South-East Asia
THE PHILIPPINES
Glorious beaches, stunning coral and some weird creatures
Season: Year-round diving
Visibility: 25-50 metres
Water Temperature: 26-28°C
Special Offer: PHILIPPINE SIREN 20% off the following cruises: 7-17th January 2010 14-24th January 2010 29th January-3rd February 2010 3-8th February 2010 29th March-7th April 2010 Atlantis Azores Up to 25% off select cruises: 23-30th January (Anilao Safari) 13-20th February (Southern Leyte) 20-27th February (Southern Leyte) 27th February-6th March (Southern Leyte)
An anemone fish gazes up at Jeremy Cuff
The Philippines, with its glorious beaches and fabulous diving, is often overlooked by divers seeking to holiday in Asia, but for those wanting a really good value destination with lovely diving (including a truly fantastic selection of ‘macro critters’), outstanding diving service, and comfortable and friendly accommodations, it is a natural choice. This huge archipelago possesses many thousands of miles of beautiful coastline and beneath the waves lie many thousands of miles of coral reefs! From shallow reefs ideal for underwater photographers, critter-watchers or those beginning their diving career, to tall, sheer and dramatic walls with schools of ocean-loving fish, you are sure to find what you are looking for in the Philippines. Here also you will find palm-fringed beaches with the softest, silver-white sand, cascading waterfalls and seas that shades from the palest blue to the deepest sapphire.
With so many resorts to choose from, of very varying quality, we have been very careful in our selection, choosing two resorts which combine the very best western management with superb Indo-Pacific diving and service. Both Atlantis Dive Resorts are PADI Five Star resorts with first class accommodation. Atlantis Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro and Atlantis Dumaguete on the island of Negros not only offer wonderful diving but also gracious hospitality and the security of knowing you are diving with a truly competent and professional outfit. Why not combine a week or more in each resort?
Some of the highest standards of liveaboard diving in the Philippines are offered by Atlantis Azores and Philippine Siren. Both vessels offer itineraries in the central region of the Philippines archipelago, featuring the Visayan Islands, southern Leyte, Mindoro and the small islands to the northwest of Palawan (Borocay, Coron and Busuanga in particular).
PUERTO GALERA
One of the oldest Spanish settlements in the Philippines Puerto Galera is situated on the northern peninsula of the island of Mindoro, 160 kms from Manila and separated from the island of Luzon by the Verde Island passage, an area which can have strong currents bringing waters from the South China Sea and making for spectacular and exhilarating drift dives accompanied by turtles, barracudas and pelagic species riding the current with you. But around the sheltered coastline there are many bays and lagoons where one can enjoy a ‘lazy’ dive with the smallest creatures and schools of brightly coloured reef fish. The hard and soft corals are amongst the most spectacular in the world.
Every tropical diving area has its Coral Gardens and Puerto Galera is no exception. The dive starts at just 3 metres and descends to 10 metres, so bottom time is never an issue. Coral heads and brain corals rest on a background of lovely pearl-coloured sand. Almost all the commoner species of reef fish can be found here: angelfish in bright colours, tiny pipefish sneaking through the coral, dancing orange anthias and damselfish aplenty. Who can resist settling on the sand to watch waving garden eels or those tireless little shovelling shrimps and their goby partners? Check out small cavelets and shelves, for White-tipped Reef Sharks love to sleep in these nooks and crannies.
There are two small wrecks, collectively named the Sabang Wrecks, where the bottom is at a maximum depth of 18 metres. A school of friendly and photogenic batfish are usually waiting to watch you descend the shot line to the sandy sea bottom, where the wreck of a Vietnamese fishing boat lies swarming with damselfish and covered in marine life. Some divemasters fish feed here to encourage the batfish and surgeonfish. Look out for White-eyed and Snowflake Moray Eels, frogfish and fabulous mantis shrimps. Just a short swim away you will find the steel hull of a sailboat scuttled by a local dive shop to create a new artificial reef. Though time has not yet been sufficient to carpet the wreck in corals, this is more than made up for by the superb fish population, which includes the largest of the surgeonfish, the Yellowfin. The wrecks are also superb to dive at night, with lionfish and scorpionfish feeding, stargazers gazing ‘soulfully’ from the sandy sea bed and even schools of small squid attracted to divers’ lights.
