Dear Divers
Frank I has been planning a diving trip to the island of Busuanga, in the north of Palawan, Philippines, and would like to offer this trip also to interested, adventurous club members.
Trip dates are February 22nd (Thursday) to March 11th (Monday).
Recommended flights are with Cathay Pacific (currently ca. 900,- EUR incl. seat reservation).
- Feb 12:05 FRA – Hongkong – Manila arriving 23. Feb 11:20
- March 19:45 Manila – Hongkong – Frankfurt arriving 11. March 07:05
The final trip agenda is still flexible and depends on the number of participants.
For many wrecks, Sports Diver level is mandatory. Reefs are fine for ODs.
A few words of caution: The flight is long. Accommodation on the boat is VERY basic.
We may have to adjust plans on the go (I’ve not been there before and have no country experience).
So this is more for the adventurous guys.
The rough idea is as follows:
1 – Fly from Manila to Busuanga (ca. 120 EUR round trip)
2 – Stay a few days in “El Rio y Mar Resort” and dive with the guys from Dugong Dive Center.
http://dugongdivecenter.com/v3/
They offer easy access to Apo Reef Natural Park, wreck with the best visibility, plus many more well-protected reefs.
We will be able to book a mini safari (more like camping on a boat) for 2-3 days to APO Reef !!
The second biggest continuous reef in the world with an amazing reef teeming with aquatic life in crystal clear water (sharks, turtles, barracudas.…).
However, there is little privacy on board. No private rooms or alike. Sleeping under the stars on a mattress in a hammock.
Guests have to share one toilet and one open air shower.
Max 6 divers per boat.
One day Dugong watching / 15’ minutes scuba diving with dugongs / snorkeling.
Dimakya Island : Our magical reef that has been protected for more than 20 years where you can spot huge school of fish, turtles and many amazing macro life depending on the season
WWII Shipwrecks of Northwest Busuanga : If you are more into wreck dives, we can take you to a full day trip to the WWII wrecks Akutsushima, Taei Maru & Black Island
Tara Island : Our must if you are a coral lover. Beautiful coral garden offering an amazing combination of soft and hard corals (at the moment the sites are closed and we do not know when we can go there again (indigenous peoples place).
Cost for the hotel ca. 80,- EUR / night / person in a shared room including breakfast.
Mini-Safari = 150,- to 250,- EUR / day incl. 4 dives / day, meals, drinks, etc based on full charter (6 divers). 250,- EUR (when 2 divers).
3 – Move to Coron town and a new hotel
The Dugong Dive Center seems to be a nice place, but it is remote from any village, restaurants, etc.
So after staying a week in El Ryo y Mar Resort we would like to move to a more lively place in the south part of the islands.
Coron is one of the most visited destinations for wreck diving in the Philippines.
In Coron town, there is a high number of hotels, resorts and dive centers.
From there we can do diving trips to the Japanese WWII wrecks in Coron bay.
Also: Barracuda Lake : Definitely an experienced to be remembered with the underwater limestone cliffs formations & its dramatic temperature changes, letting you dive in waters up to 38°C
Dive base e.g. Reggae dive center https://reggaedivecenter.com.ph/
3 dives per day = 85 EUR incl. all.
Most wreck dives require BSAC Sports Diver (PADI advanced Open Water level) !!
If you are interested, please drop a note to Frank
We are able to take max. 6 persons on the live aboard.
images by @RoderixTheDiver
