I dived with Peters
Peter's Dive Resort Philippines: Scuba Diving in Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte in Southern Leyte last January and had a great time. Enjoyed the diving, especially the night dive at the Padre Burgos Jetty. That stands out as one of the better dive spots in the Philippines that I've dived.
They had great dives on the house reef. Nice night dives, pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, the usual suspects
Another dive spot that really stood out was Napantao on the other side of the bay from the resorts. It has a terrific wall where we spotted everything from nudibranchs to frogfish. Along with whitetip reef sharks along the top of the wall. If not for the long boat ride I could have dived it every day I was there
(I did go there 2 different days, it was that good). The first dive there a whaleshark was spotted at a depth of around 25 meters, but the guide said that was luck as they were rarely spotted there. Unfortunately I was higher up the wall photographing nudibranchs. The whaleshark went right beneath me and I never saw it
I believe that Sogod Bay is still one of the few places that you can scuba with whalesharks. They are more common at certain times of year. Like Monad Shoal and Thresher Sharks at Malpascua though, there is no guarantee that you will see them. I would say the odds are more in your favor the longer you stay though
If you really want to see a whaleshark, the most reliable places will be Southern Leyte or Donsol. They are also being spotted in Moalboal recently as well. Like has been said though, there are never guarantees... it's more of a percentages game
If you're going to be there for 2 weeks, I would try to do a week in Southern Leyte and a week at Malpascua or Moalboal depending on what you are into. If you want to cut down on travel time, then fly into Cebu and at least 7 dive days at Malpascua and then finish up either with Moalboal or take the fast ferry to Bohol or Dumaguete from Cebu... again depending on what you are into.
I just got back from 2 weeks in the Philippines. I went to Malpascua my first week, where I dived with Matt and David at Evolution Diving.
Evolution Diving The Natural Selection You can't go wrong with them. You'll get personalized attention and they are constantly out looking for new sites. I spent a week and a half in Malapascua on a previous trip and saw a lot more this time while doing less than half as many dives. The also have great food and a nice bar
In Moalboal, I liked Nelson's
Moalboal OSP Locally owned and operated and the best prices you'll likely find anywhere (800 pesos per dive with your own equipment). I stayed right next door at Eve's Kiosk, which also happens to be Nelson's sister
In Bohol I recommend Alona Divers
Welcome to Alona Divers Website Ask for Emer as your guide. A great guy
In Dauin/Dumaguete I would recommend Mikes
Mikes Dauin Beach Resort - Dumaguete, Philippines Very quite, nice place to relax, and great macro opportunities there in Dauin
The second week I went to Subic, but I doubt that would be a place you would be interested in as that is mostly wreck diving there. I dived with the guys from Subic Scuba College. They came right to where I was staying on Baloy Beach near Freeport. Talk about personalized service
I made 8 dives over 2 days and managed I think most of the more famous wrecks in Subic Bay
Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll have a great time diving in the Philippines
