Liveaboards – Aggressor

Philippines

The scuba diving in the Philippines on a liveaboard covers a vast area with 7,107 islands. The Philippines Aggressor offers superb dive sites with cruises to Tubbataha Atoll and Visayas/Cebu region.

The Yacht

Port: Philippines

Built and maintained to the specifications of the local regulatory agencies and the regulations of the country of the flag.

Length: 135 ft. Steel Yacht
Beam: 28 feet
Passengers: 24
Crew: 13
Boarding: 4 p.m.
Check out: Sunday 8 a.m.

The Philippines begins operating as an Aggressor destination since in May 2020.

The Philippines Aggressor is 135’ long with a 28.5 ft. beam, built and powered for comfort, safety and stability. There is a beautiful spacious salon, sun deck with shading, chaise lounges and deck chairs, bar, grill, and a complete photo/video center. They are diesel powered, cruise at 10 knots and have 220V and some 110V power onboard. Comfortable accommodations for 24 guests include 12 spacious staterooms, with 5 on the lower deck, 4 on the main deck, and 3 balcony suites on the upper deck. All have a private bathroom and shower. Each stateroom has ample storage and individual climate controls.

Staterooms have a safe aboard to store valuables such as passports, cash, credit cards or anything else you would like to store. The yachts are not responsible for any lost, damaged or stolen items. We highly recommend extreme caution and care be taken if you plan to travel onboard with electronic equipment. This equipment should always be stowed after use to avoid the risk of damage.

All staterooms are air conditioned and fitted with private toilets, showers, sinks, and hair dryers. Linens are changed upon request and fresh towels are placed in each stateroom as needed. Breakfast (cooked to order), buffet lunch and an elegant chef prepared meal at dinner with tableside service are served in addition to fresh mid-morning and midafternoon snacks. Beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are complimentary while onboard. Filled tanks, weights and weight belts are included.

Visayas Itineraries: (June – February) There are 4 different itineraries offered to the areas of the Visayas islands. View maps for more details. Diving in this region for seven or ten nights is home to some of the best scuba diving the Philippines offers. From soft coral covered walls to black sand dives to Thresher sharks, huge schools of sardines, turtles, schools of jacks and whale sharks. On the macro side there is fascinating critters such as waspfish, ghost pipefish and many other unique bottom dwellers, offering lots of diversity.

Visayas 360 Dive Sites-7 & 10 Night Itinerary – June – February

7 nights (complete circle around Cebu Island) – Cabilao, Balicasag, Sumilon, Moalboal, Pescador, Malapascua, Kalanggaman, Capitancillo, Mactan / Olango
Extended 10 nights – Combination of 360 Visayas & South Visayas

North Visayas Dive Sites-7 Night Itinerary – June – February

North Visayas – Malapascua & Southern Leyte 7 nights – Malapascua, Capitancillo, Kalanggaman, Gato, Southern Leyte / Sogod Bay, Mactan / Olango

Central Visayas Dive Sites-7 Night Itinerary – June – February

7 nights – Cabilao, Balicasag, Pamilacan, Anda, Camiguin, Southern Leyte / Sogod Bay, Mactan / Olango
Extended 10 nights – Combination of Central Visayas / Bohol & North Visayas / Malapascua

South Visayas-7 Night Itinerary – June – February

7 nights – Cabilao, Balicasag, Sumilon, Moalboal, Pescador, Siquijor, Apo Island, Dauin

Tubbataha Itinerary: (Mid-March – Mid June) Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park is a protected area of the Philippines located in the middle of the Sulu Sea with huge atolls contains no less than 600 fish species, 360 coral species, 11 shark species, 13 dolphin and whale species, and 100 bird species. The reefs also serve as a nesting ground for Hawksbill and Green sea turtles.

Scuba diving on a liveaboard in this area of the Philippines for 7 nights offers beautiful reefs with hammerhead sharks, manta rays, Moorish idols, Napoleon wrasse, parrotfish, eels and much more. The Tubbataha Reefs National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tubbataha Dive Sites-7 Night Itinerary – Mid March to Mid-June

Tubbataha sits in the Sulu Sea and is in the middle of the Coral Triangle between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. The Tubbataha Reefs National Parks is an UNESCO World Heritage site. The atolls are made up of the North Atoll, South Atoll and the Jessie Beazley Reef to the northwest of the main atolls and are all part of the park. Tubbataha scuba diving itineraries include these areas:

Northern Tip of North Atoll

The northern tip of the North atoll is an area with high diversity of shark species such as blacktips, white tips, grey reef sharks, silky sharks in addition to turtles, rays and whale sharks. The walls have beautiful soft corals, barrel sponges and lots of cleaning stations.

Southern Tip of North Atoll

In this area lies a shipwreck dive site, Malayan Wreck located on a beautiful wall. This shipwreck scuba diving experience includes big animal action with the chance to see dogtooth tuna, giant trivially, different species of barracuda in large schools, turtles, manta rays and almost every kind of native reef fish imaginable.