A day trip to Verde Island involves a 30-40 minutes boat ride for this three-dive adventure, which includes refreshments and lunch. The Verde Island Drop-off can be taken to whatever depth you are qualified to dive, and this dramatic wall has something for all levels and usually stunning visibility. Shallower levels have good staghorn coral teeming with damselfish and anthias. Parts of the wall are sponge-encrusted and provide homes for beautiful brittle stars, colourful nudibranchs that appear to be dressed in ball gowns, and furled crinoids. Larger species such as tuna and jacks appear and then make off into the deep. Technical divers can make the most of the depths. Some Trimix divers have descended to 100 metres and claim the wall just gets deeper!
In 2003 the MV Almajane, a 30-metre cargo vessel, was sunk close to the resort. She now sits upright with the base of her hull resting on the sandy bottom and offers a very safe and fascinating dive with all the species common to the area found here. Sweetlips, snappers, jacks, catfish and batfish occur in large numbers. Almajane makes a great night dive.
For those who love to search for fascinating creatures, Sabang Bay, especially in the late afternoon, is the place to find Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Robust Ghost Pipefish, seamoths, octopus, Crocodilefish, lionfish and a fabulous variety of shrimps. Underwater photographers will be spoilt for choice on this dive site. Watch as an arrow crab neatly steps over soft coral or what appears to be a strawberry walking across the reef. Frilly Ornate Ghost Pipefish hover like strands of weed. Their close relatives Robust Ghost Pipefish mimic broken-off chunks of seagrass. Settle on the sea bed and watch the endless work of the shrimps as they tirelessly dig their burrows, guarded by their goby friends. Stunning examples of marine behaviour are here for you to see: Twinspot Gobies mimic a sideways-walking crab, glassfish form ‘colonies’ that move and swirl before your eyes like action art, pretty Humbug Dasycllus dart in and out of staghorn coral and maybe you will see a Banded Sea Snake as it disappears beneath a rock in an attempt to escape from you.
DUMAGUETE
On the southern tip of the island of Negros, 500 kilometres from Manila and twenty minutes by road from Dumaguete airport is where you will find Atlantis Resort Dumaguete. Negros is the sugar cane island of the Philippines. Now there is also a thriving farming industry in Black Tiger Prawns, a delicacy much enjoyed by the Japanese.
Beneath the waves lies a whole host of diving favourites, with the House Reef and The Pier being just two super dive sites. The Pier (which can be dived any time with permission from the dive centre, due to local boat use) is a real feast for photographers. During the day there is some spectacular marine life to be seen, but at night the list grows longer and longer. Look out for a Leafy Dragonet cryptically camouflaged in the sand. Pretty yellow and black spotted pufferfish hover over the reef. Cuttlefish, hermit crabs, many species of shrimps and technicolour nudibranchs in shapes that could be alien sculptures all reveal themselves under the diver’s light. Apo Island is within its own Marine Sanctuary and fishing is allowed for the islanders’ use only. There is usually an extra fee for visiting Apo Island, which is 3-dive day trip taking about 30 minutes to reach in the fast boat. The visibility is usually excellent around this small volcanic hump in the ocean. Due to its unique marine reserve, superb coral reefs and a good reef fish population have managed to survive. Here you will find a unique ‘clownfish city’, a rare phenomenon with literally hundreds of clownfish and their anemone hosts living side by side. Soft corals and hard corals are numerous. There can be some quite strong currents at some sites making for enjoyable drift dives.
Bahura is dived at dusk because this is when those tiny technicolour Mandarinfish come out to play. Dauin has both sandy areas and a ‘true’ reef and was declared a Marine Sanctuary in 2000. The reef is divided by sandy channels, which provide a habitat for a population of wavy Garden Eels, and here one can see some good reef life including schools of Bumphead Parrotfish noshing their way across the reefs like underwater bison (and dropping their ‘waste’ coral on you if you happen to be underneath them at the time!). Schools of Yellowtail Barracuda are often located here. Another Marine Reserve protects the reef at Masaplot where a couple of schools of mackerel and snappers hover above the reef. The ‘action art’ starts when the two schools combine in a swirl of colour and silver flashes. Look out for Epaulette Sharks (a member of the Bamboo Shark group). These blotchy individuals rest on the bottom of reefs or hide amongst the staghorn coral.
