Route Description - Visayas Safari
The Visayas are one of the three island groups in the Philippines, featuring incredible macro, stunning walls, whale sharks and thresher sharks.
Spend 7 magical nights diving at a different site each day, including the stunning walls of Cabilao, diving with whale sharks in Oslob, the healthy reefs of Sumilon Island, Malapascua’s Gato Island, its caverns are home of the protected sea crate and white tip sharks and a Malapascua favourite, Kimud Shoal, known for frequent sightings of thresher sharks. This itinerary is hard to beat if you want a wide variety of locations in a week. Easy cruises each evening will take you from one great dive site to another.
Day 1: Embarkation 5 pm
Board the Azores at the Atlantis Dumaguete resort, and enjoy a welcome evening and overnight travel to your first destination.
Day 2: Cabilao Island, Bohol
With its shallow topped reefs and nice drop-offs, the island offers an incredible number of critters in the shallows which are a delight to see. However, what really differentiates it from others nearby are the pristine hard corals around the southern coast. The reef offers species such as Scorpion fish, Tunas, Jackfish, Barracudas, Frogfish and Nudibranchs.
Day 3: Gato Island, Malapascua
One of the pearls of Malapascua and a perfect spot to see both macro and big fish, famous for the chance to spot whitetip and bamboo sharks along tunnels and resting under rocks. The soft coral gardens are home to pygmy seahorses, frogfish and an array of Nudibranch and away from the reef is great for squid and bait balls.
Day 4: Kimud Shoal, Capitancillo Islet
Kimud Shoal is a sunken island. The top lies around 12-16m and drops down to 200m+, located in the same trench as Monad Shoal, there is a chance to spot Thresher sharks, Mantas, Devil rays and Turtles. The top of the island is covered in hard coral with the sides covered in soft corals. The east side has some incredible rock formations and due to the drop off there is always the chance to see larger fish such as Tuna or Dolphins
Day 5: Balicasag Island
The island starts with a shallow plateau of 6-18m before dropping off to a wall. With hard and soft corals housing Moray eels, parrotfish, and clownfish, to name a few, keep an eye out for the schools of Jacks that swim along the walls
Day 6: Panglao Island and Optional Land Tour
Panglao Island – Look out for… turtles, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, eagle & manta rays, schooling barracuda and trevally, frogfish, ghost pipefish, pygmy and thorny seahorses, plus many different species of nudibranch, among dramatic walls and reefs.
Land tour options: Chocolate Hills or Loboc River Tour. A visit to the Tarsiers – the world’s smallest primate on both tours.
Day 7: Oslob And Sumilon Island
You will spend the last day diving with Whale Sharks at Oslob. The rest of the day will be spent diving around tranquil Sumilon Island, surrounded by crystal clear waters and pristine white sandy beaches. Look out for… exquisite coral gardens and drop-offs. ‘Might sees’ in this area include manta rays and stingrays, barracudas, sea turtles and snakes and very occasionally whale sharks and hammerheads.
Day 8: Disembarkation 8 am
Disembark the Azores straight to the Atlantis Dumaguete resort.