Diving Apo Reef - The Ona Experience

The Ona Experience

After four days at Coron, I continued diving on board the Ona Experience for another four days.

Arrived Le Sereneta Restaurant where the ships docked, checked in with the Mexican owner, Yamil and met up with the other guests from all over the world. There were altogether only 8 of us (guests) who came from Australia, Zurich, France, Israel, Norway, Spain and Singapore.

It was a big boat which cater for 16 divers so all of us had a cabin to ourselves happily. However, the boat did not sail until the next morning due to an engine problem and there was no water to use. We were quite disappointed and felt cheated of losing a day and the loss of dives in Apo Reef. All of us were obviously anticipating diving the world's second largest contiguous coral reef system and largest in the Philippines.

The Diving

Apo Reef is located on the western waters of Occidental Mindoro Province in the Mindoro Strait. There are three islands with Apo Island being the largest where you can see beach goers, snorkelers and picnickers.

The diving was a bit over-exaggerated on many websites. Maybe our operator was not professional enough. We dive in the blue on most of our dives searching for Threshers, sharks etc. Most of the time we descend right to 30 m at least and swim in blue and ran out half our tank. There was no nitrox available and all the search and waiting for a congregation of sharks had wasted our air. We did see a huge shark, and giant tuna when we looked down to about 50 m (we were at about 30 m) with good visibility.

On some of the reef dives, we saw a few the normal size white tips and black tips, turtles and the common topical fishes. The night dives and the Karma wreck was the best dive site we dove. There were the uncommon sea slugs, nudibranch and jellyfishes and beautiful coral on the wreck blew me away.

More pictures can be viewed here

Enjoy my movie ...

Movie : Diving Wrecks of Coron & Apo Reef

Diving Coron, Palawan

View from Al Faro

Coron & Busuanga Bay

The wrecks in Coron Bay, and surrounding shores of Busuanga, are some of the finest dives sites in the Philippines today. Knowing a little about the history of these wrecks, and how they got there, will enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of the diving once you are in the water.

I am not a big fan of wrecks but just wanted to experience diving into history and penetration into the inside of big ships, ensure comfortable manoeuvring in the dark and narrow paths while maintaining buoyancy and capturing some silhouettes. None of the pictures taken inside the wreck was up to standard to post publicly but some short video clips were processed in my diving movie for memory's sake. 

Most of the wrecks were filled with hard and soft corals on the outside. Some with big school of yelow snappers and fusiliers surrounding the wrecks. There were big jellyfish during some of the dives and few nudibranch, sweetlips, lionfish. batfish and scorpionfish.

Visibility was so bad, the best was 10m and the worst at 5m. So it is better to stick close to your dive guide or bring a compass so you will not get lost in the murky waters.

Did I enjoy it? Well ... not for the scenery but the adventure excites me.

Kayangan Lake was quite an experience. As we approach the lake, the view was breathtaking. It is made of of rock formation with the lake in between. We had to climb some steps to get over and a steep stairs to get into the lake, in full equipment holding the fins and camera rig in my hands. A mix of cold and warm water made the dive interesting and that was all. There were almost no fishes except for a bunch of catfish  and shrimps.  The other ladies were enjoying the weightless feeling doing somersaults as the water got colder. 

Kayangan Lake

Islands Around Cebu, Philippines

Cebu is the main island of Cebu province in the Visayas. It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol Island. It is flanked on its west side by the Tañon Strait (between Cebu and Negros) and on the east side by the Cebu Strait(between Cebu and Bohol). Cebu is located between 9°25'N and 11°15'N latitude and between 123°13'E and 124°5'E longitude in the center of the archipelago.

1. Bantayan Island

Bantayan Island is an island located in theVisayan Sea, Philippines. It is situated to the west of the northern end of Cebu Island, across the Tañon Strait. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 136,960.[2]

A beautiful Island, and currently Cebu's little secret paradise still unknown to many, just off the northwest tip of Cebu's mainland.