THE SOUTHERN VISAYANS & SOUTHERN LEYTE
Liveaboard trips to this area of the Philippines are for those seeking some big fish encounters and some interesting macro life. Balicasag Island is a flat island with healthy corals on vertical walls that plummet into deep, deep water. This is where pelagic encounters are possible as the ‘big fish’ pass the wall. Groupers, jacks, and snappers hang around the edge of the reef. At Cabilao Island most divers will keep their eyes open for the schools of Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks that can been seen passing through, but perhaps more common sightings will include reef sharks, barracudas and turtles. The walls, overhangs and plateaus offer some great drift dives past walls decorated with huge seafans and black corals at depth. Siquijor Island has a very healthy coral population, big barrel sponges and great fish life. Nudibranchs in all their fine colours, anemonefish and their colourful anemone hosts, mantis shrimps, sea moths and an especially fine population of Blue Ribbon Eels enjoy the warm waters around this small island.
The southern tip of Leyte Island has some of the Philippine’s finest diving and it is here that Whale Sharks may be spotted from December to May. Though diving with these gentle giants is not allowed, it is possible to enjoy snorkelling encounters – a truly memorable experience.
Both Atlantis Azores and Philippine Siren feature itineraries that include the Southern Visayan islands and southern Leyte.
BORACAY, APO REEF AND THE WRECKS OF CORON BAY
Boracay and Carabo Island have a variety of diving experiences from Cathedral Cave, which is suitable for the most novice divers, to Yapak 1, where the braver divers descend a chimney and exit at 40 metres! At Yapak 2 look out in to the blue for sightings of Manta Rays, Scalloped Hammerhead schools and some ‘flying’ Spotted Eagle Rays.
Usually, Apo Reef is such a popular dive area that the boat can stay up to 3 days allowing divers a thorough exploration. The north side of the island consists of drop-offs and overhangs where one can find reef sharks, turtles, barracudas and some huge schools of snappers. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is covered with some spectacular table corals (it is always worth searching under these amazing structures for lurking sweetlips and other fish), fields of staghorn corals and fire corals. Some of the sites have steep walls and swift currents that encourage the presence of Manta Rays and schools of Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks.
On 24th September 1944 the US Task Force 38 launched an air strike from the flight deck of the USS Lexington against a fleet of Japanese supply ships lying at anchor around Busuanga Island, particularly in Coron Bay. Some say this area is like a condensed version of Truk Lagoon with 12 of the wrecks at diveable depths and including the auxiliary vessels Nanshin Maru, Taiei Maru, Kogyo Maru, Olympia Maru, the Irako and the Gunboat at Lusong Island.
Akitsushima is a true warship, lying on her port side in 20-38 metres. She was a seaplane tender/carrier powered by four diesel engines which gave her a speed of 19 knots. The ship was almost torn in two when she was hit near the stern where the flying boat rested. The flying boat was flung away in the blast and has not been located. Apparently the boat has an interesting history and was hit twice at Truk Lagoon and survived long enough to make it to Coron Bay! Though no swim-throughs are possible due to depth and metal hazards, it is possible to penetrate the engine room. Kogyo Maru was a Japanese freighter carrying materials to build a runway. She lies on her side in 34 metres of water and offers the opportunity to swim through the engine room and bridge area. Some say that the Irako is one of the best wrecks in the Philippines due to the usually good visibility and the intact quality of the wreck. This 147 metre vessel now provides a home for some big groupers, while schools of tuna sometimes pass by.
Philippine Siren offers cruises between the islands of Boracay and Busuanga that include Apo Reef and the wrecks of Coron Bay.
ATLANTIS PUERTO GALERA RESORT
The island of Mindoro, around 160 kilometres from Manila, is where you will find Atlantis Puerto Galera Resort. The excellent service offered by the hotel and the dive centre starts as you leave Manila Airport to find your private air-conditioned vehicle waiting for you for the road transfer. On arrival at Batangas you will be transferred by air-conditioned boat for the last part of your journey, which ends in a beach landing at the reception of the resort and a cool welcome drink. All the rooms and suites are designed to offer you maximum comfort, privacy and an opportunity to relax. The en-suite rooms and suites are situated throughout the resort gardens and all have climate-controlled air-conditioning, fully stocked mini-bars, ceiling fans, solar heated hot water, cable TV with movie and sports channels, coffee and tea making facilities, wireless internet connections and DVD players. Deluxe Rooms have either a double bed or a double bed and a single bed. Coconut or Seaview Terrace Rooms have twin beds, are on the first and second floor and are more spacious and have a large balcony. (Seaview Terrace Rooms are on the second floor and have enhanced views.) The delightful Executive Suites are situated at the back of the resort garden at a raised elevation and have very large rooms, with a king bed, a living area, a refrigerator, a furnished balcony and sea views. The resort has its own swimming pool in the gardens and you can enjoy sunbathing or perhaps take a massage round the pool. The Massage Room offers a full spa service including manicures, pedicures, body scrubs and fabulous aromatherapy massage.
