22 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

Well I think I have made my decision! Going to do Malapascua Island stay and dive with Exotic.... Just talked with someone on another board and he has just gotten back from 3 weeks diving in a few different areas and Malapascua was his favorite for the Big and Small stuff.....He saw Threshers, Mantas, Seahorses etc. every day when he dove at the Monad Shoal dive site....He said the Weather was perfect ........September 2007....I'll be there....any chance SD will put a trip together?....World class diving at about half the price!

Well we do need a trip for Sept...I'll pm you!

[domino22]

I am going this Feb 2007. I want to go to Puerto Galera for sure, but I would like to hit one or maybe two other locations. Cebu and Bohol look good but would like more info on how I should plan the trip. With the fast ferrys I was hoping to be able to dive in the morning and take the ferry in the afternoon and not have to worry about a flight. I have 15 days to play minus 3 days for travel, so how should I allot 12 days of diving? Thanks

[Capn Jack]

I am going this Feb 2007. I want to go to Puerto Galera for sure, but I would like to hit one or maybe two other locations. Cebu and Bohol look good but would like more info on how I should plan the trip. With the fast ferrys I was hoping to be able to dive in the morning and take the ferry in the afternoon and not have to worry about a flight. I have 15 days to play minus 3 days for travel, so how should I allot 12 days of diving? Thanks

Scott - You probably knew this, but every year between January and March, whale shark herds feed in the waters around Cebu, Bohol, and Northern Mindanao. Keep your camera handy...

Edited by Capn Jack, 08 October 2006 - 03:23 PM.

[secretsea18]

Well I think I have made my decision! Going to do Malapascua Island stay and dive with Exotic.... Just talked with someone on another board and he has just gotten back from 3 weeks diving in a few different areas and Malapascua was his favorite for the Big and Small stuff.....He saw Threshers, Mantas, Seahorses etc. every day when he dove at the Monad Shoal dive site....He said the Weather was perfect ........September 2007....I'll be there....any chance SD will put a trip together?....World class diving at about half the price!

Hi all,

Although I am new to this site, I have been to PI to dive for the last 7 years. Two times to Malapascua, Cebu and 5 times to Anilao, Batangas.
The only place to stay in Malapascua (IMO) is Exotic. The dive operation is very good, and it is easy to dive, the boat takes off from in front of the resort. Make sure you get a room with "hot" water, and the full board. Dives are posted daily and they will make requests to different sites depending upon the diver's requests. Monad Shoals is the "thresher/manta" site. Those dives are very early in the AM, as early as leaving 5-5:30 AM. Yes 5 AM. I saw one thresher in 5 dives, just unlucky I guess. You just have to be in the water in the right place at the right time, and looking in the right direction to see the threshers. The vis is often about 50-60 ft and easy to miss the sharks. The one thresher I really saw was a leaping one breaching the surface on the boat ride to Calangaman Island 3 dive excursion. Manta dives there are in PM.
Macro is very nice there too. Expect seahorses, mating mandarinfish, nudis and octopus. Divemasters are very good, and excellent with uw photographers. To get there, you go to Cebu/airport or ferry dock. They will pick you up by car (I recommend this), and then it is a 3 hour car ride to Maya, they arrange for a 30-40 minute boat/ferry transfer to Malapascua directly to the resort. A bit of a trek to get to. Beach is beautiful and beach massages are about $8/hour.

Anilao is in Batangas, 120 km south of Manila. The best place I have been for Macro, and I have been to PNG, Fiji, KBR, Wakatobi, etc. I have been 5 times. Not too much big pelagics, however, my friend/guide just emailed me that a whale shark swam by on a night dive on a favorite muck dive last month

I have not been to Bohol, or Balicasag but did try to arrange that last year. Palawan and Tubbataha Reefs are also noted to be spectacular. Just avoid the southern Islands in PI and you will be fine and safe. I travel alone there often and have never felt threatened.
Just my 2 cents.
Robin
Let me know if you are interested in more info.

Edited by secretsea18, 21 October 2006 - 10:39 AM.

[secretsea18]

I am going this Feb 2007. I want to go to Puerto Galera for sure, but I would like to hit one or maybe two other locations. Cebu and Bohol look good but would like more info on how I should plan the trip. With the fast ferrys I was hoping to be able to dive in the morning and take the ferry in the afternoon and not have to worry about a flight. I have 15 days to play minus 3 days for travel, so how should I allot 12 days of diving? Thanks

I will also be in Philippines in Feb 2007.
I am going to be in Anilao for my 6th annual trip. Will be there on the second full week in Feb. Staying at Club O, as usual. This is heaven for macro lovers. My friend/guide saw a whale shark cruise by a muck divesite last month. PG as opposed to Anilao, has more opportunities for larger fish and pelagics.

What are your plans?
Robin

[fbp]

I spent a wee at MoalBoal, south/west of Cebu.
Of course soon as I got there, picked up a head cold, didn't dive it, finally went back home (stopped here in route from Bangkok)
Here's alink that I just picked up

MoalBoal

Diving MB

I spoke with a Dive instructor in BKK and he taught there for a few months, said it was great. Good relaxed village.. grass huts etc... probably changed by now..
Good news was the that San Miguel was $ 0.25 a bottle..., get hammered on $2 us...
Made it worth while...

I'd definately go back.... Southern PI area was the place to avoid...
Not much help, but fun to remember..

Good luck..

Edited by fbp, 21 October 2006 - 11:25 AM.

[WreckWench]

Hey gang we are doing the Philipines in Sept 2007. Dates are being finalized but it looks like we will do Sept 18 - 30 -ish timeframe. We'll stay at two resorts...both VERY upscale but extremely well priced. We'll be using Atlantis Dive Resorts and starting our adventure in Galera and ending in Dumaguette. We'll have several add-on day trips to extra special dive sites and we'll be doing 4 boat dives a day. Pkg will include airfare from LAX to Philipines INCLUDING the commuter flights and the final pricing will be under $3400.

I should have the final details early next week and will get this posted! Scott I hope you can join us! It is when you wanted to go! -ww

[domino22]

I ended up in Puerto Galera the first week and dove with Asia divers. And stayed at "El Galleon" liked the hotel and the dive op. But I am not a fan of diving off the "bankas" their version of a dive boat. The Sabang area is real good for macro and the food there is good. Vis was a little low at times but I am told it can change in minute. Dove "Verde Island" one day and it was good. Alot of people trying to sell you stuff all the time but it is normal in places like this. If I was sitting at the hotel near the beach you ended up saying "No thank you" the whole time you sat there. So I justed moved back alittle and they left me alone.Even in the restaurants you have the same issue. And if someone decides to buy something the word goes out, up and down the beach and they flock in like a swarm. I was told the average daily wage in the PI is $4.00 US aday. So I understand their dilemma.
Second week was spent down south flew into Dumagete and stayed at a place called "Amontillado" no night life unless you went into town. Nice place German and Dutch owned and up the road from the Alantis resort. Vis here was low but at Apo Island the first two dives were good but on the other side of the island it dropped. The price for the whole trip was cheap when you look at the trip and where you went and what you did. I would go back but I think the next time I will check out Palawan or Coron or Pangalo Island. If you do two different locations you either take the ferry or you have to fly back to Manila and then back out again. In closing I need to vent a little about the Manila airport, in one word "insane" when you leave get there very early to stand in line, which line several. My carry on was xrayed 3 or 4 times before I got to the gate and I went thru so many metal detectors I was glowing, and several pat downs. You need to allow enough time for this whole ordeal and be mentally prepared for this insane process. And after all of this security they never found my lighter, but I lost my toothpaste. Which is more deadly?