Watching the sunrise over an endless sparkling ocean, you might be forgiven for thinking you were still asleep and dreaming. Small green islands dot the horizon and in the foreground, waves lap gently over a tropical reef that occasionally breaks the surface and is then gone again. A sense of tranquility prevails; of being an observer privileged enough to experience this perfect bubble where nature continues undisturbed and unaware of the destructive forces of our modern world.
While all this may sound like a distant fantasy, such locations still exist in the remotest reaches of the Philippines, accessible only by boat, and visited by the most adventurous of travelers. Here at Atlantis, our Azores liveaboard specializes in trips to these destinations, transporting divers to some of the best sites in the Coral Triangle, and indeed the world.
Spending seven nights aboard the Atlantis Azores and cruising arguably the most beautiful and unique waters on the planet, divers can enjoy the refined luxury, high-end facilities, and excellent services onboard our 107-ft motor yacht. Designed by divers, for divers, the Azores boasts seven well appointment staterooms and a further deluxe owner’s suite providing accommodation for up to 16 divers. The spacious dive deck, large camera table, and storage lockers make for fuss-free diving, while the top deck sports a hot tub and wet bar to aid relaxation between dives.
The Atlantis Azores’ itinerary varies with the season, taking full advantage of the peak dive times in each of the regions visited.
Apo Reef & Coron (7 nights) – January to early-March
Embarking and disembarking from Atlantis Resort Puerto Galera, the first itinerary of the year heads south down the west coast of Oriental Mindoro to the spectacular walls of Apo Reef. Steep drop-offs and dramatic oceanic sites encourage a wealth of marine life from reef sharks to manta rays, as well as turtles, tuna, and other pelagic visitors. The Azores then spends five days exploring the fascinating WWII wrecks of Coron Bay, including the 525ft (160m) long Okikawa Maru, and the seaplane tender, Akitsusima.
Tubbataha Reef (7 nights) – mid-March to early-June
Rarely visited and only accessible for three months of the year, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is a sought after destination that very few divers are privileged enough to explore. Embarking and disembarking from Puerto Princesa on Palawan, this round trip includes spectacular diving throughout the 375 square miles (970 sq km) of protected marine area, with dives on the North and South Atolls, as well as Jessie Beazley Reef. Numerous species of sharks, rays, and dolphins can be spotted on almost every dive, as well as exciting pelagic visitors and abundant macro. All on top of pristine reefs festooned in massive coral heads, hugely intricate gorgonian fans, barrel sponges, and a multicolored patchwork of soft corals.
Bohol (7 nights) – June to December
Running out of Atlantis Resort Dumaguete, our Bohol itinerary takes in some of the best diving in the Central Visayas. The week kicks off with dives at Moalboal, famous for its sardine run, before heading south to snorkel with the whale sharks of Oslob and dive Sumilon Island’s exquisite coral gardens. The next two days are spent exploring the rich marine life of Balicasag and Panglao Islands, before returning via Apo Island or Siquijor Island. The list of marine life is vast, however, at minimum divers can expect to spot turtles, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, eagle and manta rays, schooling barracuda and trevally, frogfish, ghost pipefish, pygmy and thorny seahorses, and many different species of nudibranch.
Cebu & Malapascua (12 nights) – June to December
Alternating with the Bohol trip from Atlantis Resort Dumaguete, Atlantis Azores also offers divers the opportunity to visit some of the northern sites of Cebu, including the thresher shark mecca of Malapascua. This extremely varied itinerary begins with the whale sharks in Oslob, and diving in Sumilon Island, before heading north via Moalboal to the Malapascua favorite, Monad Shoal. This is one of the only dive sites where encounters with deep-dwelling threshers are almost guaranteed, as they visit the shoal’s cleaning stations early each morning. The adventure then continues down Cebu’s eastern coast with some beautiful wall diving at Calanggaman Island and Balicasag, and the opportunity for a land excursion to the famous Bohol Chocolate Hills. The trip rounds off with diving at either Apo Island or Siquijor Island, before a final half-day exploring the world-class macro at Dauin.
Exploring a destination by liveaboard allows visitors to discover remote and inaccessible locations, cover a far wider range of sites, and experience a greater variety of diving than is possible from a land-based resort. The Atlantis Azores is perfectly placed to offer our guests a choice of excellent schedules, and many guests return year after year to fully experience the awesome diving this region has to offer.
