⌛ Where is the best diving in the Phils

Cebudiver

Kamusta , Hello my diving friend. I love taking U/W photos and will spend many days exploring so many areas . I hope we cross paths and do some together . Be in Dumaguete in October 2007 .My name is Kevin . I agree with most of your list . One exception , Apo Reef . I went to Pandan Island , pretty cool ... A bus to Batangas , a ferry to Abra a local not so nice bus to Sablayan about 12 + hours . Pandan short small banka trip . Very basic place , rooms on top of each other , hear people snoring , farting and boom boom . Food was good and was a required communal affair . Price for rooms was good .Electricity 6 pm to 11 pm , generator . No fresh water showers . OK the good report ... the house reef and those surrounding island quite nice and good guides , bad report ... Apo Reef 2 dives around $ 150 USD !!! I kid you not !!! $ 30 each dive , like $ 60 per head boat ride ( about 2 hours ... 10 people on board ...$ 600 USD for 8 hour trip ??? That was just for gas and pay the captain and crew ... 3 people ) Some people paid that to go snorkelling there ( I kid you not !!! ) 1st dive a pretty nice wall , but almost no fish . 2nd dive amazing hard coral forrests as far as the eye could see , no fish , identical hard coral forrest ad infinium . NO FISH !!! I will say the water was as clear as I have ever seen in the RP`s. Maybe Tubatha equal or better , I don`t know . Got back to the resort , had made arrangements to transfer to bus ...return to Manila . Catch 8 pm bus to Abra , 1 am boat to Batangas , 8 am bus to Manila ...arrive 11 am . Long trip . When I got to the resort ...settle up on my bill and shocked to find 2 dives in the RP`s cost me as much as a trip to Catalina in spendy LA CA ??? Asked the manager if there was a mistake ??? NO , sir . $ 150 USD when dollar was 54 to 1 . .I had spent 2 months in RP`s and most other places Alona , Moalboal , Malapascua were $ 150 USD for a week . 10 dives , boat , gas and guide included . Most tourist at Pandan were Swiss or Germans and thought the prices were good . NOT IN THE RP`s !!! Well just my 2 centavos . Hope to meet and share some dives. Regards Kevin

 

thanks for the detailed info, kevin
its got me thinking I should take apo reef off my list and head to bunaken and lembeh instead - for the same costs!! ( one way flight from davao to manudo is about $100.)
I will be in town from july 21 until august 21 - maybe again at christmas
....hope to meet you sometime

 

Cebudiver Wow I wanna go to Manado

CD , That sounds like a good song to me . I was looking at Palau last time I was there . It was $ 236 USD to Korror ...Yeah I am going . Wait $ 236 USD each way ... Airport taxes and Vat taxes over $ 500 . Well next time . A $ 100 each way to Manando is very doable . I heard there are boats from Zamboanga to Sabah for 40 each way . I intend to try as many as possible . Palau , Manado and Lembeh ...then Irian Jiya . Sounds good huh ? Kevin

 

I did the zamboanga to sandakan ferry in the summer of 2005 - 3 days at sipidan water village - 11 dives - fantastic.... plus a couple days to see the rainforest and proboscis monkeys and orangutans
$40-$100 return for the boat depending on class - deck or 2nd
3 star hotels are about $50. night in sabah SWV was 5 star 2 nights 3 days - 3 dives per day with meals for about $220. for space A last minute fill the room deals (double that for sure thing advance reservations)
Sun 5pm depart dumaguete on the mary joy 2 - arrive zamb at 9 am the next morning - shopping and sightseeing in zamb then a 5pm departure to sandakan (same boat) arriving tuesday - i made reservations at sipidan wv there for fri thru sun and rented a car in sandakan - (Sabah hotel)
the mary joy 2 leaves sandakan back to zamboanga on tues at 5 pm - wed back in zambo - then you have to switch boatsor wait till sat for the mary joy or fly back to duma ... great trip -