Author Archives: Dannie Holmstedt

The long road to improvement evolution diving resort philippines
The long road to improvement

Guillaume came to Evolution with a dream – to be a more competent diver. Improved [...]

30
Aug
crown of thorns starfish malapascua philippines
COTS clean up February 2017

  COTs is what we call Crown of Thorns starfish living in the ocean. These [...]

28
Feb
malapascua merman
Malapascua’s Latest Amazing Marine Sighting

Over recent months we have reported sightings of Mola Mola, Hammerheads and a lot more [...]

15
Feb
evolution dive resort malapascua house reef
White Lembeh

This morning I decided to accompany guests on our famous House Reef dive, to check [...]

26
Nov
We often get asked, "what is the best way to get to Malapascua?" To help future guests who may have the same question, I decided to outline some options for you here. If you asked me, the BEST way is to hire a private transport. We pick you up at your door step and bring you right to our resort (any time of day/night). We check your progress along the way and you don't have to worry about a thing. If you decide on this option the pricing is listed below and all you have to do is give us the time and location of the pickup and we will call the contractor and arrange everything. Price as of November 2015 Car (2 pax) + boat = 4500PHP each way (day rate); 5500PHP (after sunset rate) Van (3-6 pax) + boat = 5100PHP each way (day rate); 6100PHP (after sunset rate) As private transfers to Malapascua are all run by local transport companies we have to warn that prices are subject to change although remain pretty steady. For budget-friendly travelers or those who seek adventure along your journey, there are public transport options: CEBU TO MAYA (port at the north of Cebu) Taxi - if you catch a taxi in Cebu City, most drivers will be willing to negotiate a price for a trip to Maya. The price can vary upon the driver, but expect to pay no less than 2500PHP per trip. Its worth remembering that Cebu white taxis are powered by propane so be prepared to get out and push when going uphill! And the big propane tank in the boot means n not much luggage space either. Ceres Liner - At North Bus Terminal in Cebu City, there are loads of Ceres Liner buses that head to various destinations throughout Cebu. Hop on a bus headed to Maya. The trip will cost about 160PHP per person (non-AC) and 170PHP per person (for AC) and can take anywhere between 5-6 hours. Ceres Liner departs Northern Bus Terminal about every 30 minutes (or whenever the bus driver feels like it) starting at 1am. If you are lucky to find the AC bus leaving on time, the extra 10PHP is worth it :-) And you get free WiFi. The bus will stop once for toilet/stretch break - make sure you remember your bus number (as many other Ceres buses may be parked) and hop back on the right bus. Also, keep your eyes on your bus - I once had to chase after my bus that left without me! If you fancy a "local" experience, I'd say check out the Ceres Liner. I once sat next to a live rooster - welcome to the Philippines :-) V-hire- I personally prefer to take the V-hire. It is an air conditioned mini-van and unlike Ceres Liner, makes NO stops along the way to pick up passengers. So the trip is shorter, ranging from 3-4 hours and costs 180PHP per person. The disadvantage of V-hire is that departure time is unpredictable and I have had to wait up to an hour at North Bus Terminal before the van was full enough to depart. Another disadvantage is that the driver will cram every last person onto the van, so if you are one of the last ones to board you will be squeezed into the back row where you will be sitting skin-to-skin with your neighbors and where AC will hardly reach. The tip is to try to grab a seat in the first row where you are closest to the air con vent and there is most leg space! You can find V-hires near the exit closest to the main street at North Bus Terminal. Many white vans are usually lined up so you can't miss it. MAYA TO MALAPASCUA Public ferries don't run on a fixed schedule. The boat will leave whenever it is full - this can range anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple of hours. In my personal experience, I have not had to wait more than an hour but I have heard worse from other people. The public boat costs about 100PHP per person but this price can vary - the captain can charge whatever he wants, so make sure to negotiate before you get on the boat. If you prefer NOT to wait until the boat is full, you can also negotiate the boat for private hire - this shouldn't cost you more than 1500PHP per trip. Once on the boat, the crossing takes approximately 40 minutes to the paradise of Malapascua :-) There may be additional costs with public boat - if you are picked up by a small flat boat (during low tide) to take you to/from the boat, expect to pay 20PHP per person and per luggage. If you are picked up twice by a small boat, once in Maya and once in Malapascua, expect to pay the additional cost each time. The public boat will stop running at about 4pm. If you reach Maya after 4pm, you have 2 options: 1) hire a private boat to cross to Malapascua or 2) spend the night in Maya. If you choose to stay in Maya we recommend accommodations called Skips. The public boat will resume around 8am. Once you reach Malapascua, walk north on Bounty Beach for about 15 minutes until you see Evolution & Craic House (our restaurant) on your left. We are located towards the end of the beach, away from the crowd and noise ;-) So does that all sounds difficult? Well that is why Malapascua is such a magical place right? See you there!
Getting to Malapascua

We often get asked, “what is the best way to get to Malapascua?” To help [...]

03
Nov
chocolate island malapascua
A life that doesn’t end

This week, we visited one of Evolution’s favorite dive sites, Chocolate island. For those of [...]

15
Oct
malapascua international coastal cleanup day
Did you know that there is an International Coastal Cleanup Day?

This past September 19th marked 30th anniversary of Ocean Conservancy’s effort in mobilizing volunteers to [...]

23
Sep
female thresher shark malapascua
Meet our sharks – Flappy, Bendy and Blacky

As many know already the main attraction and star of the show here on Malapascua [...]

09
Sep
Ceratosoma Gracillimum Semper Hammerhead Nudibranch
We Can’t Get Enough Chocolate!

Approximately 30 minutes south of Malapascua is a dive site known as Chocolate Island. If [...]

14
Aug
diving malapascua eagle ray
The Baby Eagle ray is back again!

We are happy to inform all divers that the Baby Eagle ray is back! We [...]

03
Aug
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