Toko’s Restaurant prides itself on coming up with a unique dining experience using fresh local products and flavours. A daily changing menu is offered for lunch and dinner,. with theme nights, buffets and even a lunchtime Mongolian Wok! Oven fresh bread, homemade breakfast, catch of the day, superb roasts, prime beef, aromatic and hot curries, freshly picked tropical fruits and vegetables all add up to Lonely Planet describing the restaurant as having “world class cuisine”. There is great emphasis on cleanliness in the kitchen and the kitchen itself has been specially imported from Germany and the staff trained in health and safety to avoid those stomach problems that can be encountered when Europeans visit Asia.
The Multimedia Room is equipped with a high-speed broadband connection and internet computer rental is also available. Wireless connection is available throughout the resort. The Multimedia Room also has areas for working on cameras and videos. A small shop sells local jewellery, sarongs and practical items such as sunscreen. You will find a complete range of dive equipment and computer accessories offered amongst the local art, travel books, fish ID guides and postcards.
Atlantis Dive Shop is one of only a very few dive centres in Asia with the rating of Five Star PADI Career Development Centre. They are proud to offer the highest standard of dive education (from children’s SASY and Bubblemaker programmes up to Divemaster and Instructor level), facilities, service and dive guides. They can offer support services for, and teaching in, both rebreather and technical diving. Four day boat dives, Mandarinfish dusk dives and night dives are offered daily (dusk and night dives are paid for locally), and there is a wonderful range of dive sites to choose from. Divers are encouraged to discus their diving requirements with the dive guides so that they can try to fulfil diver expectations. Just 6 divers to each dive guide, most dive sites just 10 minutes from the resort and a choice of longer day trips makes this resort an excellent choice for the keen diver. Private diving trips can be arranged. Photographers will find the superbly equipped Multimedia Suite indispensable. Here you will find multi-sockets for charging, a matted workbench with good lighting, laptop and camera storage facilities, air guns, internet facilities and CD/DVD burning facilities.
Stays can be of any length. Prices given below relate to a stay of 7 nights. Price: from about £741 for 7 nights. Includes: 7 nights full board accommodation (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on a twin/share basis in a Deluxe Room at the Atlantis Puerto Galera Resort; 6 days of diving (up to 4 boat dives daily between 0800-1600, dive guide). Supplement for a 3-tank dive trip in the Verde Island area: about £36. Manila Airport/Atlantis Puerto Galera Resort/Manila Airport transfers: about £123 per person for 2 or more people; about £244 for 1 person. Reduction for non-divers.
Single Occupancy Supplement: from about £139 for 7 nights.
ATLANTIS DUMAGUETE RESORT
After your arrival at Manila Airport a local resort representative will assist you with the transfer to the domestic terminal and help you check in for your flight to Dumaguete, (or take you directly to the Domestic Terminal if you are coming in from Puerto Galera). You will be met at Dumaguete airport and transferred by air-conditioned vehicle to the resort. Upon arrival at the resort you will be greeted by the friendly staff and offered a welcome drink as your bags are taken to your room for you. The resort is located on a quiet beach just outside Dumaguete, directly on the waterfront, with a seafront restaurant and bar. The atmosphere is serene and relaxed, with lots of shaded areas and seating beneath mature foliage – a true hideaway and an ideal location for a romantic holiday or a haven from the stresses of modern life. All rooms are designed to offer you maximum comfort, privacy and an opportunity to relax, but for those seeking that little extra privacy why not stay in the Honeymoon Hut? The en-suite rooms and suites are situated throughout the resort gardens. They are both ground floor and first floor, and all have climate controlled air-conditioning, fully stocked mini-bars, ceiling fans, solar heated hot water, cable TV with movie and sports channels, coffee and tea making facilities, wireless internet connections and DVD players. Deluxe Rooms have either a double bed or twin beds. The Seaview Rooms are smaller rooms right on the beach, so you can wake up to the sound of the sea if you wish. The Garden Suites are larger and more spacious, have attractive furnished balcony, and either a double bed or twin beds. The Honeymoon Hut is similar and is a detached bungalow in a quiet part of the gardens offering more privacy. The resort has its own swimming pool in the gardens and you can enjoy sunbathing or perhaps take a massage round the pool. The Massage Room has an authentic sauna imported from Finland, a Jacuzzi and offers a full spa service including manicures, pedicures, body scrubs and fabulous aromatherapy massage.
