1 week trip to Cebu- must do dive sites and day + trips?

[Centrals]

One further quick wrench to throw in this. It looks like flying in to Manila and then on to Cebu later is actually a fair amount cheaper. Would the recommendations for where to go change if a 3-4 day trip within reach of Manila was an option or should I stick with the Cebu oriented areas?

There is no better place to see the thresher shark in Malapascua(Monad shoal) than anywhere else in the country. If you are really lucky there are occasional sighting of the creature in Puerto Galera. But the chance is pretty slim.
Fly into Manila and then catch the domestic connection to Cebu. However, please make sure you have allow yourself plenty of time for the possibility of delay in your initial flight to Manila.

 

[clipgoal234]

How about for overall reef life/variety of fish and coral? We've mostly been diving the US/Caribbean. So outside of Hawaii and a distant trip to Australia, we are mostly used to the local critters. So we want to see "the best" of the Philippines overall (by packing an unrealistic amount of stuff into a short amount of time).

 

[Centrals]

The best in the country is Tubbataha(available for liveaboard from mid Mar to Mid June).
There are others very good areas as well:
Anilao(macro), Coron(wrecks), Moalboal(school of sardines), Malapascua(thresher shark), Puerto Galera(all rounder), Southern Leyte(the sanctuary).
Others would have different suggestions.

Time is your limiting factor.

 

[bill22]

My suggestion would be pay the extra money and fly direct to Cebu if possible, otherwise you're going to have quite a bit of wasted time in Manila making another connection there. Passing through immigration and customs is relatively painless in Cebu and you won't have to feel rushed to make a connecting flight. For what it's worth, I like Malapascua enough to have made 3 trips there so far and planning another visit in January The last two trips there I've dived with Evolution and plan to dive with them again next time as well. They have a nice beach in front of their resort, but I would suggest booking well ahead of time as they are one of the more popular resorts in Malapascua (and for good reason )

 

[clipgoal234]

Thank you- how are the corals/fish comparatively? All the videos I can find really only show the sharks and relatively bare reefs aside from Gato

 

[dirtfarmer]

How about for overall reef life/variety of fish and coral? We've mostly been diving the US/Caribbean. So outside of Hawaii and a distant trip to Australia, we are mostly used to the local critters. So we want to see "the best" of the Philippines overall (by packing an unrealistic amount of stuff into a short amount of time).


Thank you- how are the corals/fish comparatively? All the videos I can find really only show the sharks and relatively bare reefs aside from Gato

So you want the best of the Philippines overall?
You also mentioned that due to cost you may be flying thru Manila.
IMHO with the limited time you have I would go with Anilao or PG over Malapascua.
Why? Both will require about the same amount of travel time from Manila for Anilao/PG or Cebu for Malapascua. Anilao is more macro critter type diving than PG so if your not sure
about Macro go with the nice reefs of PG. Anilao does have access to beautiful reefs like Sombrero Island, where they have healthy coral habitat and great fish life. Many divers
have come from all over the world to shoot macro photo's in Anilao which I personally am one of. The one drawback about Anilao is the dive pricing structure there, which generally means
you pay for the boat separately from your guide, so if there aren't a lot of divers to split your boat fee it can get pricey, but Buceo Anilao has an all inclusive dive pricing so it's a good choice for Anilao. It's a new resort, well run, good food, and affordable especially with their all inclusive dive pricing.
In regards to your question about the conditions of the coral at Malapascua, I was a bit disappointed with the amount of dynamite fishing that has decimated the reefs there. Yes they have the Thresher sharks, and some nice macro critters, but over fishing and damage to the reefs will not leave you with the best impression of the diving in the Philippines. IMHO Anilao/PG rates much better.
Malapacua is a charming island with beautiful beaches and if you choose it, dive with Evolution so you don't get lost in the crowds of divers, they also have some of the best food on the island in their restaurant.

 

[bill22]

In response to your questions about corals/fish... I have to agree that the area immediately around Malapascua Island has been greatly damaged by dynamite fishing. I still rank Malapascua Island as one of the great dive destinations in the Philippines though. Thresher Sharks and Mandarinfish mating are pretty cool. Chocolate Island, Gato Island, Lapus Lapus Island are readily accessible and the corals and fish there are in great shape. From Malapascua you can also reach Kimud Shoal, Nunez Shoal, and Calanggaman Island that are wonderful dive sites that rival anything you will find in the Philippines. Yes you'll pay a bit more to travel there, but it's definitely worth it! Just let your dive operator know and they can set it up.

I agree that Anilao and Puerto Galera are great diving. If you weren't also going to Cebu they would definitely be worth considering, but a couple of things to think about.... Travel time is actually more if you go to Manila first. You have to get out of and into the airport there and then make another flight to get to Cebu. Going to Cebu direct means only having to do that once instead of twice. You'll also lose a dive day to off-gas before flying if you have to make a second flight to get to your final destination. This won't be an issue if you go direct to Cebu.

If you had a bit more time and this was the one time you would come to the Philippines, I might go with Anilao/PG too (it would be a tough decision). The decision is which is more important? Dive time or saving money? You don't say how much you'll save but possibly if it's a significant amount, then it would be worth it. You'll get some great diving either way I'd also take a look at Cheap Flights - Find Cheap Airline Tickets with Skyscanner . You can see what dates give you the best rates and may be able to save a bit more money.

Ultimately, whatever you decide I'm sure you'll have a great time

 

[clipgoal234]

Thanks again for the responses! It wasn't really about saving money so much as noticing that it would be cheaper (and thus justifiable to do even more traveling) to fly into Manila and then on to Cebu later. All flights and travel considered, it would probably the same to more in the end. I'm more concerned with making the most out of the trip at this point. I plan on doing plenty more of these in the future, but this is going to be the furthest and most exotic trip for another 5 years (I can't get more than a week of vacation until then). Ultimately the problem is that there are too many good options. I know what I'd do if I had 3 weeks (Palawan for the amazing topside and a liveaboard to Tubbatha, Coron for the wrecks, Puerto Gallera/Anilao, Malapascua, Dauin, Panglao/Balicasag/Bohol)! Picking one is the hard part- it's too bad the diving can't all move to Palawan.

 

[critterdiver]

Thank you for all the replies!Looks like it's settled on Malapascua for about 3 days. I see Evolution gets a lot of love on the forum for places to stay. Ocean Vida and Hippocampus appear to be on the beach. Any thoughts on them? Bounty Beach seems like "the" beach on the island. It looks like all the resorts I read about are beachfront. Will be diving a lot, but given that it's a quick trip I know we'll be trying to get as much in as possible. What else, besides diving, do you guys recommend doing on the island? Time to start buying some tickets!

Ocean Vida is a great place to stay, nice rooms, great food, but easily gets fully booked. On their website you can check for room availability and book it directly. Their dive center Sea explorers is directly located below their restaurant, so logistic are quite easy. They also got lots of rave reviews on T.advisor.

 

[Scuba-Nash]

I would head to Malapascua Island for sure, Thresher Sharks on a daily basis.

If your looking to save some money then check out www.threshercove.com as they really take good care of you.
Discounted rooms for divers and they even have a doom if your backpacking.
really good prices on they're backpackers menu.

Best wishes and hope to see you on Malapascua soon.

Email me if you need any help or advice on getting to Malapascua.
jpjnash@gmail.com