Apo Island

[cmneus]

I've seen it mentioned here and there but not too much in depth. I hear it is outstanding...so why does it seem that more people aren't spending more time here ? Of course I could be wrong...and just haven't dug enough.

If I have two or three weeks can I do 1 week or so each Puerto Galera and Apo Island? Are these two good for seeing a good array of what the Philippines have to offer?
Thinking of Atlantis...more pricey for Puerto Galera and going cheap at Mario's on Apo Island. I want to see big stuff and small stuff....beautiful soft corals, turtles, possibly mantas, mandarin fish, LOTS OF NUDIS.... Are these good destinations for these?

How long will it take to get from one to the other? Do I have to go back to Manila and take a flight from there to Dumaguete...I'm assuming this is much easier than going over the land...although the latter option may be much cheaper?

Thank you in advance for anyone who responds.

BTW, would be a female solo if that helps with the suggestions....

Christine

 

[Centrals]

1. The country is pretty safe for solo female to travel.
2. I had suggested an interesting route in your other post but if you want pelagic and healthy coral then I would suggest Malapascua + Southern Leyte(Sogod Bay).
3. Apo Island had suffered badly from typhoon coulpe of yrs ago and some of the sites, eg. Sanctury, were closed while I was there early last yr! So please enquire.
4. Some of the evening scene(girlie bars) in PG might not agree with you but you can avoid them easily.
5. Cebu Pacific regularly have promotion flights so check it out. Best is to register with them.

 

[Tippytoes12]

I dived Apo Island three weeks ago and having read about the hurricane expected lots of damaged coral. However I was astounded by the quality of the reefs ......they were pristine and the fish life was prolific with loads of turtles. We had been in Raja Ampat earlier in the trip and parts were just as good as some of the RA sites.

I stayed and dived with Liquid Dive in Dumaguete. I was also travelling by myself as my husband had had to go back for work. This is perfect for a solo travellers you have dinner with the other guests and th family who own it...all absolutely perfect. Dauin is very well regarded for macro and you do have the option of seeing the whalesharks in Oslob.

Getting around the Philippine is very easy by air , especially with heavy dive gear. Cebu Pacific are a great little airline ....didn't try the others. When I was there in January there was unseasonably bad weather with very high winds and rain...so many ferries were cancelled. I am not sure how often this happens and when you are going but for me air was alot easier.

Best fishes xx

 

[FT]

Yes, Apo Island is outstanding for corals of all kinds, nudis, turtles, and fish life. I have not seen mandarinfish there but I hear they are to be found if you are lucky/patient. They are regularly seen at Dauin and Malapascua. Mantas -- no, have never seen those either at Apo or PG. You can get good currents at some Apo sites: the pelagics we have seen include Jacks, trevally, barracuda.

Sanctuary (more of a snorkelling site) was closed last March when we visited. All the other sites were open and well worth it. You can end every dive puddling around in the shallows till your air gives out, and night dives off Chapel beach are so easy. Very sociable dining room at Liberty's Lodge. Mario is a great diving instructor.

Drawbacks -- dipper baths, electricity goes off at 9 or 9:30 pm, the roosters start up pretty early. Food OK but not Western-gourmet. Crossing to the island in a little bangka could feel quite adventuresome in bad weather.

PG also a favourite, not entirely only because it was an easy weekend getaway when we lived in Manila. Corals, nudis and some interesting macro for sure. Verde Island is a must excursion. Overall, PG/Verde are not far different from Apo in the type of life you can see (underwater, that is. Above the water, not at all the same!). You might widen your array by trying Malapascua (if you have AOW?) or a boat trip to Apo Reef. Others who have seen Leyte may wish to advise.

Overland / ferry between the two would be quite the lengthy challenge. Ferry/bus back to Manila and fly to Dumaguete would be my recommendation. Cebu Pacific is too much fun to miss.

 

[ocdiver1]

Am in the Philippines now and just dove Apo Island..was as when I've visited in the past...nice reefs in good condition, especially hard coral. I'd say a week there would be completely overdoing it...I'd stay in Dumaguete and do a day trip or two there, along with maybe one to Siquijor. Dumaguete would be #2 destination in the Philippines for nudis behind Anilao. You'll get Mandarin Fish there as well. PG is ok, not my fave place in the Philippines. Easy to get there via Sicat bus/ferry..cheap and reasonable, easy to get back to Manila to fly to Dumaguete if that's what you so choose. Don't even think of overland when you can fly Manila-Dumaguete for well less than $100. I'd actually look at Malapascua+Dumaguete...some nice reef areas in Malapascua, threshers are there+slight chance for mantas, good macro (nudis+mandarin fish).