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Largely undeveloped and definitely not over crowded and over priced with the commercialization of some other Islands; it’s a perfect place for those seeking peace & quiet, blue skies & clean air, with spectacular turquoise water & great white sand beaches, along with some of the most beautiful sunrise & sunsets in the world!

Getting There

1. From the North Bus Terminal Via taxi from Cebu City: make sure it’s a METERED taxi to avoid a price gouge, and insist the driver actually uses the meter (if not, just get another taxi; there's plenty to choose from without a long wait time).

2. From the North Terminal, Ceres Coach Buses (yellow & white) & Cebu AutoBus Corp. (orange & white) run all day from approx. 5 am. onwards at approx. P150 aircon from very early in the morning, to the port town of Hagnaya in Northern Cebu (travel time 2.5 to 3 hrs. or longer - and buses depart every 30 to 45 minutes, or thereabouts)

3. From Hagnaya's Port you'll hop a 75min boat (P170) to Santa Fe on Bantayan Island, and the boats run from 5:30 am early morning until the last boat leaves Hagnaya at 5:30 pm.

TIP: arrive at the Cebu City North Bus Terminal by 1:15pm/2pm at the latest, in order to make the last Ferry of the day at 5:30pm in Hagnaya Cebu.

Also, please be aware of road repair work being done through 2014 on the Cebu City main highway north, and this will increase your travel time beyond 3 hrs. especially when traveling later in the day (early am travel is always best).

Aircon Buses currently run only occasionally from Cebu City - Non Aircon Buses run every day, all day long.

Where to Stay

There is something to offer everyone, on just about any budget.

Find a hotel in Bantayan Island

2. Camotes Islands

The Camotes group of islands located east of Cebu. The islands are made up of the Pacjian, Ponson, Poro and Tulang.

For a regular traveller, most tropical paradise or your dream islands are expensive but it is not for Camotes. Surprisingly it is affordable to stay in a beautiful island like this; sometimes you just need to know where to find hidden gems. Away from the crowds and mainstream tourism, Camotes is only a couple of hours away from Cebu City. Enjoy a piece of seclusion and delight in one of the world’s most undiscovered paradises, home to some of the Philippines best beaches.

Getting There

Best time to visit is March/April when the weather is fine and the waters become crystal clear.

You can get there from the city via Danao then ride a boat at 200 (aircon) or 180 (non aircon) pesos per ticket.

The bus ride from the city to Danao was about an hour. You can catch a bus or van from the North Bus Terminal which has trips every 30 mins or so. You can also ride a jeepney from White Gold, still heading to Danao. But we find the bus more comfortable as it has more legroom.
You then get off at the Danao port and get tickets to the boat. I’m not sure of other shipping lines running from Danao to Camotes but the one we were at was Jomalia shipping lines. If there were others, I’m sure they were pretty much the same.

Where to Stay

Mangodlong Paradise Beach Resort is one the best resorts to stay on the Camotes, it has some great modern rooms and the best swimming pool on the island.

Mangodlong Rock Resort is a popular resort on Camotes Island having its own private cove and a small rocky outcrop that has few cottage huts to relax in. The resort offers snorkelling, kayaking as well as having its own dive centre. The pool is tiny and is more for cooling off from the tropical heat than for swimming. Day use of the resort is available and you can rent out snorkels.  The Coco Groove rooms are located outside the main resort a few minute walk just past Mangodlong Paradise Beach Resort. Mangodlong Rock Resort is the sister Hotel of Santiago Bay Garden only 10 minutes away. This used to be the only resort in this area, now shares the area with 2 other resorts (Paradise Beach and BBR).

Santiago Bay Resort sits on a hilltop overlooking Santiago Bay with arguably has one of the best views on the Camotes Islands. The resort has 51 rooms starting from the Standard Room (around 1000 PHP a night) which they have 6 non air-conditioned and 7 air- conditioned rooms in this type. The Deluxe Room is the most common room and these are the room types you can actually book online with sites like Agoda This is the most convenient to pay as you can do it pre arrival. Santiago Bay Resort doesn’t have credit card facilities it’s the easiest way to book. Otherwise you will need to pay by cash.

