LDS Trip to Philippines

[peeweediver]

Hi all:

Our local dive shop is beginning to plan our 2014 trip to the Philippines. I have religiously read ScubaBoard and am nowhere closer to a preference than when I started. Here's the quick description of our usual travel group. The full range from maybe some newbies to DMs and instructors. We prefer an all in one: Accommodations, dive shop and all-inclusive meals all in one "resort". Based on looking at prices, $2000 per person for 10 days is our goal, excluding airfare. What we like to see, walls, swim throughs, some big stuff, lots of fish schools, some much diving. Less than half the group are photographers. We love being able to shore dive at will and do 3-4 boat dives a day. Our owner and one staff will be at DEMA looking for deals, but I'm not sure many of the smaller resorts will be represented. One place I've communicated with is Magic Island in Cebu. It would fit the bill, but many posts recommend other spots as better diving. Anyway, any thoughts you SBers might have would be appreciated.

Rob

 

[Joe Cool]

Hi, I have read your post and I am glad that you are interested to take a long haul flight just to dive in the Philippines. I will recommend diving Moalboal in Cebu. I have dived in a handful of places around the Philippines during a 3 month hiatus from work a couple of years ago. Moalboal was one of the places I extensively researched for my trip. But, I never got there but some of my friends did. Here is a blog entry of one such dive buddy who went to Moalboal just to introduce the place to you: Dive Moalboal | Wanderlass

Moalboal has a very good collection of dive sites: Walls, house reefs, some big stuff (like Whalesharks), thick schools of fish (catch the sardine run - seasonal), macro life, etc. Not sure about swim-throughs. If you want a detailed description of every popular dives site in Moalboal, I can PM those to you in PDF format.

Like my friend, Wanderlass (the one who wrote the blog), I would recommend Nelson's Dive Shop and Eve's Kiosk for accomodation. I don't have their web address at the moment (I am at work) but if you are interested, I can post it tonight when I get home. Wanderlass has posted some prices for transfers and accommodation. There are several other dive shops and accommodation choices in Moalboal to chose from so don't think your choices are limited.

Your $2,000 budget per traveller is a good starting point for a eat-sleep-dive 10-day trip to Moalboal especially if you consider that a boat dive costs $20 to $25 per person and accommodation for 2 persons can be had for $25 to $65 per night. Shore dives can be done using dive guides. The norm in the Philippines is to hire local dive guides as critter spotters and as guides since they know the area by heart. Also, it helps the locals by giving them some business. It is inexpensive to hire a dive guide especially if a group of divers will share the cost.

Have you thought of doing a liveaboard dive trip instead? There are trips that literally take you (and your group) around Cebu. You'll get to dive places such as Malapascua, Moalboal, Apo Island, Balicasag Island (Pangalo in Bohol), and Cabilao. There are several LOB outfits that do these trips but as a reference, go visit the Expedition Fleet website: Visayas | Expedition Fleet Liveaboards: Scuba Diving Philippines and Palau! (I have no vested interested in this LOB outfit. Just using them as a starting point of reference for you. I did use Expedition Fleet when I dove Tubattaha).

I am sure you can get a better rate than individual pricing if you charter the entire boat. The regular trips are 8-day/7-night trips but if budgets will allow, you can customize it to a 10-day itinerary and maybe add Pamilacan Island off Bohol into the itinerary. The beauty of a LOB is, and I know you already know, that you can get to sample some of the best dive sites in the Visayan region in one go rather than getting stuck in only one spot. You will be limited to 4 or 5 dives a day but in exchange, you get to visit a whole bunch of places.

 

[peeweediver]

Great information, Joe. Thanks. We're doing a live-a-board to the Socorro Islands in 2013, so it looks like land based for this trip. live-a-board again in 2015. I'll read the blog and look up the spots you recommend. Thanks again.

Rob

 

[gurnie]

I stayed at the Atlantis resort earlier in the year. First class resort, great service, amazing staff... Worth looking into..