 

[cmneus]

Great info Centrals, thank you! I did see your reply in the other post, I'm just pretty overwhelmed by the choices, it's hard to pin down one or two places when there are so many different suggestions from everyone!

Is it best to book the flight with Cebu Pacific before I arrive or when I get there?

Were the reefs badly damaged at Apo when you were there last year or was it still pretty great? That's something I hadn't thought of, thank you and I will enquire.

Thanks again for your helpful info. Don't be surprised if you see another post some time from me sometime soon with more questions!

1. The country is pretty safe for solo female to travel.
2. I had suggested an interesting route in your other post but if you want pelagic and healthy coral then I would suggest Malapascua + Southern Leyte(Sogod Bay).
3. Apo Island had suffered badly from typhoon coulpe of yrs ago and some of the sites, eg. Sanctury, were closed while I was there early last yr! So please enquire.
4. Some of the evening scene(girlie bars) in PG might not agree with you but you can avoid them easily.
5. Cebu Pacific regularly have promotion flights so check it out. Best is to register with them.

---------- Post added February 7th, 2014 at 10:54 AM ----------

Thanks ocdiver1, I really want to see lots of nudis so good to know.
Apo seemed so great because the prices were dirt cheap, $11 for a dorm bed is hard to beat.

So I'm thinking changing the week in Apo to a week in Dumaguete with a day in Apo/Siquijor and one of the other locations for the other week, maybe Anilao, Malapascua, Siquijor....so many choices!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

Am in the Philippines now and just dove Apo Island..was as when I've visited in the past...nice reefs in good condition, especially hard coral. I'd say a week there would be completely overdoing it...I'd stay in Dumaguete and do a day trip or two there, along with maybe one to Siquijor. Dumaguete would be #2 destination in the Philippines for nudis behind Anilao. You'll get Mandarin Fish there as well. PG is ok, not my fave place in the Philippines. Easy to get there via Sicat bus/ferry..cheap and reasonable, easy to get back to Manila to fly to Dumaguete if that's what you so choose. Don't even think of overland when you can fly Manila-Dumaguete for well less than $100. I'd actually look at Malapascua+Dumaguete...some nice reef areas in Malapascua, threshers are there+slight chance for mantas, good macro (nudis+mandarin fish).

---------- Post added February 7th, 2014 at 10:56 AM ----------

Are the whale sharks in Oslob year round? What are the chances of seeing one?

I dived Apo Island three weeks ago and having read about the hurricane expected lots of damaged coral. However I was astounded by the quality of the reefs ......they were pristine and the fish life was prolific with loads of turtles. We had been in Raja Ampat earlier in the trip and parts were just as good as some of the RA sites.

I stayed and dived with Liquid Dive in Dumaguete. I was also travelling by myself as my husband had had to go back for work. This is perfect for a solo travellers you have dinner with the other guests and th family who own it...all absolutely perfect. Dauin is very well regarded for macro and you do have the option of seeing the whalesharks in Oslob.

Getting around the Philippine is very easy by air , especially with heavy dive gear. Cebu Pacific are a great little airline ....didn't try the others. When I was there in January there was unseasonably bad weather with very high winds and rain...so many ferries were cancelled. I am not sure how often this happens and when you are going but for me air was alot easier.

Best fishes xx

---------- Post added February 7th, 2014 at 01:37 PM ----------

Great info, THANK YOU!

I have my rescue cert but it's been 8 years since I've been diving....going to Roatan in May and hopefully Dec or early next year to the Philippines...so, my question is, is Malapascua difficult diving/strong currents cuz I'm pretty scrawny and small...
I'm already thinking up ways I can fit more vacation time in........

Yes, Apo Island is outstanding for corals of all kinds, nudis, turtles, and fish life. I have not seen mandarinfish there but I hear they are to be found if you are lucky/patient. They are regularly seen at Dauin and Malapascua. Mantas -- no, have never seen those either at Apo or PG. You can get good currents at some Apo sites: the pelagics we have seen include Jacks, trevally, barracuda.

Sanctuary (more of a snorkelling site) was closed last March when we visited. All the other sites were open and well worth it. You can end every dive puddling around in the shallows till your air gives out, and night dives off Chapel beach are so easy. Very sociable dining room at Liberty's Lodge. Mario is a great diving instructor.

