Philippines Trip

Just returned from the Philippines last night. Spent a week in Manila with my fiance, visiting her family. However, because of typhoon Muifa, I didn't get to make my planned diving trip to Puerto Galera. Had to cancel the $100 shuttle ride from my hotel to Atlantis last week ($50 cancellation charge...OUCH) when the typhoon was forecast to pass Puerto Galera. Unfortunately, it stalled off Bicol all week, and every day they predicted it would pass south of Manila TOMORROW. It finally passed the day before we were to return to the US. A week of rain, then the sun comes out the day before we fly home. Geesh...

Anyway, we're going to be returning next year, and this time I want to pick a time when there's the highest chance of good weather, and plan to go somewhere with the best shallow reef diving. I was talking to some folks who have a house in Cebu, and they also recommended it as a great diving spot. Looks like we'll plan on a trip to Cebu to check it out.

I've searched thru the messages on this board, but it's tough to figure out where the recommended spots are located.

My guess is we'll start with Puerto Galera, then maybe fly to Cebu and check out the island for a few days. Can anyone give me some recommendations on shallow reef dive spots around Cebu?

I'd say Jan. through Mar.

I don't have a whole lot of experience diving in the Philippines, so you may wish to ask your question(s) in the new Philippine diving forum - in the dive club section of the board. I'm sure there are a lot of folks waiting to give you good advice!

Around Cebu / Visayas here are some of the more common spots:

Mactan Island - very close to the city / airport. Diving not so great but I've heard of some 'secret' spots not so far away by boat.

Malapascua - about 3 hours drive North and short boat trip to this island famous for thresher sharks though I hear they are being seen less and less lately.

Moalboal - Again about a 3 or 4 hour drive but this time to the west side of the island. Pescador island is pretty famous here but i was a bit dissapointed with the diving when I was there about a year ago, seems some people here on scubaboard agree though there are also supporters.

Short Ferry / Boat trips:

Bohol

Cabilao Island - on the north west side of the island (I think - correct me if I'm wrong mga pinoy!). It is actually quite close to mactan and it's common for dive boats to make the trip from there.

Panglao - on the south side of the island, well known dive area that gets good reviews


Negros

Dumaguete / Apo Island - It is a fairly short ferry ride, i'm pretty sure in the area of about 3 hours on a super cat. Again, I've heard lots of good things about it.

Boracay

I guess boracay isn't out of the question from cebu but I'm pretty sure you'd want to take a flight. Beautiful island, lots to do, decent diving but not the best in the visayas.


This is certainly not a complete list. You could add Camiguin island i guess, Leyte, maybe Bicol (a little far north for visayas though) and i'm sure other spots that i'm not aware of (oh yeah, palawan but again that's not really the visayas). Another spot would be tubbataha which is only done by liveaboard during the dry season (march - may). Most say it is the best diving in all of the philippines.

Good luck on your trip back. There are loads of places to dive and i'm sure you'll have a blast.

mccabejc:

Just returned from the Philippines last night. Spent a week in Manila with my fiance, visiting her family. However, because of typhoon Muifa, I didn't get to make my planned diving trip to Puerto Galera. Had to cancel the $100 shuttle ride from my hotel to Atlantis last week ($50 cancellation charge...OUCH) when the typhoon was forecast to pass Puerto Galera. Unfortunately, it stalled off Bicol all week, and every day they predicted it would pass south of Manila TOMORROW. It finally passed the day before we were to return to the US. A week of rain, then the sun comes out the day before we fly home. Geesh...

Anyway, we're going to be returning next year, and this time I want to pick a time when there's the highest chance of good weather, and plan to go somewhere with the best shallow reef diving. I was talking to some folks who have a house in Cebu, and they also recommended it as a great diving spot. Looks like we'll plan on a trip to Cebu to check it out.

I've searched thru the messages on this board, but it's tough to figure out where the recommended spots are located.

My guess is we'll start with Puerto Galera, then maybe fly to Cebu and check out the island for a few days. Can anyone give me some recommendations on shallow reef dive spots around Cebu?

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I just got back from Leyte and PG on the 17th of Nov. check out Peter's dive resort in Leyte, relaxed frontier diving, small operation, good food, healthy reefs, definitely a REAL away from it all place. PG's viz was not as good, and all the dive ops would make everyone surface after 45-50 minutes regardless of how much air you had left. HTH

Hi,
Try Balicasag Island in Bohol. The whole island is a good dive site.( one of the best dive site in the world according to a magazine i read) In front of the island is the Sanctuary, which has a very deep drop off. hundred of feet. with cavern and schools of big fishes . At the back of the island is the Black coral canyon. Good drop off with great big black corals at arout 30-40 mts. at the the side of the island they have the cathedral. A lot of small to big caverns there with lot of big fishes.
I tell you you won't regret it. Just one advice. Buy mineral water at Panglao island before you leave for Balicasag island. Drinking water is expensive there . It's not free.
The Philippine tourism has a package promo nowadays , you can check out their website. i just went to Balicasag last may 19, 2004. And really had a great 1 week of diving with my friends and my family.

Mr. Blues:

all the dive ops would make everyone surface after 45-50 minutes regardless of how much air you had left. HTH

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I was in PG in July, diving with Asia Divers/El Galleon and did not have any restriction on dive time. There was only one night dive that we were told to limit to 1 hour since there were divers from a few different groups on that dive.
Lately it seems that many places in SE Asia start to put time limit on dive time which I think is ok if it is around 60 minutes but 45 minute is a bit too severe I think.

