Updated November 20, 2022
This is the thirty-fourth in a series that introduces and describes the various dive services and sites for worldwide liveaboard dive safaris. This one focuses on the Visayas, Philippines liveaboards.
In addition to this series on liveaboards, the best worldwide dive resort locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.
Cited by many as the best diving in the Philippines, have you ever been diving in the Visayas before? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.
Visayas Liveaboard Dive Boats
There are several other vessels that cruise to locations in the Visayas. These two do it a little differently taking in a different combination of locations than the others. In addition, both have three different itineraries and go to Tubbataha during the season there. The pricing is reasonable for the number of services and facilities provided
MY Resolute – For the Visayas tour the Resolute circumnavigates Cebu Island enabling divers to see Malapascua with its thresher and hammerhead sharks, caves, and wrecks as well as Moalboal with its sardine balls and spectacular walls. This possibility is unique to this boat. In addition to this safari and the one to world-class Tubbataha Reefs, a third goes to Apo Reef and the Coron wrecks that are not too far behind in reputation.
MV Infiniti – The Infiniti just arrived on the liveaboard scene in the Philippines a couple of years ago. Previously they ran cruises in the Andaman Islands of Thailand. Now that they are in the Philippines, they are also cruising to Tubbataha and to Apo Reef, and the Coron Wrecks in two separate cruises. What drew my attention was their third cruise which takes in the Sogod Bay area of Southern Leyte. The Infiniti is the first yacht to go to this area pretty far off the beaten path which is particularly famous for whale sharks and manta rays.
- July-October Itinerary: Cebu Mactan, Dauin, Little Apo Island, Moalboal, Malapascua, Cebu Mactan
- November-March Itinerary: Apo Reef-Coron
- March-June Itinerary: Tubbataha
- Laundry service, daily housekeeping
- Aircon cabins, non-smoking rooms, en-suite bathrooms
- Indoor saloon, library
- Outdoor dining
- Buffet style, full-board option, vegetarian options, beer available, snacks all-day
- Camera station, separate rinse for u/w camera, charging stations
- English speaking crew
- Non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
- Nitrox available
- Dive deck, shaded diving area
- Outside showers
- Tenders for diving – 27 foot 75 hp Yamaha, 21 foot 55 hp Yamaha
- Emergency rafts
- March-June Itinerary: Tubbataha
- June-July, October, December Itinerary: Cebu Mactan, Moalboal, Pescador Island, Sumilon Island, Little Apo Island, Balicasag Island, Cabilao Island, Cebu Mactan
- November, January-February Itinerary: Cebu Mactan, Malapascua Island, Monad Shoal, Kemod Shoal, Limasawa Island, Panaon Island, Sogod Bay, Lighthouse Wreck, Dona Marilyn Wreck, Cebu Mactan
- Daily housekeeping
- Audio & video entertainment, library
- Air-conditioned saloon
- Aircon cabins, TV in cabins, en-suite bathrooms, non-smoking rooms
- Family cabins, sea view cabins, BBQ area
- Sun deck, leisure deck, bar
- Full-board option, western food, local food, vegetarian options, buffet style, beer available, snacks all day, free wine w/dinner, free soft drinks
- Camera station, camera room with table and charging point, separate rinse for u/w camera
- Charging stations
- English and Russian-speaking crew
- Non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
- Warm water showers, outside showers
- Kayaks on-board
- Snorkeling equipment
- Nitrox available
- Dive deck, shaded diving area
- Tenders for diving
Other Visayas Liveaboard Dive Boats
There are several other high-quality yachts cruising some of the Visayas top dive sites this year
Seadoors has been around for years diving at Tubbataha and also does some cruises to the Visayas.
Just joining the Philippines fleet, we now have the Philippines Aggressor diving extensively in the Visayas offering several itineraries.
PY Atlantis Azores offers 3 Visayas itineraries in the off-season of their trips to Tubbataha.
Solitude One offers a short time frame with 2 Visayas liveaboards in the off-season for their Palau trips.
Philippine Siren offers several different Visayas itineraries when they aren’t going to Tubbataha.
Discovery Palawan also runs 2 dive itineraries to the Visayas when not on their regular Palawan and Tubbataha trips.
Visayas – Best Diving in the Philippines
The Visayas have great biodiversity, pristine coral reefs, outstanding macro life, and a huge variety of reef fish, pelagics, and other large marine life forms.
In Malapascua, there are caves with reef sharks, occasional hammerheads, and thresher sharks that can be reliably seen up close in relatively shallow open water.
Excellent steep walls are common around these Visayan islands with a rich invertebrate life including hard and soft corals, giant fans, feather stars, tunicates, and an abundance of macro critters including ghost pipefish, mandarin fish, gobies, blennies, nudibranchs, ribbon eels, mantis shrimp, octopus, cleaner shrimps, crabs, and many others.
Pescador has its sardine balls.
Balicasag has its Black Forest of black corals and along with Cabilao and others has massive schools of bigeye jacks and barracuda.
At Sumilon Island you can run into an exciting stiff current that takes you over a large sandy field of garden eels.
Seasonal whale sharks and manta rays frequent Sogod Bay.
Little Apo has its hawksbill and green sea turtles.
If you are a photographer you can focus on all the small stuff or find equally satisfying wide-angle targets of beautiful coral scenes with lots of fish.
For more detailed reviews and descriptions of diving in areas covered by these two boats, please click on these posts:
- Scuba Diving Dumaguete Philippines Review
- Best Scuba Diving Resorts Malapascua
- Best Liveaboard Scuba Diving Philippines (Malapascua and the Visayas)
- Best Liveaboard Diving – Tubbataha Reefs National Park
- Best Coron Wrecks & Apo Reef Liveaboards
- Philippines Moalboal Scuba Diving Review
- Best Diving Bohol Philippines – Panglao Island Resorts
- Philippines Best Diving Mactan Island
For reviews and descriptions of diving at other Philippines destinations, please click on these posts:
- Scuba Diving Romblon Philippines
- Scuba Diving Camiguin Philippines Review
- Scuba Diving Siquijor Island Philippines Review
- Philippines Puerto Princesa Scuba Diving Review
- Best Scuba Diving Puerto Galera Philippines
- Best Scuba Diving Holidays Boracay Philippines
- Best Philippines Diving Bacuit Bay El Nido
- Best Diving Philippines Anilao Batangas
- Best Diving Reviews Anda Bohol
Visayas Liveaboard Dive Boat Comparison Table
| MY Resolute | MV Infiniti | |
|---|---|---|
 |  |
|
| Length | 34.6 m | 28 m |
| Guests | 16 | 12 |
| Equipment | by the Piece | Included |
| Nitrox | $25/day | $8/tank |
| Snorkeler Friendly | Yes | Yes |
| Price/Day | $249 | $222 |
Visayas Photos
With the interesting underwater terrain, wrecks, caves, colorful anemones, sponges, fans, black coral and encrusting invertebrates, ribbon eels, mandarin fish, octopus, and other macro critters, schools of fish, thresher and whale sharks, and fascinating scenery on the surface, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities. For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:
Scuba Diving Trip Insurance
A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation. I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Feedback and Comments
I hope you found this post on Visayas scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have diving there. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<
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