Drawbacks -- dipper baths, electricity goes off at 9 or 9:30 pm, the roosters start up pretty early. Food OK but not Western-gourmet. Crossing to the island in a little bangka could feel quite adventuresome in bad weather.

PG also a favourite, not entirely only because it was an easy weekend getaway when we lived in Manila. Corals, nudis and some interesting macro for sure. Verde Island is a must excursion. Overall, PG/Verde are not far different from Apo in the type of life you can see (underwater, that is. Above the water, not at all the same!). You might widen your array by trying Malapascua (if you have AOW?) or a boat trip to Apo Reef. Others who have seen Leyte may wish to advise.

Overland / ferry between the two would be quite the lengthy challenge. Ferry/bus back to Manila and fly to Dumaguete would be my recommendation. Cebu Pacific is too much fun to miss.

 

[FT]

No, Malapascua is not difficult diving. Just some of it is deeper than OW are allowed to go. Easygoing, beachfront social life would really work well for a single traveller. Takes time to travel there but it is interesting travel. Ditto Apo.

 

[Mantra]

We are over here now and also love nudis.

We are currently in Anilao. It's AMAZING. Staying at Anilao backpackers. Dives on the house muck site opposite cost 300pesos a dive unguided, but a private guide is worth it for 900pesos per dive to find the tiny stuff like Lembeh sea dragons etc. Bethlehem had about one different nudi per square meter yesterday. Incredible! Along with Malapascua and Dauin this is now officially one of our top three PI faves.

Skip Sogod. We were there a couple of weeks ago, went specifically to try and see whale sharks, told the dive shop this, but they neglected to inform us none have been seen. The water was very very dirty there from run-off from the rivers meaning the pier etc were off limits due to low viz.

If you like macro, I agree with staying at Dauin (Mikes is a great operation and can arrange cheap accommodation next door) for all the incredible dive sites there with day trips to Apo. Reefs on one side of the island are undamaged and amazing.

And Malapascua isn't just about the big stuff. Loads and loads of little critters there too. The double dive to the dona Marilyn wreck followed by gato island is still one of my fave days diving of all time. And Evolution is a brilliantly run operator there.

Don't forget to tip!

 

[cmneus]

Oh my goodness, the more people that reply the more I am overwhelmed!
Thank you very much Mantra, great info! Will look into Mikes at Dauin...
I wanted to do the whale sharks so so much....but now I'm not so sure....
I had read that Anilao was expensive, not for a backpackers budget (haven't had time to look at places to stay there yet) so thank you for mentioning Anilao Backpackers, will check them out now.
Have fun! Would love to see some pics!

We are over here now and also love nudis.

We are currently in Anilao. It's AMAZING. Staying at Anilao backpackers. Dives on the house muck site opposite cost 300pesos a dive unguided, but a private guide is worth it for 900pesos per dive to find the tiny stuff like Lembeh sea dragons etc. Bethlehem had about one different nudi per square meter yesterday. Incredible! Along with Malapascua and Dauin this is now officially one of our top three PI faves.

Skip Sogod. We were there a couple of weeks ago, went specifically to try and see whale sharks, told the dive shop this, but they neglected to inform us none have been seen. The water was very very dirty there from run-off from the rivers meaning the pier etc were off limits due to low viz.

If you like macro, I agree with staying at Dauin (Mikes is a great operation and can arrange cheap accommodation next door) for all the incredible dive sites there with day trips to Apo. Reefs on one side of the island are undamaged and amazing.

And Malapascua isn't just about the big stuff. Loads and loads of little critters there too. The double dive to the dona Marilyn wreck followed by gato island is still one of my fave days diving of all time. And Evolution is a brilliantly run operator there.

Don't forget to tip!

 

[Centrals]

There are so many good diving places around the country. Time is the limiting factor and of course money as well.
If you want to save any backtracking then you should just concentrate on Visayas eg. Bohol, Dumaguete(Apo Island, Siquijor Island and Sumilon Island), Mactan Island, Malapascua, Moalboal and Southern Leyte.
The whalesharks at Oslob is more or less a whole year affair. Whether you like the presentation is entirely up to you. It is your holiday afterall.
From time to time Cebu Pacific has some really cheap deals. So keep your eyes on their web site or register with them for their notifications. But I would advice you to check on its line VERY regularly!!!!
As far as I am concern both Malapascua(must) and Southern Leyte are top notch. The ball of sardines at Moalboal is not to be missed if they are around.
Anilao and PG are good but Visayas is so much better.