I was told that the road trip + banca-ride from Tagbilaran was long, so we opted to leave from Mactan, Cebu. The trip from Mactan was only two hours by motorized boat. It was more convenient than leaving from Tagbilaran. We rented a boat, brought our own food, and rented air tanks from Aquadive.
Aqua Dive Inc.
Hadsan Cove Resort
Brgy Agus, Lapu-lapu City
Phone: +63 32 5181155
Email: info@aquadive.com.ph
You have an option to go to the town of Argao, north of Cebu, and have a banca take you to Cabilao. That's about an hour trip to the island. I'm not sure though if there are bancas already waiting in Argao. But to be sure, contact any of the hotels in Cabilao and have them arrange a banca for you.
Look at those colorful, huge corals! Cabilao will remain my favorite dive site. It is an underwater piece of heaven. Not a lot of people or divers go there, so the place is peaceful, clean, and undisturbed. We saw so many kinds of fish and corals, all colorful and beautiful. It was absolutely awesome!
We only did a day-trip to Cabilao which was quite enough to satisfy our curiosity of this island's underwater beauty. The downside of a day-trip is that the two-hour trip back to Mactan would seem too long when you are already very tired.
I suggest staying in the island overnight so you have more time to explore and get enough rest before traveling again. There are three resorts you can choose from --
La Estrella Beach Resort
Cabilao Island, 6327 Loon, Bohol, Philippines
Phones: +63 38 505 4114 . +63 38 505 4151
Email: info@laestrella.ph
Website: http://www.laestrella.ph/
Cabilao Beach Club
Cambaquiz, 6327 Loon, Bohol, Philippines
Phone: +63 917 4545 897
Email: cabilao@skyinet.net
Website: http://www.cabilao.com/
Polaris Beach and Dive Resort
Pantudlan, Cabilao Island, 6327 Loon, Bohol, Philippines
Phone: +63 38 505 4118
Mobile: +63 918 903 7187
Email: info@polaris-dive.com
Website: http://www.polaris-dive.com/
If and when you do decide to stay in the island longer than we did, visit Lake Lanao, Bohol's only natural lake. It is about half an hour walk from the resorts. It also serves as a bird sanctuary, so expect to see birds when you go.
And please, let the locals show you the way, be it on land or underwater.
More photos of that trip:
That's me, trying to take a picture and holding on to a rock because the current was too strong.
Our happy group during lunch!
. . . . .
For dives to Cabilao from Cebu, contact
Daniel Elemia
+63 916 3414724
Posts
Thanks Ai. I will forward this to my friend who dives. She and her hubby could come and visit me in 2 years. Yeeeey! Your travels inspire me to go home.
ReplyDeleteThis website makes me want to jump into my computer..;-)
ReplyDeleteyour travels and photography are such a beautiful invite to go home..you will invite even the most scaredy cat person to dive;-)
Tita Lou: Thank you! I think your friend will love Cabilao. Amazing dive site! Come home. I miss you! :)
ReplyDeleteChelo: Dive with me and my crazy friends. Haha. Can't wait for you to come home. I know you miss the sea. :)
ReplyDeletegusto ren mg dive Aileen, san ba mura?
ReplyDeletelove your underwater shots, wish i knew how to dive as well :)
ReplyDeletejaw dropping scene!
ReplyDeleteim sooo inggit!
ang gandaaaaa talaga ng Bohol! Blessed talaga yung underwater wanders niya. quick question, saw your camera? what is it? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Marky! If you want an Open Water Diver license, I recommend my Dive Master. He is affordable and really good.
ReplyDeleteIf fun dive certification lang, you can get it in any resort with dive shops/masters. :)
Hi Claire! Thank you! Try it one day. It's quite addicting. :)
ReplyDeleteChyng, thank you! It's a totally amazing world down there. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jerik! It's true! Bohol has fantastic underwater treasures! The underwater camera isn't mine, actually. It's owned by a fellow diver-friend. It's a Canon Ixus. :)
ReplyDeleteWow. How much is water diving? Thanks for sharing your experience and some information.
ReplyDeleteKriza: It actually depends on location and dive resorts/masters you hire and how many dives you'll make. But basically, you could spend Php2K-5K in one weekend of diving. :)
ReplyDelete