Was reading your post....have to agree, Philippines is pretty much unknown territory for the Dutch divers, except this one! Loads of German and Scandinivians there though. If you have three of four weeks (watch the visa - its 21 days on arrival, at least in 2005) you could consider something like this:
Fly into Cebu City on Cathay from Amsterdam via Hong Kong on Cathay. From Cebu go 2.5 hours south by bus/cab to Moalboal. Do some reading on the board, not the best diving but its a nice enough town, and best access to Pescador Island which, in goed Hollands, is gewoon fantastisch (translation in English: rocks). Dive it for two days, travel further south (by bus, may be three hours) and stay another few days at Liloan at the south tip of Cebu, they say it has some nice diving (haven't been there). From there you can cross to Dumaguette on Negros, from where you can dive Apo Island (from a few resorts just south of Duma). That's pretty relaxed, easily can spend a few days there. Once you get fed up, back to Duma and take the ferry (oceanjet i guess, takes maybe 2 hours) to Tagbiliran, from where its maybe 45 minutes to Panglao Island (maar dat is het niet, 't is een schiereiland, translation: its actually a peninsula). That's where Alona Beach is, look it up, nice place with decent beach, good diving in front of it and great diving on an island nearby: Balicasag. Enough good diving around Alona to keep you going for a week. Important note: Alona Beach actually has some bars and restaurants, all directtly on the beach, where the diveshops are as well - i like the place a lot (went back twice since), enough entertainment at night. From Alona Beach you can track to Southern Leyte, which probably takes a day or so, but that's the home of the whaleshark. Or go to Cabiloa and see whether u get lucky w/ the hammerheads. Look around on the board, google places like Gunther's Southern Leyte Divers and you'll understand why that remote area is the next big thing in Philippines diving. When done take the boat back to Cebu City and when u have time left, go north (5 hours by bus) to Maya and take the boat across to....Malapascua, home of thresher sharks (and mandarin fish, and really cool dives on Gato Island nearby, and some wrecks i haven't tried). Laid back enough to stay forever and....you can leave it in the morning and make it in time for the 19:55pm Cathay flight back to HK.
Did the above myself in three weeks and 36 dives i think, in four weeks it would be a grand trip of the best diving in the Visayas. Since all place are all within hours of each other (except Leyte), it doesn't matter if you hang around longer in one then the other, since its a circle trip, Cebu and the flight home is always under control. Really comes recommended (en EUR 14 per duik, met eigen spullen, is natuurlijk ook nooit weg
). Let me know if you have further q's happy to help out. Also read the stories on the board, there's tons and tons. Groet! arie