3. Mactan Island

For a pampered and lazy holiday, then Mactan Island is for you. This is where you can find some of the finest 5 star luxury resorts in the Philippines. Relax by the pool or beach with a refreshing cocktail, indulge in some of the best spas, try some of the action water spots (jet skiing, parasailing, scuba diving) or go island hopping to some nearby islands. Mactan is more developed and commercialised than the other islands, so you can do a bit of shopping, enjoy the nightlife or take a day tour of Cebu City.

Being one of the major tourist Islands of Cebu, Mactan Island boasts of a diverse collection of tourist spots and attractions. Being a coral island, Mactan offers some of the best diving, snorkeling, island hopping, jet ski, sailing and cultural activities of any island in the Philippines.

The only aquarium attraction in the Visayas is also located on the island.

Getting There

Mactan is less than an hour away from Cebu City, an international gateway.

The best time to go is from July to November. 

Sun, sea, sand, it's just a quick drive from the city!

Where to Stay

Accommodations in Mactan range from affordable inns to the ultra-posh Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa, hailed as one of the top resorts in Asia by Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler.

Pulchra Resort

Dolphin-House Resort-SPA-Diving

Find a hotel in Mactan

Don’t leave without dining at a local sutukil restaurant, where fresh seafood is cooked according to your preference — sugba (grilled), tuwa (stewed) or kilaw (raw).

If you can tear yourself away from a lounge chair, Lapu-Lapu City is home to Cebu’s guitar-making heritage. Get an inside look at the local industry with factory tours of local manufacturers like Alegre Guitars. Don’t forget to take one home; Cebu-made guitars are known for their quality, durability and affordability.

For a good day trip, there’s the nearby Olango Island, where birds of a feather flock together — literally. It’s a favorite spot for more casual bird watchers.

Like Mactan, Olango has several diving and snorkeling spots, including the shark-inhabited Mabini Point, the soft coral haven of Santa Rosa, and the deep wall dive of Baring.

But the star of the show in these parts is the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary. Up to 60,000 migratory birds from as far as Siberia and Northern China make these 920 hectares of mangroves, sea grasses and mudflats a pit stop during their global migration. Chinese egrets, Asiatic dowitchers and Eastern curlews are just some of the species that can be found here. 

Diving Malapascua - Evolution Dive Centre

Evolution Dive Centre & Resort

Stayed at the native fan room right in front of the restaurant and the first room from the beach, I enjoyed the strong breeze day in day out and during the late hours, the windows are almost shut. Everywhere within the resort can be reached within steps with lots of walking and breathing space in between, hammocks and settees to relax, have a drink, read or chill out while waiting for your next dive. With a few steps more, you may like to get a massage by the beach or sunbathe. The dive centre is well-equipped and is popular for technical diving. On the wall outside the office are nicely handwritten diving rules and prices on black boards. You may write your name on the white board for the daily dive schedule. Please follow the same format of writing and inform the divemaster or instructor.The rinse buckets are sufficient with clean water. Ample space to hang your wet stuffs and separate tanks to rinse your camera and equipment. The classroom is a hut on its own furnished with a white board, a big table and chairs with writing facility.

 

                                                                                                 

Diving Monad Shoal

Most divers around the world come here for the regular sightings of the thresher sharks. The Monad Shoal is where you need to descend at 6 am to be on time to see the sharks. You got to get up as early as 4.30 am to get ready to set off before 5.30 am. The boat ride take s about 30 minutes not forgetting you have to transfer from the small tug boat to the outrigger boat (banca). Well It was still dark at 5.30 am but by 6 am the sun has risen. So no need to worry that you will be setting up your equipment in darkness. 

The boat ride to Monad Shoal was unforgettable watching the beautiful sun rise while anticipating meeting the threshers. Feelings of excitement and the adrenaline rushes each morning as the boat approaches Monad Shoal.

As I was there on the first week of February, it was still winter season and water was about 25 degrees celsius throughout. But it feels like 23 to 24 degrees after 45 minutes of bottom time with another 30 minutes with 100 bar before we ascend. Th average depth was about 27m and my maximum depth was about 31m.