Northern Tip of South Atoll

This area is known for hammerhead sharks, large pelagics, different species of sharks and reef fish.

Jessie Beazley Reef

This area has pristine coral with an area of branching acropora corals and lots of species of sharks can be seen; hammerhead sharks, silky sharks and even whale sharks.

*at the end of the season a 10 night transition trip is offered from Tubbataha to the Visayas.

Food:

The menu aboard is varied and plentiful, with a variety of American feasts, barbecues and local cuisine. If you have any special dietary requirements, please add this to your reservation through the GIS and speak to the yacht chef once onboard so he/she can adequately prepare to meet your needs. You will wake up to fresh fruits, hot entrees, cereals and juices. Lunches are buffet-style, featuring hot soups, homemade breads, salads and sandwiches and/or entrees. Dinners are chef prepared and served each evening and include salads, vegetables, seafood, beef or chicken with a fresh homemade dessert. Certain special dietary and beverage requests may not be available due to the remote nature of this location, so we highly recommend you bring these items with you.

Beverages:

The beverage selection includes fruit juices, soft drinks, iced water, iced tea, coffee, and a limited selection of local beer and wine, which are complimentary. Due to the high duty charged on liquor, we suggest you bring your favorite brand. Drinking and diving do not mix. Once you consume alcohol, you become a snorkeler until the next day

Clothing:

Please plan to travel light, as on all live-aboard dive yachts, space is limited. We recommend that you pack your gear in soft luggage such as a duffel bag for easy stowage and to add to your comfort in your cabin. Clothing should be lightweight, comfortable sportswear and swimsuits are a must. A light sweater or jacket is ideal for evenings. Dress is always casual and informal. Additional items you may want to bring are sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat and walking shoes for your time on shore.

Entertainment:

There is a variety of nightly entertainment, including diving, fish identification presentations, movies, games and more. If you have a favorite movie, digital slide show or a video to share, we encourage you to bring it along. The crew especially loves new releases of movies, recent magazines and books. A small library of books for exchange is maintained onboard as well as fish identification books for reference.

Diving Conditions:

You’ll be diving in water that averages 70-85°F. Most guests make as many as 3-4 dives each day, so some sort of protection is needed. A 3mm wetsuit should be comfortable and adequate. Due to swift currents in some of the locations, we suggest divers bring safety items such as a Dive Alert, Safety Sausage, Lifeline, and any other safety items you feel necessary. We also recommend you bring a dive computer which is mandatory and a DIN adaptor if needed. DIN adaptors are available. Most diving in the Philippines is drift diving so guests should be comfortable with a current.

Diving:

The staff of the Philippines Aggressor, with their unique combination of talents, offers the ultimate in service. While onboard you may pick a buddy of your choice or dive with one of the yachts crewmembers. There is ample storage space for your diving equipment in your personal locker. They provide 80 cubic feet tanks, weight belts, and weights. All tanks have K-valves (American type), no DIN (European) valves.

All dives are made from the 20’ custom built high speed, outboard zodiacs capable of carrying 12 guests for quick access to even the most remote dive sites. The boarding ladders were designed for convenience to allow divers easy exits and entries. The tenders return to the mother ships after each dive. Each diver has his/her own tank rack, locker, and spacious seating area. There is very little diving from the mother ships but by utilizing the custom dive skiffs for these short runs, guests will still be in close proximity to the Philippines’ finest diving. Skiff diving has proven itself in this location. In between dives, you may snorkel, explore secluded beaches, or just relax with a cold drink and midmorning snack. Guests may dive up to 4-5 dives per day and there is night diving on 2 or 3 nights of the charter, conditions permitting.

We suggest you pack the following: mask, fins, snorkel, regulator with visible pressure gauge, depth gauge, dive computer, buoyancy compensator, and night diving light. Strongly recommended: Spare mask, a dive watch, dive light, safety sausage, whistle, mirror and/or other safety devices. Each piece of gear should be marked with waterproof paint or tape. Lifelines are recommended and are available for rent for $25 per unit per week. Dive alerts and safety sausages are required and are available for use at no charge.

Diving Supervision:

You’ve chosen a liveaboard vacation for the diving freedom that it offers. While in the water, you and your buddy are in charge. Every dive starts with a dive briefing from the staff. However, as a certified diver, you and your buddy are responsible for planning and conducting your own dives within the limitations set forth by the briefing. The yacht staff will be on the dive deck providing surface support for divers and have staff in the water offering support, u/w photography and videography, and critter spotting services as well. On some dive sites a staff member will offer to lead a group and assist them in locating specific points of interest. However, the yachts do not offer direct supervision of dives. If you start out with a group, as long as you and your buddy remain in contact with each other and are ok – you may follow your own dive plan. Divers who desire more personal attention and structured/supervised dives should consider taking one of the numerous specialty courses they offer. An underlying skill featured in all of specialty training is planning, executing, and debriefing after your dive in order to build a more confident diver.

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