Diving safari in the Visayas: Cebu, Negros, Bohol

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Panglao - 2 dives

  Your safari begins at Tagbilaran airport, on the island of Bohol, and from there, we take you to Alona Beach, on the island of Panglao. The dive sites around Panglao consist of interesting walls with swim-throughs, ideal for getting back into the rhythm of diving. During your two dives, you will have a good chance of spotting anemone shrimps, nudibranchs, frogfish, garden eels, sea snakes, and rays.

• day 2

  Balicasag Island - 3 dives

  Today, you take a 45-minute boat ride to Balicasag Island, one of the most spectacular diving areas in the Visayas. Balicasag has walls that drop beyond 130 feet (40 meters), as well as sloping dives and drift dives, all rich in marine life. The walls are carved with caves and small passages, and the corals in the shallow waters are very colorful, with many fish and crustaceans hidden among them. You will do three dives at Balicasag and it is almost certain that you will encounter sea turtles and large schools of jack fish.

• day 3

  Dauin - 2 dives

  You leave Panglao Island and travel south to Dumaguete, on the island of Negros. Our first dive destination is Dauin, famous for its muck diving sites. Dauin has no corals and the monotony of its gray sandy bottom is only broken by a few pieces of debris. In this almost featureless environment, there are few places to hide, so the creatures have adopted amazing camouflage techniques. With a sharp eye, you can find the strangest and most wonderful creatures outside, blending in with the sand and debris. Muck diving is a unique experience and, during your two dives, you have a good chance of seeing octopuses, seahorses, flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish, robust ghost pipefish, and many other interesting creatures.

• day 4

  Apo Island - 3 dives

  Today, you take a boat to Apo Island, one of the world's first marine reserves. The area has been protected for over 25 years, making its coral garden extremely rich and vibrant. Apo Island is home to bumphead parrotfish, huge schools of jackfish, barracudas, frogfish, sea snakes, scorpionfish, nudibranchs, and all the colors of the rainbow.

• day 5

  Moalboal - 1 dive

  You travel north along the west coast of Cebu Island to Moalboal. Moalboal is one of the best scuba diving destinations in the country, with steep drop-offs that start at 15 feet (5 meters) and go down to 100 feet (30 meters) and beyond. Marine life is extremely varied and, on your first dive of the day, it is possible to see scorpionfish, pipefish, schools of razorfish, and turtles. If you choose to do a night dive, there is a good chance you will spot ghost pipefish and pleurobranchs.

• day 6

  Pescador Island and Moalboal - 3 dives

  In the morning, you take a boat to Pescador Island near Moalboal. The island is famous for its spectacular drop-offs, overhangs, and caverns. Sometimes, the sardines are so abundant that their school forms a cloud underwater. In the afternoon, you will do two more dives in Moalboal. There are more than 10 sites to choose from and you might have the chance to select one where a whale shark passes by!

• day 7

  Malapascua - 2 dives

  Today, you travel to Malapascua, an island off the northern coast of Cebu. Your first dive will take place at an easy but interesting site, just off the island. At dusk, you will do your second dive at a site called Lighthouse, where we observe the wonderful mating ritual of the mandarin fish.

• day 8

  Thresher sharks, sea snakes, tunnels and more - 3 dives

  For your last day of diving, you start very early and take a boat for a 30-minute trip from Malapascua to Monad Shoal, watching the sunrise from the boat. Monad Shoal is an underwater island that serves as a cleaning station for thresher sharks. Seeing these elegant sharks, with their amazing tails being cleaned by wrasses, is an unforgettable diving experience. After the dive, you return to Malapascua for breakfast before heading to Gato Island, where you will do two more dives. Gato Island is a sea snake sanctuary, with fascinating underwater rock formations, caves, and tunnels. Besides sea snakes, there is a good chance of spotting seahorses, frogfish, and white-tip sharks.

• day 9

  Back to reality

  All good things must come to an end, and your diving safari in the Visayas ends today. You spend the day relaxing on the beach before returning to Cebu City to catch your evening flight to Manila.