Apo Reef Marine National Park in the South China Sea is one of the most well-known dive spots in Southeast Asia. Apo Reef offers extraordinary walls and drop offs with fantastic marine life. We call this challenging adventure an expedition, which turns to more experienced divers. Here, there is also a turtle colony, which is guarded by local rangers. The coral gardens around Apo Reef are well preserved and the number of divers who are allowed here is controlled and limited.

We will start the adventure from the beautiful Pandan Island and we have approximately 3 hours boat ride to Apo Reef, if the weather is calm. On the way there we start with a dive on a sunken Island called Discovery banks and which often offers good visibility with great schools of pelagic Triggerfish. Reef sharks are often spotted around the reef edge. The dive spots around Apo Reef, like “Ego wall”, “Alladin” and “Hunters Rock” offer tremendous coral drops with excellent overhangs where schools of grey shark and great barracudas are common. You also see a lot of turtles, whitetip reef sharks and schools of snappers. In the recent years many divers have been experiencing curious hammerhead sharks in the strong current along Apo Reef. Devil ray, great manta and eagle ray are also very common on these locations and are often spotted in large schools. Due to its location very far out in the South China Sea, the visibility on Apo Reef is often more than excellent.

After Apo Reef the adventure takes us to Coron, Busuanga, where we will experience amazing wreck diving on some of the Japanese warships, which were attacked by American air force during World War II. The history tells us that in September 1944, “taskforce 38” discovered 18 ships, well camouflaged inside Coron bay. These ships belonged to the royal Japanese navy and supported the Japanese ships which participated in the battle of Leyte gulf. More than 180 fighters from among others the aircraft carrier New Jersey participated in the attack. This well documented event in combination with the wrecks being at a dive-friendly depth makes the wreck diving in Coron bay one of the best places in the world of its kind.

We will also do a daytrip along the coastline, where we will try to locate the unique and rare sea cow, “dugong”. During this part of the safari we will stay at the beautiful situated Sangat resort, which is located on the marvelous Sangat Island.

During the second part of the adventure, the journey will take us to an un unexploited area which is known for having the largest amount of whale sharks in the world, namely Donsol, Sorsogon. The whale shark is the world’s largest fish and can grow to 18 meters. The water in Donsol is very rich of plankton, which is the main food for the whale shark. Therefore large schools of whale sharks come to this area to feed for a couple of months. It is not uncommon to see 10-15 whale sharks in a day. During this part of the adventure, we will dive around the beautiful island of San Miguel, known for its caves and untouched coral gardens. San Miguel offers great macro diving, and is loved by underwater-photographers.

At the Ticao pass we will do incredible drift dives at Manta Bowl, where we have the possibility to see manta, hammerhead, thresher shark and school of tuna. If we are lucky and have the right conditions everything is possible and anything can pass by!

March and April are the peak season for the whale shark in Donsol, Sorsogon.

Minimum of 8 persons

Inclusions:

• All transfers to and from airports
• Domestic flight Manila-San Jose and Busuanga-Manila
• Domestic flight Manila/Legaspi
• Ferry to Cebu
• Hotel nights before and after the safari
• Full board (incl. breakfast, lunch and dinner, excluding drinks
• Live aboard and accommodation in resorts during the safari
• Tanks, weights and air
• Dive guides
• Diving fees
• Whale shark fees
• Transports
• Approximately 26 dives, depending on the weather conditions.

1.1 Itinerary

Day 1:

Departure

Day 2:

Arriving in Manila, Philippines. A representative will bring you to Mabuhay manor hotel, a 15 minute drive from the airport.

Day 3:

Transfer to the domestic airport and flight to San Jose in Mindoro. After three hours of boat ride with our safari-boat, we reach Pandan Island. After check in and lunch, we offer one dive around Pandan Island for those who wish to warm up.

