Going to the Phiippines late April

[mase]

Going to the Philippines in late April or early May. Intend to stay for 2 or 3 weeks. This will be my first trip to the Philippines and the more I research the more I'm confused. Accomodations can be simple. Would love to see large pelagics and healthy reefs. Macro is also cool. Will do a live aboard if necessary. Have time to do more than 1 location. Any suggestions and descriptions would be appreciated.

 

[Centrals]

Liveaboard to Tubattaha is a MUST.
If you like wrecks then there is Coron Bay.
If you like healthy corals and shark then you should try Malapascua and Sogod Bay(Southern Leyte).
If you want to sample several places without the need to organize it then you should try dive safari in the Visayas region.
If you like macro then you will like Anilao and Puerto Galera is just across the channel.
That school of sardines in Moalboal is well worth of couple of dives.

If I were you I would check the availability of a place to Tubattaha FIRST.

Tubattaha + Malapascua + Sogod Bay would be my No.1 suggestion.
If time is tight then Tubattaha + Anilao with possibly excursion to Puerto Galera.
Enjoy the diving in the country.

 

[Mike.D]

Can you please elaborate on the diving at Tubattaha?
Also, apart from wrecks, does Coron Bay have any other exciting dives or would it be worth visiting somewhere else like Malapascua?
I'll only be in the Philippines for a week and a half and I would really love to dive the wrecks but I don't want to miss out on all the great diving Philippines has to offer!


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[TSandM]

I've only done one trip to the Philippines, and we just got home. We dove Sabang (Puerto Galera) and Dumaguete. We didn't see any big pelagics, except the whale shark snorkel experience in Osleb (which was amazing). But the reefs at Sabang were amazing -- lush, dense, colorful -- and the structure at Verde Island was stunning. The night dives in Sabang Bay were fabulous for producing small, cryptic critters.

Dumaguete is muck diving and great for macro photographers.

We dove with Atlantis, which was expensive but well worth it in my book. They organized EVERYTHING, from the airport pickup in Manila to our rather complicated and dramatic transfer to Dumaguete (in which Atlantis saved our butts). If you are unfamiliar with the area, or unwilling to risk dealing with your own problems, I can't say enough good things about the Atlantis operation in general.

 

[Indydiver2]

I've dove in Anilao where the macro is amazing and the vis is generally great, and I've also dove in Subic bay for the wrecks but the vis was pretty bad. As far as Anilao we stayed with a dive resort called AquaVenture Reef Club and their weekend packages included lunch on both Sat and Sun as well as dinner on Sat and breakfast on Sunday. It was buffet style and really good. The rooms are pretty bare bones and they don't have a TV but between diving and hanging out with the really cool people that frequent that resort I was hardly in my room. The resort was ran well and everybody was friendly and professional.

In Subic I dove with Johan's and they were friendly and professional as well. They have some rooms to stay at but I never did. The restaurant on site is pretty good too.


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[Centrals]

Can you please elaborate on the diving at Tubattaha?
Also, apart from wrecks, does Coron Bay have any other exciting dives or would it be worth visiting somewhere else like Malapascua?
I'll only be in the Philippines for a week and a half and I would really love to dive the wrecks but I don't want to miss out on all the great diving Philippines has to offer!

Make no mistske, you are going to miss plenty of great diving in the country with only a week and a half to spare!!!
Tubattaha: Plenty of info on line. Check it out. For me it is the best in the country. But do remember that the reef is huge and sighting of pelagic is NOT guaranteed.
Coron: There are enough wrecks to keep you happy for your entire trip. My personal favourites are Akitsushima, Irako and Kyokuzan Maru(miles away).
Malapascua: Great all round diving + the thresher sharks. The wreck of Dona Marilyn is highly recommended but it is quite a distance away. So unless there is enough demand, the dive shop won't go there.
Coron + Malapascua is doable but you are in for a rush. And don't forget no fly penalty.

 

[Alexander1975]

What I would recommend is taking a (cheap) flight from Manila to Cebu and from there head to Moalboal (3,5 hrs by bus). Moalboal is famous for its schools of pelagics and shark sightings. After a week or so you could then go to Bohol, which takes about 6 hours. The island of Bohol is surrounded by good dive sites and has fine resorts. If you still have time, you could then head to Malapascau (another 6 hours travel time) for an encounter with thresher sharks.

 

[peeweediver]

Just a note: Spent 11 days in Moalboal two weeks ago, dove 30+ times and never saw a shark or anything larger than a turtle. Never heard Moalboal was famous for pelagics. Nice diving though.

Rob

 

[Alexander1975]

I have seen huge schools of sardines, which i think is also a pelagic fish. To be honoust i have been there three times and seen one white tip shark.

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[eagerbeaver]

I have seen huge schools of sardines, which i think is also a pelagic fish. To be honoust i have been there three times and seen one white tip shark.

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That's the more realistic representation of Moalboal!