Azalea Liveaboard, Philippines

Excellent crew and service

“The highlight of the trip was the different atolls at Tubataha. The crew were friendly and hospitable. Our dive guide, Edu was the…”

Ronnie B, United States United States
Read 35 more reviews

Highlights

  • Small groups of 10 divers
  • Pristine diving in Tubbataha
  • On-deck bathroom & gear storage

The 21m MY Azalea is a simple yet comfortable liveaboard offering week-long, year-round dive safaris to some of the best destinations in the Philippines, including Tubbataha Reef, Apo Reef, and Coron. Known for pristine diving, the Tubbataha reefs are natural Marine Protected Parks located in the middle of the Sulu Sea and only accessible via liveaboard. Abundant marine life encounters are on offer, such as manta rays, multiple species of sharks, turtles, dolphins, and whales, and hundreds of species of fish and coral. The Tubbataha season is only from March - June, and spaces fill up fast, so be sure to book in advance!

Azalea Liveaboard also offers El Nido, Coron, and Apo Reefs itineraries. This dive trip offers something for everyone. This is a fantastic Philippines dive destination, from the impressive wrecks of WWII in Coron Bay to the wealth of marine life and big-fish sightings found at Apo Reef.

Topside, M/Y Azalea caters to just 10 guests in 4 twin-bunk cabins and 1 master cabin. Built by divers for divers, each cabin features modern conveniences such as en-suite bathrooms, AC, plug sockets, and storage. The indoor dining area is located on the main deck, where freshly prepared tasty dishes will be served. This leads out to the dive deck, where there is ample space for gear storage, kitting up, and an on-deck bathroom. The sun deck is a favorite divers' hangout for unwinding with a cold beer at the end of the day while enjoying the sunset and discussing the day's numerous sightings.

The incredibly passionate guides and crew of the MY Azalea yacht are looking forward to sharing the beauty of the underwater world of the Philippines with fellow divers. Call us or book online today to reserve your space and plan your Philippines liveaboard adventure.


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Included: VAT, Airport Transfer, Hotel Transfer, Drinking Water, Soft drinks, Soft Drinks at Meal Times, Tea & Coffee, Welcome Cocktails, Beach BBQ, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Fishing, Cabin Towels, Deck Towels.

Required Extras: National Park Fees (75-110 USD per trip).

Optional Extras: Dive Insurance (100 USD per item), Alcoholic Beverages, Extra Dives, Private Dive Guide, Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses.

Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.

* Extra fees are shown per person.

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Boat features

  • Daily housekeeping
  • Air Conditioned saloon
  • Aircon Cabins
  • Sun Deck
  • Indoor Saloon
  • Outdoor Dining
  • Custom built for diving
  • Charging stations
  • En-Suite bathrooms
  • Non-Smoking Rooms
  • Outside Showers
  • Seaview Cabins
  • Separate Rinse for u/w Camera
  • Dedicated Local & International Crew
  • Nearly 1:1 Crew-to-Guest Ratio
  • Available for Charter

Food & Drinks

  • Western Food
  • Local Food
  • Vegetarian Options
  • Beer available
  • Snacks All Day
  • Free Soft Drinks
  • Wine Available
  • Set Menu Dinner
  • Welcome Cocktails

If you have any specific dietary requirements whilst on-board your cruise, you can add this to your special requests on step 2 of the booking form. We advise limiting these requests to religious beliefs or food allergies.


Diving

  • DIN Adaptors
  • Dive deck
  • Shaded Diving Area

The crew speaks English and German.


Gear Rental

There is diving gear available on this boat. Please provide your rental needs on the booking form. See below for further details on inclusions and pricing. Show prices.


