Tubataha/Apo Liveaboard

I have dived Apo Reef on a liveaboard with Apo Reef Club who are based near San Jose Mindoro. It was a quick 2 day (1 night) trip. Their boat is fairly basic (sleep under a canopy on the roof of the boat) but it was a great trip and very well organised. If you want a more upmarket liveaboard with proper cabins, then try Expedition Fleet liveaboards. You can also dive Apo Reef from Pandan Island Resort, they offer both day trips and overnight trips. FInally, there's a boat called Rags Two which goes down there fairly often.

For Tubbataha, I've never dived it, but Expedition Fleet operates liveaboards down there. There's also a few others including Hans Christian Andersen.

I dived Apo Reef earlier this year with Pandan Island Resort. It was a great trip, comfortable boat, good food and good DM. Saw sharks on every dive. Pandan Island Resort is very popular so I advise booking if you choose them.

You can also do Apo Reef out of Coron with http://www.divecal.com/index.htm , I dived the wrecks in Coron with them. Their Apo Reef trip is way cheaper than Pandan Island Resorts. The wrecks in Coron are excellent dives too.

I also did Tubbataha with Expedition, if you get on the first boat of the season (Transition trip) which sails from Batangas, the boat spends one day at Apo Reef on the way to Tubbataha (saw a Hammerhead on my last dive at Apo on this trip). Expedition was very professional but pretty pricey, unfortunately if you want to dive Tubbataha you don't have many options.

If you have a limited budget I would say go with divecal out of Coron.

Panda Island Resort is a really nice place and very reasonably priced, it's a great place to chill for a while but you need to book, you cannot just turn up and expect to get a bed (as I found out :-( )

Hello everyone,

I recently returned from one of the most rewarding trips of my life. For the past 3 years I've gotten into diving in southeast Asian countries: Thailand, Bali, etc...Everywhere I go, people tell me about where the best diving is, as if I am always just a little late.

This last travel, I went to Coron, in the province of Palawan, Philippines. My dream has always been to do a liveaboard, but always been outpriced. From these forums, I began looking into an operator out of Busuanga named DIVECAL, which offers a liveaboard to Apo Reef.

Long story short, for divers with a no-frills mindset, this trip to Apo is simply a must-do. Everything about this trip met or exceeded my expectations:

1. Diving-We saw pristine walls with huge coral formations and sea fans. Feelings of infinity are pervasive as one cruises along these massive walls. We got tired (hypothetically) of seeing sharks, there were that many. Each dive offered at least one reliably! We saw spotted eagle-ray, giant turtles, every other fish you could imagine, even a bull-shark. The only thing missed was a Manta and a whale-shark(boo-hoo)...

2. Food-Fresh and plentiful, our cook always seemed to have our meals ready right when we were hungry and ready to eat. There was never a point where I needed more food, but we'd run out. I always struggled to finish the food that was in front of me because there was so much. It is so good however, that you might overeat (in a good way)!!!

3. The Crew-the crew of the Marimar is topnotch. Martha, the diving guide, is truly a world-class dive instructor and manages to win over even the most sour curmudgeon with her vivacity and warmth. She stopped logging her dives after # five thousand, and has a level of skill and expertise that is almost sure to rub off on new and experienced divers alike. Many guides take it upon themselves to do their job, treat their clients well, and that is about it. Martha brings a whole 'nother element to this relationship by offering her personal friendship in the mix, making these trips truly different than most guided outings the world over. Yet she manages to be humble, funny, and sincere in a way that is both refreshing and deeply endearing.

This trip was truly a world class affair, and it is something that I've been trying to find for a long time. It is one of those things that you don't want too many people to know about because it is that good...

@ Samorse, I did the Apo trip with DiveCal back in December 2011. I generally concur with what you say, it's an excellent trip, and very good value for money. However, I feel it's worth noting that it takes a lot longer to reach Apo Reef from Coron than it does from San Jose or Pandan Island, Mindoro.

good point