Six Weeks, 92 Amazing Dives

A fortunate change in personal circumstances earlier this year presented me with a six-week window which I could dedicate entirely to scuba diving. My challenge to Charlie at Dive Worldwide was to put together an epic dive trip to the Philippines and Palau, cramming in as much quality diving in these two regions as the time available would permit.

Of all of the possible dive locations, Tubbataha, Malapascua and Anilao in the Philippines and Palau appealed to me the most. But, logistically, it was always going to be difficult to combine these four different dive meccas within one fixed six week itinerary. International flights, internal flights, transfers, liveaboard availability, hotel availability, embarkation times, disembarkation times, decompression days and all the other details had to fit neatly together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.

Luckily for me, it was a task that Charlie applied himself to with great enthusiasm, patience, determination and expert knowledge. My excitement built as the outline of my itinerary started to take shape. Soon enough all the details had been planned meticulously, all the necessary bookings were confirmed and finalised, and I was on my way.

And what an epic dive trip it was! First the vast, pristine, remote reefs of Tubbataha, and the thresher sharks, frogfish and mating mandarinfish of Malapascua. Then the sharks, turtles and spawning bumphead  parrotfish of Palau, and the myriad of quirky critters of Anilao! There was not a single dive amongst the 92 dives I completed that failed to amaze and delight me.

Of course, there were all sorts of mishaps along the way – a burst BCD, a split highpressure hose, a broken dive computer, lightning strikes at Manila airport and lengthy flight delays amongst them – but Charlie’s planning proved to be flawless and the logistics ran perfectly throughout, allowing me to enjoy the most epic of dive trips.

A massive thank you for putting together such an awesome trip for me. Your responsiveness and attention to detail were much appreciated. I’m not sure where my next dive trip will be, but I’ll be talking to you about it first!

We specialise in tailor-made diving holidays. Contact our expert Dive team for help creating your very own dive adventure to the Philippines and Palau or any other of our amazing diving destinations around the world.