Philippine Siren

The SY Philippine Siren is 40-meters (131-feet) & offers luxurious accommodation with great diving. Her itineraries include the Visayas, Malapascua, Southern Leyte & Tubbataha Reefs.

A word from Dom : “Given the comfort & style of the Siren Fleet liveaboards, it’s SO easy to recommend this vessel for your Philippine diving adventure. Guests love the spacious cabins, the gorgeous salon, the stunning sun deck, the “exotic” fore deck dining area & the attentive crew (not to mention the inspirational Philippines diving!). Highly recommended.”….. Dominick Macan

ON BOARD PHILIPPINE SIREN

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TRADITION & MODERNITY IN SYMBIOSIS

The Philippine Siren is virtually identical in appearance to her sister ships, all being traditional Indonesian ‘gaff-rigged Phinisi’ schooners with 7 sails, handcrafted from ironwood and teak and custom-made with all luxury facilities for the modern diver. Eash vessel has also been specially outfitted with the modern underwater photographer and videographer in mind.

On the main deck, you’ll find a large, well-furnished exterior leisure deck area (with spaces both covered and uncovered). Inside is the downright gorgeous air-conditioned saloon with cocktail bar, a library of books & games, a 42-inch flat screen tv & movie network. A computer server supports the inter-cabin network.

The alluring covered outdoor dining area is on the upper deck and all meals are served buffet style. Guests may help themselves throughout the day to all soft drinks & snacks that are available.

There is laundry service, massage and a boutique on board. Nitrox is free for all certified nitrox divers as are soft drinks & local beers. Kayaks are available free to use for exploration during your non-diving hours.

Photographers are pretty well pampered aboard the Siren vessels. With indoor and outdoor workstations, plenty of convenient storage for your peripheral items, lots of charging points, and available adapters available (sockets are 2-pin European style at 220v or 110v) … you’ll find everything you need. Of course, the dive deck offers big rinse tanks with fresh water solely for camera and video equipment.

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DECK PLAN

SPECIFICATIONS

Length: 40 meters
Breadth: 9.7 meters
Construction Material: Wood
Guests: 16

MACHINERY

Engines: x 1
Generators: x 3
Desalination Units: 16 Tonnes

DIVING FACILITIES

Dive School
Equipment Rental
Nitrox Membrane
Rebreather Friendly
Photography Friendly
Compressors: x 2
Tenders: x 2
Guides: x 3

SAFETY EQUIPMENT

First Aid
First Aiders
Emergency Oxygen
Oxygen Administrators
Life Jackets
Life Rafts
Radios
Fire Extinguishers
Smoke Detectors
Life Rings {/sliders}

ITINERARIES

Philippines Siren cruises to Malapascua, Tubbataha, the Visayas & Southern Leyte. Trip duration varies from 6 days to 13 days. {slider View the highlights of these trips and an itinerary map..….. open|dest|closed} The final itinerary is, of course, always dependant upon weather, sea conditions and where the best animal sightings are at any particular time of year

Sample itinerary information

Philippine Siren offers several different itineraries depending on the time of year:

VISAYAS TO BATANGAS … INCLUDING MALAPASCUA / CEBU / CORON / APO REEF & MORE … generally 6-night trips September to March

Comprised of several thousand islands and surrounded by nutrient-rich waters, the Visayas region is home some superb diving. Discovery Palawan offers a variety changing itineraries in hte Visayas region based on the best time for diving each region & site. You will see the islands / reefs to be visited on specific dates when you search for spaces. Below is an overview of the sites which may be included on your cruise:

Malapascua : known for critters & sharks, especially the elusive thresher sharks. This area has become particularly popular due to the ease of viewing thresher sharks – many up to 6 meters (nearly 20 feet). You’re almost certain to dive the manta cleaning station, too.

Apo Reef: often considered one of the premier diving destinations in the Philippines, it is best known as a pelagics destination, although it is graced with a superb sea-fan covered wall which is filled with prolific marine life.

Coron / WWII wrecks : For wreck-diving aficionados, Coron is considered one of the world’s top destinations. 24 Japanese vessels went down here during an American attack in 1944 and roughly half have been found, most of which lie at recreational diving depths.

Cebu : the area which is often referred to as Cebu is largely about corals (filled with pygmy seahorses and frogfish), sponges and reef fish …. with a smattering of pelagic dives and walls thrown into the mix. Oh yes, and …. whale sharks !

Batangas : one of those opportunities for everything from the minute to the massive …. but with an accent on macro creatures & muck … featuring frogfish, ghost pipefish, scorpionfish, lizardfish and countless varieties of nudibranchs.

TUBBATAHA 7 Days (19 dives) Travel Period: March – June

Tubbataha Reefs park is under the strict protection of rangers all year round to ensure that the nations doesn’t lose the spectacular reefs and marine life in this region. You can expect to see sponges nearly as large as the passing whale sharks, giant sea fans and delicate soft corals. The coral gardens attract schooling sweetlips, bumphead parrotfish. and batfish but you’ll also dive vertiginous walls with hanging gardens filled with critters. There will be plenty of “the big stuff” as these waters offer ample interactions with manta rays, turtles, jacks, schools of barracuda, hammerheads, tiger shark and, yes, whale sharks.

Exploring Shark Airport is one of the most exciting highlights of this cruise. This reef edge contains coral bommies and sandy patches where white tip sharks are usually found lying on the sand. The reef’s name comes from someone’s idea that the sharks looks like planes parked at an airport ! Schools of snappers and surgeonfish can also be spotted in the reef top.

13 night transfer cruises : (twice per year)

TUBBATAHA & VISAYAS MAP

MALAPASCUA – CEBU MAP

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READ ABOUT PHILIPPINES DIVING

TRAVEL & CRUISE LOGISTICS

Many major airlines fly into the Philippines including: Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Delta and Philippine Airlines.

Visayas / Malapascua (including Malapascua extension): we recommend booking your international flight into and out of Mactan International Airport, Cebu (CEB). The Philippine Siren leaves from a dock which is a 5 to10 minute ride from the airport. Your flight should arrive no later than 12 PM noon. International flights leaving Mactan after your cruise should depart no earlier than 12 PM noon on the day you disembark.

Tubbataha trips departing Puerto Princessa (PPS): we recommend international flights into Manila (MNL). From Manila there is a short domestic flight to Puerto Princesa International Airport on the island of Palawan and you need to arrive in Puerto Princesa the first day of the cruise no later than 12:00.