Enjoy stress-free diving adventures as you island hop between exceptional locations in the Visayas, exploring the vast variety the Philippines has to offer from macro life to pelagics.
This unique exploratory safari of the islands of the Visayas region is operated by one of our preferred dive operators. Dive some of the best sites in the Philippines, with anything and everything from macro life to larger pelagics, coral reefs to immense walls covered in soft and hard corals, and bait balls.
You can mix and match a number of resorts in the Visayas, below is one possible itinerary that's available with tailor made adjustments to fit your personal diving bucket list. Possibilities include Malapascua, Bohol, Dumaguete, Moalboal and Sipalay.
Suggested Itinerary
Days1-2: Depart the UK for Cebu
Days3-7: Dive Dumaguete – critter hunting & coral covered Apo Island
This morning you're transferred by road and boat to Dumaguete, ‘City of Gentle People’, for the first stop on your Island Hopping Dive Safari. You stay at the Pura Vida Dive Resort for five nights, with two boat dives here each day (total of eight).
Divers will be amazed by the reef life and the Dauin area is possibly one of the best macro locations around, which is particularly popular amongst photographers. A short boat ride away is Apo Island where you can enjoy a drift dive, schooling pelagics, turtles, enormous grouper, napoleon wrasse, white-tip sharks and pristine hard and soft corals.
Meaning ‘bubbling stream’, Moalboal is a small town on Cebu Island, 89 kilometres south-west of Cebu City. The range of diving is excellent, with vertical walls, a cathedral-like cave, healthy coral reefs and plenty of macro life. Huge bait balls sometimes gather in the waters off Moalboal and whale sharks are seen on occasion. An optional excursion to see resident nearby whale sharks is available on request - contact us to arrange this.
Days12-16: Transfer to beautiful Malapascua Island to search for thresher sharks
Transfer north by road and boat to the idyllic Malapascua island, best known for encounters with threshers and white sand beaches. You stay at the Ocean Vida Dive Resort for five nights, enjoying two boat dives here each day (total of eight).
Alongside threshers it's possible to encounter white-tip, black-tip, bamboo, nurse and cat sharks. The marina reserve of Gato Island is not to be missed, home to banded sea snakes, stingrays, tuna, snappers, nudibranchs, cuttlefish, seahorses and mantis shrimp.
Day17: Depart Cebu
Transfer to Cebu airport and depart on an overnight flight back to the UK.
Day18: Arrive UK
Please note: Choose your locations, length of stay and number of dives creating your very own island hopping adventure. Discuss your options with the Dive team.
Key info
Our trip ideas are offered to inspire you and can be tailored to suit your requirements.
Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 18 daysfrom £2,995 pp
This central region of islands is deservedly famous for beautiful beaches, relaxed lifestyle and stunning dive sites. Cebu City is the international gateway and provides links to the most exciting dive spots including Malapascua, Moalboal, Dumaguete and Bohol.
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Ideal for viewing: green turtle, pelagic thresher shark, giant frogfish, black-tip reef shark, banded sea krait
Surrounded by white sand beaches, the little island of Malapascua has gained a reputation as one of the best places in the world for thresher shark sightings, encountered each morning at Monad Shoal. Numerous other sharks are also seen, as well as mantas.
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Excellent for: Resort based diving, Singles diving, Group diving, Shark diving
Known as the ‘City of Gentle People’, you’ll be welcomed in Dumaguete with open arms and first class hospitality. Further down the coast, Dauin has some of the best critters in the Philippines, and both areas also offer plenty of opportunity for snorkellers and non-divers.
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Ideal for viewing: giant frogfish, ornate ghost pipefish, spotted eagle ray, green turtle, flamboyant cuttlefish
Excellent for: Resort based diving, Luxury diving, Group diving, Muck diving, Underwater photography
Meaning ‘bubbling stream’, Moalboal is a small town on the island of Cebu, with around 25 recognised dive sites and more being discovered. The range of diving is excellent, with vertical walls, a cathedral like cave, healthy coral reefs and plenty of macro life.
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Ideal for viewing: green turtle, mandarin fish, giant frogfish, ornate ghost pipefish, whale shark
Excellent for: Resort based diving, Group diving, Reef diving, Underwater photography
Across the channel from Cebu is the beautiful island of Bohol, a tropical haven of natural beauty, with pristine beaches and colourful coral dive sites for both divers and snorkellers to enjoy. Land attractions include the resident tarsiers and the world-famous Chocolate Hills.
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Ideal for viewing: green turtle, western clownfish, banded sea krait, giant frogfish, barracuda
Excellent for: Resort based diving, Luxury diving, Reef diving
A little off-the-beaten-track, Sipalay is a small town on the west coast of Negros Occidental in the western Visayas. Visitors are attracted by its rustic charm, white sand beaches and colourful fringing reef. Great for snorkellers and divers of all abilities.
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Ideal for viewing: green turtle, hawksbill turtle, potato grouper, lionfish, Napoleon wrasse
Excellent for: Resort based diving, Family diving, Group diving, Learn to dive, Reef diving, Snorkelling
Suggested accommodation options are shown below.
Please
contact us
for further recommendations.
Located directly on the tropical white sand palm-fringed beach of Panglao Island, Alona Vida Beach Resort is home to a welcoming community and offers some nearby world-class dive sites such as Balicasag.
Find Out More about Alona Vida Beach Resort
Located near the fishing village of Moalboal, this small resort is suited to divers and also nature lovers. It has on-site dive centre and there are a variety of excursions on offer to visit the surrounding jungle.
Find Out More about Kasai Village Beach Resort
Located on Malapascua Island, this small modern property on Bounty Beach is an ideal place to base yourself for a few days whilst you head out to Monad Shoal in search of thresher sharks.
Find Out More about Ocean Vida Beach & Dive Resort
This spacious beachfront resort is located in Dauin, just south of Dumaguete, on Negros Island. It was built for divers and offers 27 rooms and bungalows, with an on-site dive centre offering daily boat dives to Apo Island.
Find Out More about Pura Vida Beach & Dive Resort
Located on the tiny island of Cabilao, this small beachfront resort offers a relaxing getaway and some excellent local diving in the marine protected areas of the Philippines' Visayas region.
Find Out More about Pura Vida Cabilao
Overlooking Moalboal Bay with spectacular views of the mountains of Cebu and the neighbouring island of Negros, this small resort comprises 27 rooms, all set amongst tropical landscaped gardens.
Find Out More about Turtle Bay Dive Resort