Toko’s Restaurant prides itself on coming up with a unique dining experience using fresh local products and flavours. A daily changing menu is offered for lunch and dinner,. with theme nights, buffets and even a lunchtime Mongolian Wok! Oven fresh bread, homemade breakfast, catch of the day, superb roasts, prime beef, aromatic and hot curries, freshly picked tropical fruits and vegetables all add up to Lonely Planet describing the restaurant as having “world class cuisine”. There is great emphasis on cleanliness in the kitchen and the kitchen itself has been specially imported from Germany and the staff trained in health and safety to avoid those stomach problems that can be encountered when Europeans visit Asia.
The entire resort is built within a wonderful tropical garden with many rare and indigenous plants, trees and birds. The full time gardeners are proud of their garden and keep it very well tended. Take a stroll around the resort. Admire the lotus blossoms in the fish ponds, enjoy the sweet aroma of the local flowers and relax…
The Atlantis Dive Shop at Dumaguete has all the same facilities as detailed above for Puerto Galera, with the exception of the Multimedia Suite (though plans are afoot to build one). Four day boat dives and night dives are offered daily (night dives are paid for locally). Longer, full day dive trips are available.
Stays can be of any length. Prices given below relate to a stay of 7 nights. Price: from about £815 for 7 nights. Includes: 7 nights full board accommodation (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on a twin/share basis in a Deluxe Room at the Atlantis Dumaguete Resort; 6 days of diving (up to 4 boat dives daily between 0800-1600, including two full day dive trips, dive guide). Manila Airport/Atlantis Dumaguete Resort/Manila Airport transfers: from about £150 per person for 2 people; from about £188 for 1 person. Reduction for non-divers. Single Occupancy Supplement: from about £139 for 7 nights.
ATLANTIS AZORES
The Atlantis Azores is a very comfortable liveaboard that carries a maximum of 16 passengers in 8 cabins. Each air-conditioned cabin has a private head and shower. Seven of the cabins are on the lower deck and the suite is on the upper deck. Between dives guests can relax on the sundeck (either in or out of the shade) or try the amazing hot tub! The salon has an excellent collection of books, videos and music to enjoy.
The dive deck covers the aft third of the main deck. Large gear lockers double as seats and line the rails and centre. Two tanks are mounted at the back of each locker, so it is easy to don your equipment at your seat or ask for the tank to be taken to the dive platform. A large three-tiered camera table has plenty of space for camera assembly or preparation and separate rinse tanks are kept for cameras and videos. The photography department provides rental cameras and accessories as well as the services of the photo pro if you require a model or expert advice. A range of PADI and NAUI speciality courses are offered, including Nitrox training. A full range of diving equipment is available for rental by pre-arrangement.
For after the dive there is a freshwater shower and clean towels awaiting, as well as the chef’s freshly prepared snacks to appease the after-dive hunger pangs! The chef on Atlantis Azores likes to prepare food especially for you, starting with freshly brewed coffee and boat-baked bread. Ripe seasonal fruit from Atlantis’s farms will be juiced and served before the first dive. Lunches are usually fresh garden salads, omelettes or soups with yoghurt and fruits served as desert. Dinners might be ‘Filipino Suppers’, Seafood Specials, or perhaps an ‘Asian Fusion Night’. Homemade biscuits, cakes and fresh fruit are served between dives.
Most diving is done from one of two zodiacs, which means that travel times to and from the dive sites are very short. Nitrox is available on all cruises and technical diving and re-breathers are possible by pre-arrangement. All divers are required to have their own dive computer and surface signalling device.
Atlantis Azores operates 7 nights cruises out of Atlantis Puerto Galera Resort from October to January, 7 nights Southern Visayans and Southern Leyte cruises out of Cebu City in February and 7 nights wrecks of Coron Bay cruises out of Coron Town on the island of Busuanga in August/September. Some other cruise itineraries may be available during other times of year. Contact us for further information.