 

[dirtfarmer]

Dauin-Apo island. Apo isn't walls but coral gardens. Great for everyone. Photographers will love it. There was a big school of jacks there. Might still be?

Then Dauin has killer muck diving. Most the resorts there have decent house shore dives. Just pick a resort within your budget.

The low spot of the area is not a lot of big stuff.

But the coral at Apo is really nice, and lot's of smaller fish. I've been through amazing huge clouds of redtooth triggers there. And Dauin is a great place to be introduced to the magic of muck diving.

 

[Rogersea]

If you are considering Cebu/Moalboal, the following should easily fit your budget..

1. Kasai Village www.kasaivillage.com/ One of the owners will at DEMA..

2. Blue Orchid www.[B]blueorchidresort[/B].com/

There are several others but I like these... Magic Island is the only resort I have not visited. I know several of the staff and it seems like a fine place....

If you want any more info I would be happy to provide..

here are a couple more that fit your requirements....

Turtle Bay
Quo Vadis

Cheers,
Roger

 

[Centrals]

Nov to Apr is the best time to visist the country.
One of your requirement is "shore dive at will"!! This is pretty difficult to fulfill. There aren't that many places in Philppines can offer such attraction except Anilao and Dauin(my personal experience).
My suggestion:
1. Anilao and Puerto Galera
2. Dauin(Liquid, your group can charter the whole resort).
3. Malapascua or Southern Leyte

 

[peeweediver]

Thanks to all for the advice. Roger, I'll look up the resorts you suggest. I've looked at Kasia and am glad they'll be at DEMA. Our group has been only Caribbean divers so far. I realize looking for the "best" spot in the Coral Triangle is impossible due to subjectivity and our group's skill set (Komodo for me, but half our group would drown). Here's my question, will we be "amazed" at the difference between the Caribbean and any site in the Philippines or is there a place we should avoid because it really just isn't any better than Roatan, Bonnaire, etc.? Centrals, Magic Island does have unlimited shore diving...I just don't know how good their house reef is.
Thanks again Board enthusiasts, you always come through!

Rob

 

[Rogersea]

Hi Rob,
I dont know if amazed is the right word, but many places here in the Philippines will make most " divers very happy. The only destinations that I would avoid would be Boracay, and Mactan(due to lack of wow factor). I would suggest that you visit two locations here in the Philippines especially if you are coming to the Visayas. If your considering Moalboal, then also do either Dumaguette, Malapascua or Panglao.... The transfers are relatively easy(and you can still make your budget.

Magic Island's house reef is pretty nice. There are some cuts and small overhangs/caves and very healthy corals. The snorkel to the reef wall is approx 150-200 meters. There is a drop off and you can plan your dive anywhere between 6 to 40Meters. Kasai's house reef is not as nice(right in front of the resort) but there is no snorkel to speak of, because they have a very long jetty which gets you to the reef and all the equipment can be put in a cart and wheeled out to your entry point. Tuble sanctuary adjoins Kasais' house reef. As far as having unlimited shore diving you can set that up with almost any of the resorts here, of course you need to pay for tanks and guides (as negotiated)....

Hope this helps...

Cheers,
Roger

PS: Our sardines have started to return and they are about 1/8th as thick as they used to be at Pescador Island.. Maybe by the time you get here they will be really thick again...

 

[boggie708]

I've been to Puerto Galera (Sabang), Malapascua and Moalboal. First, there is no shore diving - too much of local boat traffic there. For "big stuff" - there are the famous threasher sharks in Malapascua, and this is something really worth seeing. From Moalboal (lots of dive shop) you can have a one day trip to Oslob to see baby whale shark fed by local fishermen. I thinks a good plan for Cebu island is Malapascua and Moalboal. Comparing to Caribbean - there is more variety of coral in Philippines, great opportunities for macro photographers (nudibranches - lots of them), things like giant clams in Sabang... But do not expect too much of bigger fish near villages.