Dive Apo Island or Padre Burgos?
Replies: 8 - Last Post: Feb 21, 2013 2:25 PM Last Post By: dawsey
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Dive Apo Island or Padre Burgos?
I've booked a flight from Manila to Tagbilaran for 8 March and will be in that general area for 7/8 days. Can't decide whether to locate around Panglao/Siquijor/Dumaguete and dive Apo Island or go over to Anda for a few days to relax and then ferry to Leyte Padre Burgos to dive. Can anyone with personal experience of diving both sites recommend one over the other? I know PB has whale sharks, but will I see something at Apo Island that i won't see at PB? Also, I am a novice diver (open water 10 years ago, haven't dived for 7 years so need to do a refresher) so probably wouldn't be up for dives much below 50-60 feet. I guess I need to figure out where I'll be at the end of the week to see where I need to get a flight from back to Manila.Thanks again to all who post here.
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Hi,You are flying into Tag but may locate at Siquijor or Dumageutte? Bit confused by that. Judging by your post I would suggest that, if you are a beach person, you choose Panglao. Lots of the places there give a free motorbike with the room so you can explore on your non dive days.
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I'll spend 2 or 3 days on Panglao/Bohol and then relocate either to Dumaguete/Siquijor area and dive Apo Island, or relocate to Padre Burgos and dive there. I guess the first option is better to be able to fly back to manila from Dumaguete, as opposed to going to Tacloban 5 hours for the nearest airport to Padre Burgos. But I was just wondering if anyone who had dived at both places would recommend one over the other, and if so, for what reasons.3
you have no way got enough time to get to Padre Burgos if you are flying into Tagbilaran. I don't think you have realised how isolated it is and relatively difficult to reach (and return from). You don't even really have enough time for Siquijor if you are committed to spending a third of your time (2-3 days) in Alona, and then going to Dumaguete and Apo. What would be the point in rushing to Siquijor for only two days, when itself is hours from an airport?5
of course it is but you need to realise that you just don't click your fingers and this boat turns up like a taxi and whisks you off over this bit of sea to your destination. They are always time consuming, you seem to spend half as much time waiting for the ferry and sitting on it waiting for it to get going as you do during the sailings themselves. Also buses are slow, Tagbilaran to Ubay, where you would get your ferry to Leyte is only about 120km but will take about 4 hours or more if you have to change. You could be fretting you might miss the last ferry, or even if you do get the last ferry you could still get stuck for a night, public transport can be very poor after dark in the provinces with very little and even almost nothing after 7pm. Getting inconvenienced and stuck in some hick town overnight unexpectedly is another thing that can be fun on a holiday, but it's much better if it happens on a 50 day holiday when you have plenty enough time to cope with it, than on a 7 day one, where you don't.6
Appreciate the insight. I guess you indirectly suggested your answer to my main question about which of the two dive sites to head for (Apo Island - as it involves less travel). With regard to hick towns, I've usually found I've had some really good times in the towns that books like Lonely Planet and Rough Guide have said don't go to!7
Alona and Dumaguete area with your main diving at Apo is PLENTY for 7 days. Just Dumaguete and around is enough for a week.8
Yeah, I'm starting to find more stuff on the web to do around Dumaguete than the guide books say. Wish I'd arranged a flight into there instead.