Price: from about £1596. Includes: 7 nights cruise on Atlantis Azores on a twin/share basis with full board including non-alcoholic and local alcoholic beverages; 6 days of diving (up to 4 or 5 dives per day, including night dives). Manila Airport/Atlantis Puerto Galera Resort/Manila Airport transfers: about £123 per person for 2 or more people; about £244 for 1 person. For air transfer costs to Cebu City, see flights section. Single Occupancy Supplement: 50% of the cruise cost (but you can avoid paying the supplement if you are willing to share a cabin).
PHILIPPINE SIREN
The 40-metre Philippine Siren was built in Sulawesi from ironwood and teak and in the style of a gaft-rigged Phinisi. The Worldwide Dive and Sail team have used valuable lessons from their previous sailing yachts to incorporate features that offer luxurious comfort and safety and are proud to say “built by divers for divers”.
Philippine Siren can take up to 16 divers in 8 air-conditioned, luxury, spacious cabins which offer a choice of bed configurations. Cabins 1 & 3 have queen-sized beds. Cabins 4 & 5 can be configured as double or twin beds and Cabins 6 & 7 have three single beds, but are only ever allocated to 2 guests unless requested by family or friends, or if a whole boat is required. Cabin 8 is the ‘owner’s cabin’ and has a double bed. The cabin is a little smaller but has the advantage of a separate entrance and is the most stable cabin on the boat. Each of Philippine Siren’s cabins have a personal computer, audio visual system and en-suite bathrooms. Luxury touches such as hair dryers, individually controlled lighting and air conditioning along with massage service, and laundry service mean that quality is not compromised. There is an expansive leisure deck area for relaxation and an air conditioned saloon with cocktail bar, large flat screen and computer server supporting the inter-cabin network. The covered outdoor dining area offers super sea views while you enjoy gourmet dining.
Special services for underwater photographers include individual computers in each cabin along with multiple power outlets. The computer has a 20” flatscreen and is integrated into the yacht’s network server. There are workstations for the preparation and maintenance of cameras and large rinse tanks used only for cameras and videos. Diving usually takes place from one of Philippine Siren’s two powerful zodiacs. Nitrox is included in the holiday price for all Nitrox certified divers.
Safety is of paramount importance so Philippine Siren has been designed and constructed to the highest safety standards based on Lloyd’s Standards, the leading international body of maritime safety standards. The crew is specially trained in all aspects of safety including emergency and evacuation procedures. The boat is equipped with life rafts, life jackets, fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, emergency long distance radios and satellite phones.
Philippine Siren operates a series of 10 nights cruises throughout the year. The boat leaves from Mactan Island, near Cebu City on the island of Cebu, for Southern Visayans and Southern Leyte trips, which operate from January to October. From November-January, Boracay to Coron trips via Apo reef leave from the island of Boracay with reverse trips leaving from Coron Bay. To reach Borocay one takes a flight from Manila to either Caticlan or Kalibo. Caticlan is a 15 minutes road journey to the pier from where you then take a 30 minute ferry ride to Borocay. Kalibo is 1.5 hours by road from the pier. Coron Bay is reached by air with flights between Manila and Busuanga. From Busuanga it is a one hour road transfer to Coron Town.
Price: from about £2050. Includes: 10 nights cruise on Philippine Siren on a twin/share basis with full board including non-alcoholic and local alcoholic beverages; 9 days of diving (up to 4 or 5 dives per day, including night dives) plus 2 on the last day, air or nitrox fills; escorted shore excursions where appropriate. A Marine Park fee of €65 (subject to change) is payable on board. Airport/hotel transfers are not included. Single Occupancy Supplement: 80% of the cruise cost (but you can avoid paying the supplement if you are willing to share a cabin).
FLIGHTS: Prices from about £607 to Manila. There are daily flight connections to Manila. Internal flights from Manila in connection with liveaboard cruises cost from about £107 to Cebu City, from about £107 to Kalibo, and from about £200 to Caticlan. Return flights to Dumaguete are included in the transfer costs for Atlantis Dumaguete Resort.
STOP-OVERS: These are available in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, depending on flight routing.
COMBINATIONS: If you are travelling to Manila, you are not far from extraordinary Palau with its famous ‘Rock Islands’ and some of the most exciting diving on our planet. Yap with its famous Manta Rays and Truk with its renowned wreck-diving are not that much further. Alternatively, as you will likely be passing through Singapore or Kuala Lumpur en route, side trips to other wonderful diving areas in Southeast Asia can easily be arranged. Talk to us about the possibilities.
Green Moray Eel (Jeremy Cuff)
