Sumérgete en la experiencia Liveaboard de Visayas en Filipinas

Immerse yourself in the unrivaled beauty of the Visayas liveaboard diving, a pristine archipelago located in the central part of the Philippines. This region is a haven for divers, offering a unique liveaboard diving experience that beckons with its clear, turquoise waters, abundant marine life, and majestic underwater landscapes.

Your adventure on a liveaboard will unveil the wonders beneath the waves, revealing a world of vibrant coral gardens, mysterious wrecks, and schools of whimsical fish dancing in the gentle currents. The Visayas region has a rich history, with each island telling tales of the ancient civilizations that once thrived here. The blend of cultural heritage and natural beauty creates a unique backdrop to your underwater exploration.

Acerca de Visayas Liveaboard

From the elusive thresher sharks of Malapascua to the mesmerizing sardine runs of Moalboal, the Visayas promises an unforgettable diving adventure amidst the heart of the Philippines’ marine biodiversity.

The Visayas region in the Philippines is a diver's paradise, offering a range of unique diving experiences across its various sites. Best experienced with a Visayas liveaboard, here's a closer look at some of the prime diving destinations in this region:

Malapascua: Known for its thresher shark encounters, Malapascua Island is a jewel in the Visayas diving crown. Apart from thresher sharks, divers also frequently spot manta rays, hammerhead sharks, and a rich variety of smaller marine creatures. The dive sites here cater to all levels of divers, with Monad Shoal being the most famous for shark sightings.

Isla Pescador (Moalboal): A marine park located near Moalboal, Pescador Island is celebrated for its vibrant coral walls and abundant marine life. The Cathedral, a cavern dive site, is one of the highlights here. The island is also home to schools of sardines, frogfish, and occasionally, whitetip sharks.

Isla Sumilon: Known for its crystal clear waters, Sumilon Island offers stunning coral landscapes and a variety of marine life including reef sharks, rays, and a multitude of fish species. The island also has a marine sanctuary which has greatly helped in preserving the local marine ecosystem.

Moalboal: Más allá de la isla Pescador, Moalboal es un centro de buceo en Filipinas known for its sardine runs. The sight of millions of sardines swirling together in unison is a spectacle not to be missed. There are also numerous dive sites here suitable for all levels of divers, featuring beautiful coral gardens and diverse marine life.

Isla Apo (Negros): Leading the diving scene in Negros, Apo Island is a protected marine sanctuary. It's a haven for divers, boasting healthy coral reefs teeming with colorful marine life. Popular dive sites include Coconut Point and Chapel Point, each offering unique underwater landscapes and a variety of marine species.

Bohol: The waters around Bohol are a playground for divers. Sites like Alona Beach and Panglao Island offer a mixture of wall, drift, and macro diving. The area is rich in coral gardens, small caves, and overhangs, housing a diverse range of marine life from nudibranchs to reef sharks.

Isla Balicasag: A small island off the coast of Bohol, Balicasag is famed for its wall dives. The island’s steep walls are adorned with beautiful corals and are home to a variety of marine species including turtles, barracudas, and jacks. Diver's Heaven and Black Forest are among the popular dive sites here.

¿Cuándo ir a Visayas?

The best time to visit the Visayas region in the Philippines for diving would be outside the typhoon season and the rainiest months, which occur from late November through February.

Durante este período, especialmente de diciembre a febrero, las Visayas orientales, incluidas Cebú, Bohol y Leyte, experimentan un clima húmedo debido a la temporada de Amihan (monzón del noreste) que trae fuertes lluvias, que afectan particularmente a los sitios de buceo en el sur de Leyte. Los tifones también son comunes de noviembre a enero, afectando especialmente a Leyte y la parte norte de Cebú.

The waters can get rough during either the northeast or southwest monsoon (Habagat) as winds stir up the waves, potentially affecting the diving conditions. However, it's mentioned that dive trips are still recommended year-round as dive operators are knowledgeable about the seasonal variations and can guide divers to sheltered areas offering great diving experiences despite the prevailing weather conditions.

Para una experiencia de buceo más predecible y agradable, planificar tu visita entre marzo y principios de noviembre podría ser ideal. Específicamente, algunos liveaboards cambian sus operaciones a Parque marino del Arrecife de Tubbataha de marzo a junio, aprovechando la temporada de buceo más corta allí, lo que también indica que este período es favorable para el buceo en la región de Visayas.

Para los indecisos

Los itinerarios de Liveaboard pueden cambiar en función de las condiciones climáticas y otras circunstancias imprevistas. Manténgase flexible y abierto a los ajustes para garantizar un viaje agradable.

Ten a mano algunos pesos filipinos (PHP) para gastos imprevistos, propinas o pequeñas compras en las paradas locales. Si bien las ciudades más grandes tienen cajeros automáticos, es posible que sean escasos o que no estén disponibles en áreas remotas.

Compra un seguro de viaje y buceo antes de tu viaje. Visayas Filipinas es un lugar remoto y algunos sitios de buceo pueden estar bastante lejos de los centros de salud más cercanos.

La mayoría de los liveaboards en Visayas requieren una experiencia mínima, como Open Water. Comprueba la experiencia mínima de buceo, ya que algunos sitios de buceo requieren una certificación avanzada o un número específico de inmersiones registradas para poder disfrutar.

¿Cómo llegar y puertos de salida?

Cebu City and Malapascua are two common liveaboard departure locations for Visayas liveaboards. Cebu City is a booming metropolis and the regional capital of the Visayas, with a port that sends ferries, cargo ships, and liveaboards out in every direction. Getting to Cebu City is easy with a 1.5-hour flight from Manila or direct flights from select Southeast Asian countries nearby. International flights can get to Cebu City via a transfer in Asia. Conversely, Malapascua has no airport, but it can be reached by taxi, van, or bus (and small boat). From Cebu City, getting to Malapascua requires a five-hour bus journey; taxis take about half that time.

In addition to Cebu City and Malapascua, the Visayas region offers other departure points like Moalboal (in Cebu) and Dumaguete (in Negros) for some Philippines liveaboards due to the variety of destinations and itineraries. Moalboal can be reached by bus from Cebu City or by bus and a short ferry from Dumaguete. On the other hand, Dumaguete has its own airport with daily flights from Manila, making it a convenient point of entry. International travelers can also reach Dumaguete through connecting flights, typically with a layover in Manila or Cebu City. Upon arrival in Dumaguete, travelers can easily find transportation to the port where liveaboards are anchored, ready to embark on the underwater adventure.

Consejos de viaje imprescindibles para vivir aventuras a bordo de Liveaboard

Tarifas del parque marino: tenga en cuenta las tarifas por persona y por día del parque marino. Algunos paquetes de liveaboard incluyen estas tarifas, mientras que otros requieren el pago a bordo. Las opciones de pago incluyen Visa, Mastercard, efectivo o cheques de viajero.
Validez del pasaporte: asegúrate de que tu pasaporte sea válido durante al menos 6 meses después de la fecha de entrada prevista. La mayoría de los países lo requieren, junto con un billete de ida y vuelta. Comprueba los requisitos de visado con antelación.
Preparativos de salud: Consulte a su médico 8 semanas antes de su viaje para obtener las vacunas o las medidas preventivas recomendadas para su destino.

Nota: Revisa los términos y condiciones específicos del liveaboard elegido para conocer las tarifas adicionales del parque marino o los requisitos de viaje.