Cullinan
Registered
Hey Divers,
we just wanted to give some feedback about our diving on the Philippines since we also got some good hints and tipps for our trip on this forum prior to our departure (thanks again).
Malapascua Island:
A very nice and small relaxed place. The island is only about 1 by 2 kilometer in size and easy to reach from Cebu City by bus (Ceres Liner, 90 Peso one way, about 3 hours to Maya and than 30 minute banka ride to the island for 50 Peso). We stayed at Dano Resort (you can negotiate the price, from 1200 to 1000 Peso per Night incl. Breakfast for a double bungalow at the beach with bathroom, but quite simple). For diving we choose Evolution Diving, a newly opened and excellent equipped dive center. Diving starts at 1250 Peso and gets cheaper the more you dive. Compared to the rest of the island that's a fair deal. The owners Matt and David are very friendly and helpful and we ended up staying much longer than planned (2 1/2 weeks alltogether) doing our PADI Nitrox Class as well as a TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures Course. There are great Makro Sites around the island and you can also see some big stuff: The famous Thresher Sharks as well as Devil Rays and (if you are as lucky as we were) a Manta Ray. You get good and reasonable priced food at "La Isla Bonita" or "GinGins", the Italian Place "Angelina" has absolutely gorgeous Pizza but is a bit more expensive.
Busuanga Island / Coron:
Coron Town is easy to reach by plane from Manila (always expect 2 hours delay or so on those flights). A Minibus takes you to the town from the airport for 150 Peso. The town is quite small. We stayed (and dove) at Sea Dive Resort for 400 Peso/Night (double room with shared bathroom) or 800 Peso/Night (with private bathroom). The dive resort is a fun place to meet other divers. Coron is famous for it's wreck diving, we dove all 6 of the accessible wrecks south of Busuanga. Diving is 2900 Peso for 3 dives incl. Boat, Guide, Equipment or 2000 Peso for 2 dives. For a non-diving day a motorbike trip to Calauit Island is definitely worth it (and the cheapest and most fun way to get there). We spent one week in Coron with 3 days of diving. Food is good and reasonable priced at the resort, but also try some of the other places in town like "Coron Bistro" or "African Burgers".
All in all we had a great and fun diving experience at two quite different locations. Hope this helps you a bit for planning your trip.
Jasmin & Konstantin
we just wanted to give some feedback about our diving on the Philippines since we also got some good hints and tipps for our trip on this forum prior to our departure (thanks again).
Malapascua Island:
A very nice and small relaxed place. The island is only about 1 by 2 kilometer in size and easy to reach from Cebu City by bus (Ceres Liner, 90 Peso one way, about 3 hours to Maya and than 30 minute banka ride to the island for 50 Peso). We stayed at Dano Resort (you can negotiate the price, from 1200 to 1000 Peso per Night incl. Breakfast for a double bungalow at the beach with bathroom, but quite simple). For diving we choose Evolution Diving, a newly opened and excellent equipped dive center. Diving starts at 1250 Peso and gets cheaper the more you dive. Compared to the rest of the island that's a fair deal. The owners Matt and David are very friendly and helpful and we ended up staying much longer than planned (2 1/2 weeks alltogether) doing our PADI Nitrox Class as well as a TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures Course. There are great Makro Sites around the island and you can also see some big stuff: The famous Thresher Sharks as well as Devil Rays and (if you are as lucky as we were) a Manta Ray. You get good and reasonable priced food at "La Isla Bonita" or "GinGins", the Italian Place "Angelina" has absolutely gorgeous Pizza but is a bit more expensive.
Busuanga Island / Coron:
Coron Town is easy to reach by plane from Manila (always expect 2 hours delay or so on those flights). A Minibus takes you to the town from the airport for 150 Peso. The town is quite small. We stayed (and dove) at Sea Dive Resort for 400 Peso/Night (double room with shared bathroom) or 800 Peso/Night (with private bathroom). The dive resort is a fun place to meet other divers. Coron is famous for it's wreck diving, we dove all 6 of the accessible wrecks south of Busuanga. Diving is 2900 Peso for 3 dives incl. Boat, Guide, Equipment or 2000 Peso for 2 dives. For a non-diving day a motorbike trip to Calauit Island is definitely worth it (and the cheapest and most fun way to get there). We spent one week in Coron with 3 days of diving. Food is good and reasonable priced at the resort, but also try some of the other places in town like "Coron Bistro" or "African Burgers".
All in all we had a great and fun diving experience at two quite different locations. Hope this helps you a bit for planning your trip.
Jasmin & Konstantin
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