Day 4:

We break up early from Pandan Island and start our journey to Apo Reef, which takes approximately three hours if the weather is calm. On the way there we have a dive at “Discovery banks” (sunken island). At Apo Reef, we will have lunch on the boat and prepare ourselves for our next dive around the reef. If the weather conditions are good, we will have three dives on our first day in Apo Reef.

Day 5:

Three dives around Apo reef. We spend the night at the boat.

Day 6:

Four dives around Apo reef. We spend the night at the boat. We plan for one night dive if the conditions are good.

Day 7:

Early morning dive at Apo reef and we continue to Coron, Busuanga and Dimakya Island, where we anchor outside the  Club Paradise resort. If we have the right conditions, we can dive with the dugong that lives here. Here we have a great opportunity to see this enchanting creature, which feeds on seaweed. We take a daytrip in the area to look for the dugong.  We plan for a night dive and a visit to the exclusive resort, where we can relax in the swimming pool or the Jacuzzi. We spend the night at the boat.

Day 8:

After breakfast, we have our first wreck dive at Kyokosan Maru. The visibility is between 10-30m, even though the wreck lying on mud bottom. With strong current the visibility can be less. The wreck is in a good shape and for you who has a wreck specialty, this wreck is very nice for penetration where you can find a lot of chinaware in the cabins. We make another dive on Kyokosan Maru, where after we continue to Maribacan where a jeepney will transport us to Coron town and Sangat Island. Check in at Sangat Island Resort.

Day 9:

After an early wreck dive, the rest of the day is free to spend at the resort. (If there is extra time, depending on the flight schedule the next day, we plan to do a very special dive in Barracuda Lake, which is a volcanic lake with three thermo clines.) We recommend a canoe tour around the area, which has a very amazing environment with hot springs and exciting caves to see. We spend the night at the resort.

Day 10:

Transport Day. We check out from the resort and continue to the local airport for transport back to Manila. The exciting flight with the propeller plane from Busuanga to Manila takes approximately one hour. We spend the night at Mabuhay manor hotel in Manila.

Day 11:

Early transfer to domestic airport for travel to Legaspi City, approximately 50 minutes flight. From Legaspi we have one hour transfer to the whale shark city of Donsol. Now the whale shark and manta adventure begins. We check in at Woodlands resort where we will have lunch. After registration and information about how to interact with whale sharks we are ready to face them. The rest of the day we experience the whale sharks close up. We spend the night at the resort.

Day 12:

After check out from Woodlands resort, the day starts with a dive at San Miguel Island, where we plan for 3 dives. Here you will experience world-class soft corals and those of you diving with camera will love all the small animals, which are perfect for great macro pictures. If it’s possible we also do a night dive here. We move on to Ticao Island, where we check in at Altamar resort. Here we will have a nice buffet and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. We spend the night at this excellent resort.

Day 13:

We start the day with an early morning dive at Manta bowl, which is located only 15 minutes away from the resort. During this different drift dive , there is a great possibility to see big groups of manta rays and schools of tuna. If we are lucky, hammerheads and thresher sharks will pass by this sunken island. With the right current and other conditions it’s likely to dive with whale sharks here on Manta bowl. It is quite common that the whale sharks actually search for us divers out of pure curiosity. We’ll have breakfast on the boat while we are waiting for the second dive. At the same time we’ll look for the thresher sharks to jump out of the water. We’ll eat lunch back at the resort. After a couple of hours we will go back to Manta bowl for a dusk dive. We spend the night at the resort.

Day 14:

Same program as the day before, with three dives at Manta Bowl. We spend the night at the resort.

Day 15:

After checking out from Altamar resort we either do a dive at Manta Bowl or we do some snorkeling outside Donsol. In the evening we take the ferry from Masbate to Cebu. The journey is a local experience which will take approximately 12 hours and we will arrive in Cebu early in the morning the following day.

Day 16:

Arrive in Cebu around 6 am. Here we got the opportunity to do some shopping or enjoy a good relaxing massage before the journey home from Mactan Airport. The end of the safari.

