BATANGAS to CORON VIA APO REEF 10 NIGHTS PHILIPPINES

The following is a sample itinerary of where you might dive during your holiday with us. We wish to show you the very best diving but a number of factors can determine where we visit.  Weather, tides, how busy a site is with other dive vessels all play a part in the Cruise Director’s decision of which route the yacht takes. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations. The Cruise Director is happy to listen to requests from guests to visit or remain at certain sites and providing it is possible and the schedule allows, then guest’s requests are respected.

Batangas via Apo Reef to the Wrecks of Coron - 10 nights Batangas to Coron

Up to 33 Dives including 5 night dives

Day 1- Arrive Batangas

Meet a member of the Worldwide Dive and Sail crew at the Azure Resort at 1:00 p.m. and board the SY Philippine Siren. After boarding settle into your cabin and assemble your equipment with help from our friendly crew. Boat and Dive Safety briefings are followed by dinner and the evening spent at your leisure.

Day 2 – Verde & Maricaban Islands

A check out dive is followed by a hearty breakfast before moving onwards to Verde Island, situated across the Verde Passage.

Dive 2 – Verde Island “drop off”

Dive 3 – Mapating Rock – wall dive with opportunity to see white tip and grey reef sharks

Dive 4 – Night dive at Cathedral Rock

Day 3 & 4 Anilao & Lubang Islands

Anilao is a must for ‘muck diving’ enthusiasts. Spend 2 days here and up to 7 dives exploring the reef slopes which are densely populated with marine creatures

Dive sites include:

Sombrero Island where huge boulders covered in corals can be found.

Layag Layag – offers chance to see reef sharks and other large pelagic species but also smaller critters and Spanish Dancers

Mainit Muck & Mainit Point – perfect for macro photography

Day 5 & 6, Apo Reef

Spend two days and up to 8 dives around Apo Reef. The whole northeast side of Apo Reef consists of drop-offs and overhangs where white tip reef and grey reef sharks, turtles, barracuda and shoals of snapper are common. The reef is covered with table corals, staghorn corals, porites corals, fire corals and a variety of soft corals. The remainder of Apo Reef has steep walls with strong currents that attract pelagics.

Day 7, 8 & 9- Busuanga & surrounding islands

With 12 dives around Busuanga Coron, Dumumpalit & Nanga Islands you will be offered a combination of historical World War II wrecks and stunning reefs each day. The World War 2 wrecks around Busuanga Island, particularly in Coron Bay, are a condensed version of Truk Lagoon, Micronesia but with the advantage of not being beyond recreational dive depths and having more favourable currents. There are twelve wrecks that can be dived and amongst the best are: Nanshin Maru, Taiei Maru, the Unknown Wreck, Kogyo Maru, Olympia
Maru, Irako and the gunboat at Lusong Island. All are auxiliary vessels however the Akitsushima is a true warship and lies in a depth of between 20m and 38m.

Dumunpalit Island: also known as Turtle Island due to its shape. The island has sloping reef walls which are covered with soft corals and shelter a wide variety of marine life whilst larger pelagics may be found in deeper water off the slope.

Cathedral Cave: a large cavern accessed through a 20m tunnel, a dive of spectacular topography.

Day 10- Busuanga

Our last day of diving we offer two morning dives, the number you do is dependant on your onward flight schedule.

Dive 1- Cayangan Lake: this is a unique dive in a turquoise freshwater lake; it is surrounded by spectacular limestone pinnacles, and is served by a hot spring. As you move out from the walls and descend, the water gets warmer and warmer.

Dive 2 - Coral garden

In the afternoon you can relax on the sundeck, kayak around the many islands or try your hand at waterskiing. In the evening enjoy a BBQ on the boat and start planning your next adventure with the Siren Fleet.

Day 11- Disembark in Coron Town

After breakfast say your farewells and disembark the SY Philippine Siren. Depart around 10 a.m