexploded dynamite stick inside a bottle wedged in the reef, thank you very much, nor to feel the whump! of an explosion underwater.

Have only dived Apo Island, not any of the other Dauin sites. There's a couple of Apo sites that can offer swift drift dives, but there are always calmer options, and the guiding is first-rate even if you do choose a drift dive for the chance of pelagics. Your boat will be waiting wherever you come up after your drift.

FT:

The most challenging boat issue for me was in getting to Malapascua in the first place. There's a boat transfer from the tiny port of Maya. Wade into the water, board a skiff, then walk up a board from the skiff to the larger banca; or, in rougher water, wait for the two tossing boats to get close in level, and make a big step up. At Malapascua itself, depending on tides, the banca may run up on to the beach, in which case you walk the plank. Or you do another skiff transfer. As mentioned by others, surer-footed Filipinos are carrying all your stuff and will gallantly guide, push and pull you as needed. At age 56 (at the time), and almost as heavy as you, I mostly found this hard on the knees. It would have been hard on the dignity if I still had any.

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The newly constructed "harbour" at Maya has rendered this as history. The porter will carry your bag(P30,00 a piece) and you just walk up the plank into the boat. No more dodgy transfer from boat to boat on rough sea!!!!