Day 17:

Arrival back in Manila

1.2 Other Details

• Maximum diving guests are 10.
• A minimum of 8 diving guests are required for each safari to take place.
• Accommodation in double rooms during the safari.
• The program can be changed with short notice due to different reasons, such as weather conditions, transports etc.
• We are not liable for any delayed or cancelled flights, sickness or illness (such as stomach disease), weather conditions, delayed transports.
• If the guests doesn’t follow the mentioned schedule, accommodation can be cancelled.
• The minimum certification level is advanced open water or similar level. We may offer Advance Open Water course during the safari.
• The guest will pay for any excess luggage on the domestic flights. Please note that on some domestic flights the limit is 10 kg. The excess luggage cost approximately 2 US$ /kg, which can vary depending on the airline.
• International flight is not included in the package.

1.3 Accommodations

• Mabuhay Manor hotel
  • This is a well-known and popular hotel with high standard, located only 15 minutes drive from the airport. The hotel has a great kitchen and serves everything from breakfast, Filipino food, simple meals to more exclusive dishes. There is also a pool with sundeck. All rooms are equipped with minibar and it is also possible to order massage to the room. The staff of the hotel will be glad to help arranging different tours around Manila for those who would like to stay a couple of days extra in the town.

• Pandan Island
  • This is a small and very nice island with a lot of nice nature-experiences, for example the beautiful turtle colony. Pandan Island is located approximately 40 minutes away from the main land. The resort has a 12 V system, which means that there is no access to air-condition or fan. For those with cameras and/or lamps it is possible to charge these batteries in the bar of the resort. The resort offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. The dinner consists of a wonderful Filipino buffet, but it’s also possible to order a la carte. For further information: http://www.pandan.com

• Sangat Island
  • Sangat is an extraordinary beautiful island with excellent beaches and spectacular nature. The majestic mountain ridge makes impressive scenery to this paradise, just in the middle of the Japanese shipwrecks. Sangat resort, where we are staying, holds a high standard on accommodation, service and food. Here you can snorkel, use canoes, try the gym or order massage on the beach. Here we have a great mixture of incredible wreck diving and relaxing sunbathing in an amazing environment. For further information: http://www.sangat.com.ph
• Woodlands resort
  • Woodlands resort is located in Donsol, right on the beach in the middle of the bay where the whale sharks are. The standard of the resort is simple, but good compared to other resorts in this area. Although this resort has a lower class than the rest of the resorts we are visiting during this adventure. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The food is middleclass and mostly consists of Filipino buffet. The rooms are equipped with fan, two beds and a bathroom with cold water shower.
• Altamar resort
  • Altamar resort is located on Ticao Island and has a very high standard. Here you will be served high class Filipino food. To take a walk on the beach or in the surrounding area is a pleasant experience. The distance from the resort to the dive site Manta Bowl is only 15 minutes. The staff here is very friendly and entertaining. The rooms have two beds and a bathroom with hot water shower.
• Live-aboard
  • We will stay at the boat, sleeping under the stars, during the first part of the safari when we visit Apo Reef. The boat (buncaboat = a typical Filipino boat with outriggers) is very big with a sundeck on the top. The crew on the boat will prepare the sundeck to a nice sleeping area with mattresses and shelter from the wind every night. On the boat we also have a cook that serves excellent food, often “the catch of the day”. Since it is a live-aboard, the freshwater tanks are limited, but of course it is possible to take showers.

1.4 Food

If you are a vegetarian or are allergic to any kind of food, please let Prosafari know before your trip and we’ll be glad to help you. The Filipino kitchen is not like rest of Asia. The food here consists of grilled meat, fish or chicken, mainly served with rice. The food is not as spicy as in for example Thailand.

1.5 Internet and Telephone

Internet/telephone will be available at all resorts we will visit during the safari.

1.6 Journey Home

You always have to confirm your ticket 72 hours before the journey home. Of course we will help you with this, but don’t forget to find out the telephone number to your airline office in the Philippines, which your airline agency can help you with. You must also pay airport tax when you leave the Philippines; the amount is around 700 Peso.