Last year, I was busy getting my Technical Diving training and certification, so I didn’t get the chance to visit a new island. Since I’d already missed Batanes at the start of the season, I couldn’t pass up another dive trip without visiting one of the Philippines’ 7,000+ islands!
I was originally planning a trip to Boracay and had been searching for videos and dive trip reports when I came across Caluya Island and its only dive resort, which is open only from April to June each year. I messaged them last year to let them know I intended to visit this year.
In this post
Getting there
There were a lot of unknowns for us, so we relied on ChatGPT, Gemini, and Facebook searches when planning this trip. Here’s how we did it and how much it cost!
| Day and Time | Itinerary | Transport Mode | Cost for 2, Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 11:25–12:25 | Fly from Manila to Caticlan | Philippine Airlines (PAL) | Php 18,906 × 2 persons |
| Airport to Mansueto’s Beach Resort | Tricycle | Php 150 | |
| Monday 23:00 | Resort to Libertad Port | Private van | Php 3,000 |
| Tuesday 3:00 | Libertad Port to Caluya Island | Argo Ferry | Php 920 + 75 (Premium Economy) × 2 |
| 6:00 | Port to Caluya Island Divers | Tricycle | Php 500 |
| Saturday 9:00 | Caluya Island Divers back to port | Tricycle | Php 500 |
| 11:00 | Port of Caluya to Caticlan | Argo Ferry | Php 920 + 75 (Premium Economy) × 2 |
| 14:00 | Libertad Port back to Mansueto Beach Resort | Private van | Php 3,000 |
| Sunday 12:00 | Resort to Caticlan Airport | Tricycle | Php 150 |
| 13:30–14:35 | Fly from Caticlan back to Manila | Philippine Airlines (PAL) | |
| Total (Round Trip) | Php 49,092 |
The trickiest part was the ferry schedule. There are two ferries that go to Caluya: Argo Ferry and MV Ma. Cristina-1. They don’t run daily, and trips can be canceled depending on the weather, so we had to monitor their Facebook page for trip announcements.
This year, there were Tuesday trips at 3 AM via Argo Ferry and 2 PM via MV Ma. Cristina-1. We didn’t want to take any chances, so we went with Argo Ferry.
We also decided to stay in Caticlan for a day – well, to work.
Island Divers Caluya is on the other side of the island, so the tricycle fare is a bit pricey. If they ask for a landmark, you can mention “Kano” (short for Americano), even though the owner is actually half-Swiss. You’ll also need to tell the tricycle driver to pick you up on your departure day, since there’s no signal at the dive shop and texting isn’t an option. There’s also a neighbor with a tricycle as a backup in case you forget. And because the ferry isn’t 100% reliable according to anecdotes, we decided to book our flight for the next day to reduce the risk of missing it.
Staying in Caluya Island Divers
It’s a family-run dive shop with three “bahay kubo,” a lovely beachfront for stargazing, and really warm staff. We booked one bungalow, which includes three (3) meals, snacks, and unlimited coffee.
We never went hungry – in fact, the food portions were really generous, so being on the other side of the island wasn’t a problem at all. We did request fruits, though, and I’d still suggest bringing some snacks that aren’t available on the island.
Caluya Island Dive Sites
Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t favorable when we arrived on Tuesday, so we only got to dive for three days, from Wednesday to Friday.
Here are the dive sites:
- Day 1: Checkout dives around the island — In Between, Cloud 9, Napai
- Day 2: Wall of Fame, Tay Kidong, Bearded Rock, Desert (Night)
- Day 3: Sibay Island — X Rock, Wallzilla, Campoi Madalom
For this trip, we brought our usual boots, fins, mask, and wetsuit, and only rented the BCD and regulator.
How Much Did It Cost to Dive in Caluya?
| Quantity | Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 4 nights | Accommodation | Php 1,800 × 4 |
| 4 × 2 persons | Daily Meals | Php 1,200 × 8 |
| 1 | Dive Package (10 Fun Dives) | Php 17,000 |
| 8 | Fun Dives | Php 1,800 × 8 |
| Total | Php 48,200 |
You may notice that our transportation costs more than our dives — that’s because we booked our flight to Caticlan a bit late. To lower the cost next time, we’ll try booking earlier, and we’ll definitely return next year to visit Panagatan Island!
If you’re planning a trip to Caluya Island, definitely check out Island Divers Caluya:
Every night after dinner, we set up for stargazing, and Caluya was just perfect for seeing the Milky Way with the naked eye!
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That’s it for now! Stay tuned for the dive trip report!
🌹
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