Malapascua vs Apo Island

[drewl]

Hello,

To preface I am planning on going to the philippines for 18 days in April. The plan is to fly into Cebu, and head down to Moalboal so my girlfriend can do her AOW. I would obviously dive while down there as well.

I have come to the conclusion that after the AOW I can't do both Malapascua and Apo Island. I am unsure of which one has truly superior diving. I generally like vibrant corals and interesting dive topography. Obviously fish life is a major component as well.

If you were in my shoes what would you choose? any combination of malapascua, apo island, or moalboal. I am not set in my ways yet.

Thank you,

P.S. I did try the search function

 

[Centrals]

You should be able to cover all three places if you don't mind a bit of travelling.
I would go to Malapascua first and then Moalboal and finally Apo Island. And if Manila is your final port of departure then you fly out from Dumaguete to Manila after Apo Island. This will save you a long journey back to Cebu City.
As long as you are NOT travelling over Easter, reservation is probably not necessary.

Your girl friend can do her AOW in Malapascua.

 

[Mucksavage]

I am biased but for sure Malapascua is my preference. Apo Island is nice but for me (and its just an opinion) I prefer more variable topography and I prefer soft corals to hard corals which dominate Apo. App is better for turtles and perhaps schools of fish, Malapascua of course has large rays and Thresher Sharks, wrecks, muck dives, soft coral reefs, Gato Island etc. But of course Dauin by Apo has great macro.

Its a nice choice to have to make. I agree both can be done in the time. Flights from Dumaguete to Cebu / Manila can be really cheap if booked ahead. I would recommend booking ahead though as April will be a busy month in the Visayas.

 

[Tippytoes12]

Getting from Maolboal to Dumaguete is likely to be quicker that going to Malapascua. Get the ferry fromL Liloan ...near Oslob across...this is just half an hour ...and then a transfer to Dumaguete
We loved both areas...but I would definitely only do one other stop after Maolboal.Top side I. Malapascua is better than Dumaguete ...but I think that underwater is probably better in Dumaguete.

Have a great trip

 

[bill22]

I would concur with Centrals and Mucksavage.... I've dived Apo Island as a side trip from Dauin and that was fine. Given a choice between Apo Island and Malapascua there is no comparison. Malapascua wins hands down!

However, with 18 days you can easily do all three. Rather than go to Apo Island, I would suggest going to Dauin and doing a day trip to Apo Island. Apo Island was nice, but I wasn't impressed with it enough to see it as someplace I'd want to dive more than a day or two. Diving was better on the Dauin side in my opinion, but my preference is muck diving and macro.

If I were you, I would do all three. You've plenty of time for that. I also agree that logistically it would make more sense to start in Malapascua and have your girlfriend do her AOW there. If you only want to do two locations in order to squeeze out another dive day, then I would suggest Malapascua first, then Moalboal or Dauin. If I had to choose between Moalboal or Dauin, I think the edge goes to Dauin, but this is only my opinion of course. Some might go the other way Definitely Malapascua would be my first choice among the 3

In Malapascua I recommend Evolution Diving Resort in Malapascua, Cebu, Philippines In Moalboal, I would recommend Nelsons's Moalboal OSP and you can stay at Eve's http://www.mycebuguide.com/cebu-hotels-resorts/Eves-Kiosk-Dive-Resort-313.html right next door. In Dauin I can recommend Mikes Dauin Beach Resort - Dumaguete, Philippines Mike can organize a trip to Apo Island for you. They're right across from them.

A good point is made about Easter also... it's a time when a lot of people are traveling, so reservations ahead of time are important.

Whatever you decide you'll have a great time in the Philippines!

 

[Luko]

Just one question : why did you put Bohol / Alona aside from your list, while it's in the area?
Vibrant colors and fishlife made me think more about Balicasag (corals, schools of jackfish and cudas) than Apo island (hard corals, can be quite current prone if you want to see some fish) or Malapascua (good for bigger stuff though not impressed that much with the density of fish).
That said I think you'll find the best colors yo can get in the Visayas on Pescador (Moalboal).

I concur with the other posters that 18 days is more than enough to go to 3 places. it took me only 16 days last feb to combine Anilao (Luzon) with Sipalay and Dauin/Apo (Negros). btw another vote for Mike's beach resort in Dauin, they organize Apo island 3 dive trips every two days or so.
In Moalboal, Nelson is quite budget but I would rather go with Savedra for courses, they also have their bungalows right in front of where the sardines school is located.

 

[drewl]

Hello,

I just wanted to say thank you for all the well thought out posts, and now we have decided that Malapascua is 100%. I will be emailing Thresher and Evolution soon.

We are leaning towards time in Moalboal. I have only dived belize, Cozumel and Utila before so I am so excited to see Asian diving

 

[TheWartHog]

Hello,

I just wanted to say thank you for all the well thought out posts, and now we have decided that Malapascua is 100%. I will be emailing Thresher and Evolution soon.

We are leaning towards time in Moalboal. I have only dived belize, Cozumel and Utila before so I am so excited to see Asian diving

On Malapascua also try Sea Explorers / Ocean Vida resort – excellent dive centre & guides and great accommodation on Bounty beach.
I've dived and stayed there and can highly recommend.