best reef and marine life the philipines

[Avishai Zarfati]

Hello all,
Im having a difficult time deciding where to go in the philippines in the begining of may 2015, tubbataha, apo island or someplace else.
I want to see colorful reefs and marine life. I think i preffer it better than seeing big fish but with no corals.
Is tubbataha the best place (and has it all- great reef and coral and also big fish), or apo island, apo reef or another place?
Thanks in advance

 

[Joe Cool]

Hello all,
Im having a difficult time deciding where to go in the philippines in the begining of may 2015, tubbataha, apo island or someplace else.
I want to see colorful reefs and marine life. I think i preffer it better than seeing big fish but with no corals.
Is tubbataha the best place (and has it all- great reef and coral and also big fish), or apo island, apo reef or another place?
Thanks in advance

I have dived Anilao, Puerto Galera, Bohol, Dumaguete (including Apo Island), and Tubbataha. So, my response would be based on those location. If you are looking for lush coral reefs and a good amount of marine life, Apo Island in Dumaguete is a very good destination. Apo Island is a protected marine sanctuary under the care of the University of Diliman so it is well kept. Tubbataha is best for wall diving, slightly large animal encounters, and good coral growth along the wall. Liveaboard diving is the only way to do Tubbataha.

For a combo of OK coral growth and pelagic marine life, Balicasag Island off Panglao Island in Bohol is a good destination.

There are also several destinations in Cebu such as Moalboal that has a good combination of good coral reefs and marine life. I have no dived Cebu and its numerous dive destinations yet so I cannot comment further.

 

[Avishai Zarfati]

I have dived Anilao, Puerto Galera, Bohol, Dumaguete (including Apo Island), and Tubbataha. So, my response would be based on those location. If you are looking for lush coral reefs and a good amount of marine life, Apo Island in Dumaguete is a very good destination. Apo Island is a protected marine sanctuary under the care of the University of Diliman so it is well kept. Tubbataha is best for wall diving, slightly large animal encounters, and good coral growth along the wall. Liveaboard diving is the only way to do Tubbataha.

For a combo of OK coral growth and pelagic marine life, Balicasag Island off Panglao Island in Bohol is a good destination.

There are also several destinations in Cebu such as Moalboal that has a good combination of good coral reefs and marine life. I have no dived Cebu and its numerous dive destinations yet so I cannot comment further.

i actually dove in bakicasag sanctuary and loved it, so i guess that area is the best for me.
Do you think a lifeaboard is better? or staying in one ore two place on land, i have about 8 days.

 

[Joe Cool]

i actually dove in bakicasag sanctuary and loved it, so i guess that area is the best for me.
Do you think a lifeaboard is better? or staying in one ore two place on land, i have about 8 days.

Personally, I am biased to liveaboard diving because I can visit dive sites that few dive operators visit or can reach. I will do land-based diving if there are no liveaboards being offered in a particular area. I also want to do as much dives on my dive trips as possible to liveaboards can give me what I need. Plus, I eat, sleep, and dive from the same boat. I like the convenience.

If you want a sampler of a variety of dive locations within 8 days, liveaboard is the best way to do it. I know there are liveaboard itineraries that take you around the island of Cebu and side trip to Balicasag in Bohol. You can do this by travelling on land but it will involve a lot of transfers.

With liveaboard diving, you can do up to 20 or more dives within 8 days from the boat. It will be difficult to do the same thing from land except if you stay-put in a single location. Even so, all the boat rides between land and the dive site will not let you do as much dives.

An 8-day trip will only produce 4 or 5 days of actual diving (it depends on where you want to stay, land transfers may eat up a lot of time). Day 1 will most likely involve a transfer between airport and resort. Day 5 will most likely involve a transfer in between resorts. And, Day 8 is the day you make another transfer from resort to airport and fly out. So, I say stay in one place and enjoy the accessible dives sites from that location.

I only do land-based dives if I am with my wife, a non-diver who is also not good on boats or if I have to attend to some business on land. I will always do liveaboard diving if I am in a strictly diving-only trip.