Dolphin Liveaboard, Philippines

Excellent diving and guidance

“Beautiful weather and very fortunate sightings of whale shark, and hammerhead school.”

Brent T, United States United States
Read 21 more reviews

Join the M/V Dolphin liveaboard in the Philippines for an exciting dive trip to Tubbataha, Apo and Coron reefs. Spectacular diving in the Philippines is available year-round. The Tubbataha Marine Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and diving is only available between March - June. Home to almost 90% of the coral species in the Philippines, divers may encounter up to 11 species of shark, as well as whale sharks, manta rays, barracuda, Napoleon wrasse and Tuna. Between June and February, the Dolphin liveaboard relocates to Puerto Galera to dive Apo Reef & Coron. Coron is known to have some of the best wreck diving in SE Asia and combined with the stunning diving of Apo Reef marine sanctuary, makes for another fantastic dive trip.

Topside the M/V Dolphin Philippines caters to 18 guests in 9 air-conditioned cabins. Each cabin is carpeted with en-suite bathrooms, and the 2 VIP Cabins located on the upper deck have an extra sofa, mini-bar & TV. Social areas include the indoor salon, bar and dining area, where freshly prepared Asian-Fusion cuisine is served. There is also an open-air lounge area on the top deck, a great place to unwind after a day of spectacular diving in the Philippines.

The MV Dolphin is a fantastic option for a budget-friendly dive liveaboard in the Philippines. Call us or book online today to reserve your space.


Choose your departure date

Date
Itinerary
Price
Select

Included: VAT, Drinking Water, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Cabin Towels.

Required Extras: National Park Fees (3,000-5,000 PHP per trip), Visas and Fees.

Optional Extras: Gratuities, Airport Transfer, Hotel Transfer, Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Rental Gear.

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.

  • Visa payments
  • MasterCard payments
  • American Express payments
  • Paypal payments
  • ApplePay payments

Pay by bank transfer or online with Best Price Guaranteed


Boat features

  • Laundry Service
  • Massage
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Audio & video entertainment
  • Library
  • Air Conditioned saloon
  • Aircon Cabins
  • Sun Deck
  • Indoor Saloon
  • Non-Diver (Snorkeler) Friendly
  • Warm Water Showers
  • Custom built for diving
  • Charging stations
  • En-Suite bathrooms
  • Outside Showers
  • Kayaks On-Board
  • Snorkeling Equipment
  • Dedicated Local & International Crew
  • Available for Charter

Food & Drinks

  • Western Food
  • Local Food
  • Vegetarian Options
  • Buffet style
  • Beer available
  • Snacks All Day

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
  • Nitrox available
  • Tech diving
  • Rinse Hoses
  • Dive deck
  • Tenders for diving
  • Sidemount Diving

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 1986
  • Length 27 meters
  • Beam 6.5 meters
  • Top speed 10 knots
  • Cruising speed 8 knots
  • Engines Yanmar
  • Max guests 18
  • Number of cabins 9
  • Number of bathrooms 9
  • Water capacity 40 tons
  • Freshwater maker 5 tons per day

Boat Navigation and Safety

  • Radar
  • Depth Sounder
  • GPS
  • Radio VHF/DSC/SSB
  • Life Vests
  • Fire Alarm & Fire Extinguishers
  • Oxygen
  • First Aid Kits
  • Fishfinder
  • Satellite & mobile phones
  • Bilge pump alarm
  • Search light

Dolphin Reviews

  • 8.3 Very good
  1. Vessel
    8.1
  2. Crew
    7.1
  3. Food
    9.4
  4. Diving
    8.8
  5. Value
    8.0
  • 7.2 Good
  • Brent T
  • United States United States
Low value but nice diving

Beautiful weather and very fortunate sightings of whale shark, and hammerhead school.

Recommended for
Guides, pelagics, Tubbataha Reef
  • 8.4 Very good
  • Robert D
  • United States United States
Great staff, always there to assist your needs

Already mentioned above, the highlight dive was on the last day. As soon as began our descent, a white tip, several great barracudas, and a school of Jack's. Of course we descended asap to deeper water and enjoyed the show.

Recommended for
Diving, staff, cabin
  • 9.2 Superb
  • Scott C
  • United States United States
Exceptional Diving and Liveaboard Experience

Naturally all of the great diving, numerous whale sharks, several mantas, lots of sharks, schools of barracuda and jacks. The crew was very good and the fellow divers were fun to know. The end of the trip barbeque on the rear deck was a hoot, live singing and just plain fun, lots of diver participation. Jan did a great job of organization.

Recommended for
The diving was well organized, the food and beverages were very good, and the crew, excellent
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Robert H
  • United States United States
Fantastic

We had a great time with the staff of the boat. The diving was great, we got lucky and experienced whale sharks on a few dives, the food was very good, the price was fair, the dive director was very professional, the dive guides were fantastic...it was just dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, sleep... I made a short home video that sums it all up: https://vimeo.com/339210754

Recommended for
Courtesy. Attentiveness. Safety.
  • 5.6 Review score
  • Yolaine D
  • France France
Desappointing value for money.

No highlight

Recommended for
Crew was friendly
  • 8.4 Very good
  • Ho Wa Rosaline C
  • Macau Macau
Nice Dive Site

We find so many good things to see, nice dive sites and easy dive

Recommended for
The manager and dive guide Johnathan are very helpful and friendly sharing experience for self improvement
  • 7.2 Good
  • Anne M
  • France France
Very good diving

Diving in Tubbataha is amazing: healthy reefs, huge schools of fish, sometimes whale sharks and mantas. Dolphin is a affordable liveaboard to dive this area. The cabins are comfortable. However the food could be better. The crew is friendly and the dive guide professional.

Recommended for
Great diving, comfortable cabins and friendly crew
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • TAIJI O
  • Japan Japan
Great Diving

Total Management Good dive Wonderful Crews

Recommended for
Dive site , Crew , Drink
  • 8.0 Very good
  • ARAM L
  • South Korea South Korea
Great diving and excellent service.

Beautiful and full-of-life reefs.

Recommended for
Very friendly and helpful crew. Efficient operation. Comfort cabin.
  • 8.4 Very good
  • Joshua G
  • Canada Canada
Not an optimal boat layout but great crew and fantastic diving.

Obviously the diving was #1 but also the warm staff made the boat welcoming. The dive deck is small and crowded at times and there is a lack of lounging areas on the boat. They make a concerted effect to aim for sites based on where the other liveaboards are, thus avoiding overloaded dive sites and taking advantage of their own smaller groups.

Recommended for
Dive guides/deck hands, healthy reef, uncrowded dives.