I would recommend Moalboal (3 hours by bus from Cebu City) and Alona Beach (on Bohol island, maybe three hours travel time from Cebu City) for diving with a non diving fiancee in tow. Alona Beach - gateway to Balicasag and Cabilao - is definetly the more honeymoon / tropical experience, the beach at Moalboal was blown awy in a 1980s typhoon and never recovered. Not sure I would bring the non diving lady to Moalboal town - its essentially a divers place with a fe watering holes in between. Eve's Place is highly recommended as is the dive shop next door, Nelson's the funkiest guy in town and has been diving in the area for ages. Big attraction at Moalboal is Pescador Island, amazing wall full of life and fabulous corals - biggest gorgonian fan I've ever seen, two frogfish, big white tip reef sharks in the depths, hunting spanish mackerals in the blue - its a dive to do over and over again. Rest of the area is not nearly as good - but this wall is good enough to dive time after time again.

Alona Beach is in the middle of dive haven - may be up to 20 dive spots in the vicinity, including really great ones. Spotted mainly small stuff - pigmy seahorse, harlequin pipefish, cool small stuff but there is some fairly big stuff around Balicasag (we came across a huge school of black / white jacks (?)) and loads of big hunting trevallies / tunas (never know how to distinguish but these guys were really big).

Siguijor is a cool little island that is great for honeymooning but for diving, its quite limited altough there was a 500+ school of big barracuda's in the maritime park on the NE tip of the island. Scary dudes!

Apo Island is off Negros; there's two resorts just south of Duma (Atlantis and....) that are nice but remote. Apo has great dives with beautiful soft corals.

my few pennies - enjoy!

Arjan

Hi Jim,

Just a thought for your trip to PG next year.... These hotel transfers can be organised at pretty short notice so something like a $50 cancellation charge is a con, IMHO. Sorry! The vans work out of Batangas and drive up to Manila airport to meet you. That takes 2-4 hours, traffic dependent. I'm not sure where the boats necessarily live (either Batangas or PG) , but the crossing from Batangas to PG takes only an hour. So to get a pick-up into place for you can be done in as little as 4-5 hours notice, I reckon. Say 6 hours. So in my opinion, yes, if you cancel within even say 12 hours, they might argue a charge is due, but any longer - no way.

Really though, during the day you should use the SI-KAT bus and boat transfer, especially if you are staying in Manila already. Leaves from City State Tower Hotel every morning at 8am, bus to Batangas, ferry to Puerto Galera itself. One-way cost is 500 PP. You will need to get from Puerto Galera to your accommodation (in Sabang, La Laguna, etc) - bangka boat for about 150 PP. You can use the SI-KAT to depart also - a ferry leaves PG at about 9am (I think), and the bus meets you in Batangas, takes you to Manila, arrive about 1pm. Overall, much cheaper and perhaps 45-60mins longer than a private transfer. However at night, I do a one-way private transfer. For example, if I'm coming straight from the airport and don't want to stay a night in Manila. Convenient, quick, safe. I give them 24 hours notice of such a transfer requirement - ample time and no potential nonsense about cancellation fees!

Just got back from there a week ago. Managed to duck and weave the typhoons and had a fun week, despite reduced vis from all the rain. Visited Shark Cave several times and shone my torch in the faces of three sleeping white-tip reef sharks......

It's a little piece of paradise on earth, Puerto Galera. Don't tell too many people.

Cheers, Rod

I've been there before ( Visayas ), and im going again in february! if i only had 3-4 days i would go to Dumaguete/ Apo island, its both great under and over the water! I wouldn't choose malapasqua, the diving is quite alright, but the island is so boring ( when u aren't diving ) and the tresher sharks which are famous for the area, isn't so easy to spot anymore!
Moal Boal also offers good diving, and is very close to cebu city, but again, the area is quite boring! so it depends on your expectations: ONLY DIVING, or a combo of diving - vacation - nightlife!
I myself ising for Dumaguete , then alona beach! but i have 10 days! then i go to phuket, for a liveaboard to Burma, and then 1 week of partying in Phuket! Thats what i call diving / vacation! Good luck, and have fun!

You should try Dumaguete. Dumaguete is one of the diving hotspots in the Philippines and we have a wide range of sites that you can choose from. Apo Island is awesome, it's one of the oldest and most succesful marine sanctuaries in the country. & it's just an hour away by boat from here. You can also access Sumilon Island (it's off Cebu's Southern tip) and Balicasag Island (the premier site in Bohol). These sites offer walls, turtles, pelagics, reef fishes off all kinds, and some of the best coral growth in the country. & if you're interested in macro, then the Dumaguete coastal dives are a must. Dragonets, harlequin ghost pipefishes, seahorses, frogfishes, scorpionfishes, and mandarinfishes are staples in our coastal dives.

Also, typhoons rarely go directly over our area. This part of the Philippines is well known for our moderate weather. And from what you've mentioned, it would cost you less to get here than to PuertoGalera even though were at least twice as far from Manila as PG is.

If anyone needs specifics, even bookings in dive resorts, just drop me a message, I'd be more than willing to help.