On my three days diving at Monad Shoal, the thresher sightings added up to about 20 with an average of 6 to 7 sharks each dive. My first dive had the best sightings. Watching the long-tailed, cute-looking round eyes, shy and harmless shark swam by and one even came towards me and turned around right before my eyes and my camera left behind a spectacular experience and a memory I would never forget. Today, I am still missing the threshers and sometimes would wonder when I would go back again.

Critter Diving

Lacy Scorpion FIsh

The other dive sites are more for spotting critters. My favourite is the Lighthouse where I did 2 day dives and 1 night dive. The other popular dive sites are Lapus-Lapus, North Point and while at Deep Rock, I found my favourite pygmy seahorse. I saw many nudibranch, different type crabs, pipefish, porcupine fish, puffer fish, snow-flake moray, shrimps and the flamboyant cuttlefish. The Lacy Scorpion fish was my best finding on this trip.  

Gato Island

Pygmy Seahorse

Take a day trip to Gato and swim through the tunnel coming out the other side. Diving through the cave you can see banded sea snakes that might scare you, different types of crabs, sea slugs and nudibranch. Coming out  from the cave are some overhangs and swim through's to swim through the cave can get up close to the baby whitetips sleeping under the rocks. I found another pygmy seahorse here!

Kalanggaman Island

The journey is about 2 hours to reach the beautiful white sand bar, a picturesque postcard view of a desert island, with nothing but palm trees, white sand clear blue water. There were a few huts as shelters for tourist to sit and have their barbequed lechon lunch.

There are no hotels or dive centres on this island. You have to book a trip from the dive centres or watersports centre in Malapascua.

To book a resort in Malapascua, click here.

Here are some pictures taken during my trip. More pictures can be viewed on Flickr.

Arriving Logon beach, Malapascua

Kalanggaman Island

Security outside my room

Getting on the tug boat from Logon beach

Pathetic Maya Port aftermath from typhoons Haiyan and Ruby

Family business - Mr Kwitz Restaurant

Getting to Malapascua

Beach in front of Evolution Dive Centre

Not too painful a journey neither was it easy. Although it was a direct flight from Singapore to Cebu, it was 4 am when I arrived. Managed to get an hour of sleep during the flight mentally feels fresh but eyes were tired. The private taxi driver waited for me at the arrival appeared as a limping middle-aged man suffering from gout. With my request, he stopped by various gasoline stations searching for a SIM card and got it after much effort.

It has been suggested by most tourists to stay at least a day or two at Cebu to take a look around the city and other nearby islands around in an hour or so journey time such as Carnotes Island, Mactan(30 mins journey) & Bantayan Island or Oslob and Moalboal much further away (3 to 4 hours land journey). For more details on these islands, click here.

Find a hotel in Cebu.

The 3 hrs journey to Maya port was quite easy, dozing and waking up to the red skies and sunset along the way. We stopped by Carmen, a park where locals jog. We finally arrived at the port where we were met by porters to help me get on the boat seamlessly. At Maya port, the unfinished construction of building and shelters, reminded me of the Typhone Haiyan of 2013 that left the devastated city with grief and loss.

Soon we left the port from the small tug boat and after few minutes we were transferred to the big bangka (outrigger) boat. Some locals were even selling bananas and snacks on the boat. This was my first time travelling on an outrigger. However, soon after the boat sailed, the strong waves hitting on the boat left most of us distraught, hiding at the back of the boat to avoid the splashes.

After 40 minutes of rough and wet ride, we arrived Malapascua, some named it the mini Boracay. As I got off the tug boat to the beach, I was almost immediately met with a porter to get me to where I was going ... Evolution Dive Centre. No doubt, everyone knows this popular dive resort I have booked way before my arrival. It cost me php20 to get a ride on a normal motorbike with my 20 kg luggage.

It took only 5 minutes to get to Evolution. Facing the resort is the beautiful clear blue waters with fine and white sand beach. The skies were cloudy and winds were strong. My room is the very first one from the beach.  Just by the beach, there are kids selling souvenirs and aunties offering massage services. 