Drawings & Vessel Layouts

#deckplan floorplan

Boat Specifications

  • Year built 2018
  • Length 21m
  • Beam 3
  • Top speed 22 knodes
  • Cruising speed 12 knodes
  • Engines 2
  • Max guests 10
  • Number of cabins 5
  • Number of bathrooms 6
  • Tenders 1
  • Water capacity 2500
  • Fuel capacity 2800
  • Freshwater maker 150 Liter / h

Boat Navigation and Safety

  • Radar
  • Depth Sounder
  • GPS
  • Radio VHF/DSC/SSB
  • Emergency Rafts
  • Life Vests
  • Fire Alarm & Fire Extinguishers
  • Oxygen
  • First Aid Kits
  • Fishfinder
  • Satellite & mobile phones
  • Bilge pump alarm
  • Crew trained in first aid

Azalea Reviews

  • 8.6 Fabulous
  1. Vessel
    7.5
  2. Crew
    8.7
  3. Food
    9.6
  4. Diving
    9.0
  5. Value
    8.3
  • 6.8 Review score
  • Ronnie B
  • United States United States
The trip was excellent but …

The highlight of the trip was the different atolls at Tubataha. The crew were friendly and hospitable. Our dive guide, Edu was the best. The lowlights was the constantly smoking of the crew everywhere. No designated smoking area. The food needs to have theme daily. Sometimes they don’t make sense. Nitrox wasn’t provided . Overall it’s ok.

Recommended for
The staff, Tubataha only 2 for me!
  • 8.0 Very good
  • James H
  • United States United States
It was an adapt & adjust satisfactory experience.

The sighting of a swimming yellow-spotted manta & an albino manta stingray. Seeing an octopus was another highlight. Always like to view sea turtles. Schools of jackfish & snappers were appreciated. Variety of coral & fish was impressive. Many sightings of sharks were seen on most dives.

Recommended for
Exploring the Tubbataha Reef. The crew on the boat & the diving crew.
  • 9.2 Superb
  • BUMJUN K
  • South Korea South Korea
a reasonable choice to explore the far reaching coral reefs of philippines

To be honest, there are some downsides such as small cabins and not providing nitrox, But considering the price, it is not a problem. Even though visibility was not so good during our trip, coron always offers diverse range of style of diving, which never fails me. What i liked the most is that comparing to other boats, the manager is very willing to be helpful and tries to reflect our opinions in many decisions. Yes, i would love to sail with them again.

Recommended for
friendliness of the crew, food exceeded my expectations, very supportive manager
  • 8.4 Very good
  • Vivek V
  • India India
Great diving and famous wreck dives

The crew and owner of the boat was extremely happy people who did their best. Me being vegetarian, my options were limited on the dining table but for the non vegetarians, it's a foodies paradise. Divemasters we're experienced and knew the sites well. A week passed by in great company!

Recommended for
People, food, bed
  • 7.6 Good
  • Moritz S
  • Germany Germany
Pristine diving on budget boat with very friendly and welcoming crew

Drift diving in strong currents with plenty of marine life

Recommended for
Diving, other guests, crew
  • 9.2 Superb
  • karl G
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom
Vary professional

The coral

Recommended for
Having the owner on board
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Audrius P
  • Lithuania Lithuania
Great experience despite not reaching Apo reef

It's a tricky review because we couldn't reach Apo reef due to weather conditions and dived the Coron wrecks instead. But if we remove this fact from the equation, everything else is great. Dugongs were super cute, the divemasters knew their dives, and the food, omg, the food was amazing, from soft juicy Schnitzels to custom pumpkin soup that was made specifically for me when the main soup was mushroom (I don't eat those). Also, Dirk, the owner, offered a compensation that we couldn't resist, so I'd rate the experience very good.

Recommended for
Dugongs, food and crew
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Isabelle W
  • Netherlands Netherlands
Amazing week on board!

The week on the Azalea was just perfect. The boat is basic, but has everything you need. The crew is fantastic; super friendly, helpful and a lot of fun. What I really liked was that it was a small group of divers, which created a very relaxed atmosphere. Also the divesites were beautiful and we had all the divesites to ourselves.

Recommended for
The small group of people, the crew, the dive sites
  • 8.0 Very good
  • Catherine C
  • Philippines Philippines
Apo reef and Dugong

Seeing a group of bumphead parrotfish feeding(around 20) at 4 meters, big Napoleon Wrasse on several dives, healthy looking coral reefs, pristine and beautiful Apo reef island during the visit to the ranger station.

Recommended for
Diving, crew and guests
  • 6.4 Review score
  • Tyrone T
  • Australia Australia
Preferred a more professional dive master assigned to our group

Perfect weather at the Tubbataha Reef

Recommended for
Diving, boat crew, food