Book your stay if you wish to dive with Evolution Resort and Dive Centre.

FInd a resort at Malapascua here.

View from my room

The administrative portion took almost 30 minutes after which I waited at the restaurant waiting for my room to be ready. Finally settled after a nice wash up, had lunch and met up with Angel, a Mexican instructor. Got my manual to read to prepare for the test 3 hours later. Sleepy and tired though, still managed to make it through..borderline. Alas, I took my first specialty course.

Diving Raja Ampat

I was amazed at the rich marine life, healthy corals, soft and hard, pelagics, schools of Jacks, barracudas, sweet lips, snappers, fusiliers, blue-finned trevally etc. The marine landscape and topography is so beautiful and lives up to its name as "some of the best diving in the world". There were many reef sharks, napoleon wrasse on many dives, not forgetting the bumphead parrotfishes, groupers, wobbegong sharks, crustaceans, crabs, nudibranch and pygmy seahorse. It is such an extensive area with more than 30 dive sites to explore that takes more than one trip to do this marine haven justice. This trip I focused more on the pelagics as there are too much to either by looking straight ahead, left or right side. Currents were also strong that in order to ensure safety, dives were guided professionally and the rules to follow. I did not dive nitrox thus bottom time was limited. Overall, I had a fantastic time in this underwater pristine paradise.

Getting to Raja Ampat - what a journey!

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Getting to Raja Ampat

Located on the north-western tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of of New Guinea, in Indonesia's West Papua province, Raja Ampat (or Four Kings) comprises of 1500 small islands, cays and shoals surrounding four main islands of Waigeo, Misool, Salawati and Batanta. Raja Ampat has been named the most diverse marine region on earth, with 75%  of known coral species in the world and 1430 species of reef fish, a natural phenomenon of enormous biodiversity and a paradise for divers. Sounds familiar isn't it? After months of procrastination and consideration, I finally decided to go for it.

Getting to Raja Ampat was not so easy for me. I had to rush home after 10 hours work to grab my luggage for the evening flight to Jakarta, transfer to the domestic terminal and waited 3 hours for the 6-hour flight to Sorong via Makassar.  Minutes soon after the plane took off, I fell asleep until 4 am and woken up by some noise, feeling hungry and the passenger next to me handed me a bread and water. I was disappointed that a $500+ flight do not serve a proper meal! Arrived Sorong at 6.30 am, waited 30 minutes for my luggage and transported to a hotel cafe/lounge (sorry no room!) to eat and rest while waiting to get to the boat at 1 pm.  This trip could be more relaxing if I could arrive in the afternoon and spend a night at a hotel and look around  Sorong before going across to Raja Ampat. 

Find a hotel in Sorong.

Gosh! Another 6 hours of waiting!  Really disappointed with the resort's last minute change of plans when they were supposed to pick me up at 9.30 to the boat. Had a simple wash up, brushed teeth and breakfast. Nothing seemed appetitizing to me due to the lack of sleep and some gastro discomfort. There was no wi-fi for non-staying guests so I tried to sleep sitting down. I did had a few short naps, then it was time for lunch. After a hearty meal of Chinese culinary, I got back my energy. Then a black guy arrived, it was Dovan. He was much thinner and fairer when I saw him early last year in Lembeh. Haha ... after one year in R4, he now looked like the local Papuan! We had so much to catch up over the next few days and diving together with no one else.

Before the boat embarked, we collected  4 male + 1 female American divers from the LOB Black Manta whom I spent the whole week diving and dining with at the resort. They are professional photographers, in the filming and dive/travel industries. The lady is a pilot ... wow! How admirable! Finally after about 40 minutes boat ride, we arrived at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge at 3 pm. Got our welcome drinks and towels over a briefing by the manager, Harry. Immediately after that I checked in to my standard room, transferred my dive equipment to the basket for Dovan to set up and bring to the dive boat while I assembled my photo equipment. In less than 30 minutes, I was on the dive boat.

Raja Ampat Dive Lodge

Entrance to the Standard Rooms

Dive Centre & Camera Room